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Agency Failure to Consider Proposal Differences Invalidates Award

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 07.06.11

In One Largo Metro LLC (June 20, 2011), GAO sustained three protests to a best value procurement for office space for HHS when GSA evaluated one of the technical subfactors in a manner inconsistent with the solicitation and failed to consider meaningfully the evaluated differences in the proposals. Regarding the latter protest ground, the source selection official, by disregarding the recommendations of the lower-level evaluators without explanation, did not conduct a well documented, meaningful consideration of the identified technical differences between the proposals and instead based her decision on a mechanical comparison of the subfactor ratings assigned by the lower-level evaluators.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.25.24

JUST RELEASED: EPA’s Bold New Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Collaboration Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) just issued its new Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy, setting the stage for the new manner in which the agency manages its pollution investigations. David M. Uhlmann, the head of OECA, signed the Policy memorandum on April 17, 2024, in order to ensure that EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement offices collaborate efficiently and consistently in cases across the nation. The Policy states, “EPA must exercise enforcement discretion reasonably when deciding whether a particular matter warrants criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement. Criminal enforcement should be reserved for the most egregious violations.” Uhlmann repeated this statement during a luncheon on April 23, 2024, while also emphasizing the new level of energy this collaborative effort has brought to the enforcement programs....