Proof Of Actual Bias Not Required To Show Conflict Of Interest
Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.07.06
Using the rarely-invoked exception to its timeliness rules for protests raising issues of widespread interest to the procurement community, the GAO in Celadon Laboratories, Inc., (http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/ 298533.pdf, Nov. 1, 2006) upheld a protest challenging an HHS decision not to fund the protester’s Small Business Innovation Research proposal, finding a conflict of interest where the members of the Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) that evaluated (and rejected) the proposal were employed by, or funded by, firms that support a competing technology. Because of the specific conflict information protester brought to the agency’s attention during the evaluation, GAO not only rejected HHS’s reliance on its SEP’s self-certification but also, rejected the argument that actual bias must be shown and instead concluded that in cases in which the evaluator has a conflict, prejudice is presumed.
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Client Alert | 4 min read | 11.09.26
CMS Finalizes Its 2026 Organ Procurement Organization Rule
On November 3, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a follow-up to its 2020 final rule governing conditions of participation for organ procurement organizations (OPO). CMS’s final rule in 2020 set forth outcome measures for OPOs. The latest final rule further cements the new rating structure that will determine which of the 55 OPOs will be recertified at the end of the current cycle. The final rule largely tracks CMS’s proposed rule, which we discuss here, with the following notable exceptions:
Client Alert | 7 min read | 11.05.26
2026 State Attorney General Elections: What Businesses Should Expect
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.05.26
Federal, State, and Local Regulators Sue Toast Over B2B Advertising and Subscriptions
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.04.26
CMS Proposal Would Overhaul Eligibility Rules for ACA Exchanges
