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Sample Tasks Must Be Reasonable Proxy For Entire Contract

Client Alert | 1 min read | 06.08.06

Holding that a cost realism analysis must provide a reasonable basis for estimating the cost to the government of an offeror's performance, in Metro Machine Corp . (May 3, 2006, http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/ 2978792.pdf) GAO overturned the agency's cost realism evaluation because, while sample tasks can provide a reasonable basis to assess the relative costs of competing proposals, the sample tasks used by the agency in this case were not representative of the contract work.  The awardee had proposed a subcontractor with labor rates higher than the prime contractor's to perform a significant portion of the work, but, because that subcontractor had not been included in the proposed solution for any of the sample tasks, the subcontractor's high labor rates were nowhere reflected in the cost realism evaluation.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 08.21.26

FTC Proposes Enforcement Policy Statement on Personalized Pricing: What Businesses Need to Know

On August 19, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed Enforcement Policy Statement on personalized pricing — the practice of companies using consumers’ personal data to set individualized prices, discounts, coupons, or other incentives. The proposed statement, which is open for public comment for 30 days following publication in the Federal Register, marks a major step up in the FTC’s focus on data-driven pricing strategies and puts businesses across industries on notice that undisclosed or inadequately disclosed personalized pricing will not be tolerated. Importantly, while the proposed statement is not a binding legal requirement and does not create new legal obligations, it serves as an enforcement warning that the FTC is prepared to use its existing enforcement authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act (Section 5) and is also a potential harbinger of rulemaking. Businesses that engage in — or are considering — personalized pricing should carefully assess their disclosure practices and data collection procedures against the standards articulated in this statement....

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