A Bold New World? GSA Proposes to Swap Its Price Reduction Clause for Monthly Reporting of All Sales Under Schedule and Other Government-Wide GSA Contracts
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.06.15
On March 4, 2015, GSA proposed to change dramatically the way it seeks to obtain the lowest and best price for items purchased off Federal Supply Schedule and other Government-wide GSA contracts by largely abandoning the Price Reduction Clause (and the consequent price monitoring of sales to "basis of award" customers) in favor of imposing a requirement that holders of such contracts report, on a monthly basis, specific information on all sales transactions (including unit prices) to authorized users. While the Price Reduction Clause has caused contractors significant compliance difficulties over the years, this proposal, which will be considered at a April 17 public meeting with written comments due May 4, is intended to provide government customers a powerful database tool by which to obtain the best deal from contractors based upon their actual price history and the ability to compare those unit prices with the actual prices being offered by competitors.
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
