1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |Agency Acceptably Disqualifies Offeror For Refusal To Wall Off Employee

Agency Acceptably Disqualifies Offeror For Refusal To Wall Off Employee

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.26.09

In Kellogg Brown & Root Servs., Inc. (Feb. 23, 2009), the agency excluded KBR from two future Army task order competitions when the agency's CO had inadvertently forwarded source selection sensitive and contractor proprietary information to KBR's contracts manager and program manager and KBR later refused to "wall off" or isolate the project manager from the task order competitions. GAO upheld the exclusion, even though the agency admitted that it could not definitively conclude that KBR had actually obtained an unfair competitive advantage and even though the company had taken steps to permanently delete the sensitive information from its computers and email servers and the program manager had signed a sworn statement that he had not retained the sensitive information and could not remember the contents of the email.

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 05.13.24

Harmonizing AI with EEO Requirements: OFCCP’s Blueprint for Federal Contractors

Now more than ever, federal contractors find themselves at the intersection of innovation and regulation, particularly in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  AI is now incorporated into a broad range of business systems, including those with the potential to inform contractor employment decisions.  For that reason, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has issued new guidance entitled “Artificial Intelligence and Equal Employment Opportunity for Federal Contractors” (the “AI Guide”).  OFCCP issued the AI Guide in accordance with President Biden’s Executive Order 14110 (regarding the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence”), which we reported on here.  The AI Guide provides answers to commonly asked questions about the use of AI in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) context.  The AI Guide also offers “Promising Practices,” which highlight a number of important considerations for federal contractors.  Focusing on federal contractors’ obligations and attendant risks when utilizing AI to assist in employment-related decisions, the AI Guide also provides recommendations for ensuring compliance with EEO requirements while harnessing the efficiencies of AI....