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 | 2 min read | 12.29.25
FYI – GAO Finds Key Person “Available” Despite Accepting Employment with a Different Company
GAO’s key personnel rule is well-known—and often a source of frustration— amongst government contractors. Proposed key personnel who become “unavailable” prior to contract award—especially where they have accepted employment with a different company—may doom an offeror’s proposal by rendering it noncompliant with solicitation requirements. But GAO’s recent decision in FYI – For Your Information, Inc., B-423774, B-423774.2 (Dec. 19, 2025) provides some potential relief from that rule.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 12.29.25
Investor Advisory Committee Recommends SEC Disclosure Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.29.25
More Than Math: How Desjardins Recognizes AI Innovations as Patent-Eligible Technology
Client Alert | 10 min read | 12.24.25
