1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |GAO Rules that DoD May Not Require a Small Business Joint Venture Itself to Hold Facility Clearance

GAO Rules that DoD May Not Require a Small Business Joint Venture Itself to Hold Facility Clearance

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 09.08.21

In InfoPoint LLC, the Government Accountability Office ruled that the Department of Defense could not require a small business joint venture offeror to itself hold a facility clearance when the individual joint venture members themselves both hold the necessary facility clearances.  GAO ruled that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, implemented in the Small Business Administration’s regulations at 13 C.F.R. § 121.103(h)(4), unambiguously prohibits the DoD from requiring that a joint venture hold a facility clearance if the members do.  Read more about this decision here.

Insights

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....