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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.

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Client Alert | 6 min read | 07.09.26

EU Steel Overcapacity Regulation: New Permanent Measure in Force from 1 July 2026

The EU’s steel safeguard under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/159 expired on 30 June 2026 and has been replaced by a new permanent instrument — the EU Steel Overcapacity Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2026/1384) (the Regulation”). It imposes tariff-rate quotas and an out-of-quota duty, similarly to the steel safeguard measures that expired. The out-of-quota duty has been raised from 25% to 50% to minimize the risk of trade diversion. The Regulation reduces duty-free imports of 26 categories of steel products into the EU by an average of 47% compared with the quotas under the until recently applicable safeguard measures....