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Joint DOJ-FTC Memorandum Puts Defense M&A Deals in the Crosshairs

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.14.16

On April 12, DOJ and FTC issued a joint statement, “Preserving Competition in the Defense Industry,” which reiterates the analytical framework for reviewing defense industry mergers and acquisitions set forth in the DOJ/FTC 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines and emphasizes that the antitrust agencies will continue to give substantial weight to DOD’s own assessment of such transactions – highlighting the need for companies in the defense industry to adopt a coordinated strategy when pursuing strategic transactions. According to the accompanying press release, the agencies “thought it timely to reinforce [the] message” that they remain “committed to preserving competition for current and future defense procurement ... [i]n light of recent speculation about possible future consolidation,” an indication to companies considering defense industry M&As that the cognizant oversight agencies are likely to remain active in reviewing such transactions.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 07.23.26

Protester Beware: Recent GAO Decision Suggests Traditional “Reasonable Possibility” Prejudice Standard May Be Evolving

It is well established that “[c]ompetitive prejudice is an essential element of every viable protest.” Yet, for decades, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has tempered this requirement with two critical corollaries: protesters need only demonstrate a “reasonable possibility” that they were prejudiced by an agency’s actions, and GAO “will resolve doubts regarding prejudice in favor of the protester.” These principles have been consistent features of GAO’s bid protest jurisprudence for more than 30 years. See, e.g., United Int’l Eng'g, Inc., B-245448, Jan. 29, 1992, 71 CPD ¶ 177....