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"Meaningful Consideration" of Procurement's Primary Activity Required in Size Standard Determinations

Client Alert | 1 min read | 10.16.14

In RLB Contracting, Inc. v. U.S. (Oct. 3, 2014), the Court of Federal Claims enjoined the USDA from moving forward with a small business set-aside procurement for a shoreline and marsh restoration project issued under a NAICS code for "Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction," to which both the USDA and SBA found the code’s smaller size standard exception for "contracts which are comprised primarily of dredging and surface clean up" inapplicable. Concluding that the size standard decision by the USDA (which was affirmed by the SBA) was "flawed because the [administrative] record does not show that they gave proper consideration to whether dredging constitutes the primary activity involved," the CFC deemed the size standard determination "irrational."


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Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.18.24

GSA Clarifies Permissibility of Upfront Payments for Software-as-a-Service Offerings

On March 15, 2024, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued Acquisition Letter MV-2024-01 providing guidance to GSA contracting officers on the use of upfront payments for acquisitions of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).  Specifically, this acquisition letter clarifies that despite statutory prohibitions against the use of “advance” payments outside of narrowly-prescribed circumstances, upfront payments for SaaS licenses do not constitute an “advance” payment subject to these restrictions when made under the following conditions:...