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Past Performance Formula For Disaster

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 03.21.06

In United Paradyne Corp. (Mar. 10, 2006, http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/297758.pdf), GAO sustained a protest of the Air Force's past performance evaluation based on its mechanical application of an irrational, mathematical formula. The Air Force's method, which independently rated the relevancy and quality of each offeror's past performance reference, improperly (1) penalized offerors for identifying less relevant past performance even when additional, relevant references had been submitted; and (2) assigned equal weight to both highly relevant and non-relevant past performance.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 07.20.26

DOJ and DHS Issue Interim Final Rule on State and Local Counter-Drone Authority Under the SAFER SKIES Act

On July 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) setting up a new federal framework that allows state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies to detect, track, and, in some cases, disable or seize drones. The rule directly affects SLTT agencies looking to stand up counter-drone programs, as well as drone and counter-drone technology companies whose products will be subject to federal review and approval. Although the IFR bypassed the Administrative Procedure Act’s standard notice-and-comment process on good cause grounds — citing the statutory 180-day deadline and urgent public safety needs — the rule is already legally binding and effective as of July 1, 2026. The Departments are nonetheless accepting post-promulgation comments through September 4, 2026....