1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |Report Highlights Problematic Katrina Contracting Practices

Report Highlights Problematic Katrina Contracting Practices

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 02.28.06

The final report of The House Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina (http://katrina.house.gov/) criticizes all levels of government for using problematic contracting practices, such as orally changing the scope of work in the middle of an engagement and awarding most contracts on a sole-source basis or pursuant to limited competition. Among other proposed reforms, the Committee recommends that the Government enter into contracts in advance of each hurricane season to avoid the chaos and potential for fraud and abuse associated with contracting under intense pressure.

Contacts

Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 07.10.26

Federal Circuit Clarifies Application of Blue & Gold: Proposal Submission Deadline, Not Award, is the Operative Time for Filing

In Utech, Inc. v. United States, No. 24-1586 (Fed. Cir. June 24, 2026), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit clarified that in most cases, a pre-award protest must be filed before the proposal submission deadline to avoid the Blue & Gold waiver rule.  This decision, while nonprecedential, is in line with U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) precedent, which has long held that pre-award protests must be filed before the proposal submission deadline....