Catherine O. Shames is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Crowell & Moring, where she is a member of the firm’s Government Contracts Group.
Catherine’s government contracts practice focuses on contract claims/disputes under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA), prime-sub disputes, transactional due diligence, internal investigations, and disclosures under the Mandatory Disclosure Rule. She also assists contractors with cost allowability issues and responding to DCAA audits.
Catherine is active in pro bono matters. She has represented low-income individuals in contested custody disputes and in housing disputes against landlords to remediate unsafe housing conditions.
Catherine received her J.D. and M.B.A. from the College of William & Mary. During law school, Catherine interned for the Honorable Lydia Kay Griggsby at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Catherine also completed U.S. Department of Justice internships with the Office of the Pardon Attorney, the Tax Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.
Prior to law school, Catherine was a legal analyst at the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company where she gained valuable government contract experience. Catherine holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University and a Bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.
Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia, Virginia, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
Speeches & Presentations
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"Costs and Pricing: No Contract is Really Final," Government Contracts "101" - Back to Basics, McLean, VA
(October 23, 2019).
Moderator: Mana Lombardo; Panelists: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, and Catherine Shames.
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"Accounting Cost & Pricing Compliance and Pitfalls," Government Contracts Breakfast Series, Herndon, VA
(September 18, 2019).
Presenters: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Elizabeth Buehler, Charles Baek, Michael G. Gruden, and Catherine O. Shames.
Client Alerts & Newsletters
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"The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(March 25, 2020).
Contacts: Gail D. Zirkelbach, Laura J. Mitchell Baker, Catherine O. Shames
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"Silence = Acquiescence: Government Stuck with Contractor’s Interpretation that was Provided with its Proposal,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(March 18, 2020).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Skye Mathieson, Michelle D. Coleman, Catherine O. Shames
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"Double Take: The DoD OIG Recommends Attempting to Recoup $43 Million in Purportedly Expressly Unallowable Costs Not Previously Disallowed,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(February 13, 2020).
Contacts: Stephen J. McBrady, Nicole Owren-Wiest, Skye Mathieson, Michelle D. Coleman, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"GAO Rejects Navy’s Blind-Eye Approach to Awardee’s Whitewash of Adverse Performance Information,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(December 20, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"Expressly Does Not Require Being Expressed: Fed. Circuit Finds Salary Costs for Lobbying are Expressly Unallowable,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(October 22, 2019).
Contacts: Alan W. H. Gourley, Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"In the Land of the Disfavored: FAR Council Issues Proposed Rule on Avoiding Usage of LPTA,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(October 11, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"At Last! Proposed Amendments to the FAR Reflecting Increased MPT, SAT and TINA Thresholds,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(October 10, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"Show Me the Value: DFARS Proposes Rule on Market Research and Value-Based Price Reasonableness Determination,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(October 4, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"Government Charged With Knowledge of Unapproved Subcontractors Listed on Invoices,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(October 2, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Stephen J. McBrady, Skye Mathieson, Michelle D. Coleman, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"DCAA Materiality Standards for Incurred Cost Audits,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(August 1, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"Here We Go Again: DFARS Changes to the "Only One Offer" Rule,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(July 30, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"We've Come to the End of the Road: FY 2018 Report to Congress Says DCAA Backlog is No More,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(July 11, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Stephen J. McBrady, Catherine O. Shames
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"FAR Council Introduces Limits on the Single-Offer Adequate Price Competition Exception,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(July 1, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
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"Contractor’s Challenge to Cost Accounting Regulation Hits Headwinds,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(June 19, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"It’s Time for a Raise! DoD Proposes to Increase CPSR Threshold,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(June 11, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"Expedited Contract Closeouts – A Fast Track Available to Select Older Contracts,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(May 28, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"Take Two: DoD Issues Another Proposed Rule on Performance-Based Payments,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(May 23, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"Foreign Governments Join the Commercial Item Party,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(May 20, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Lorraine M. Campos, Catherine O. Shames
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"It All Adds Up: What’s New with DCAA (May 2019),"
Podcast: It All Adds Up
(May 7, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Michael G. Gruden, CIPP/G, Catherine O. Shames
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"CAS Board Begins Statutorily-Mandated CAS/GAAP Conformance,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(March 27, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"Contractor Business Systems Reviews: A Work in Progress According to GAO Report,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(February 22, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Catherine O. Shames
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"ASBCA Rules that Navy’s Desires Are Not an Option,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(February 13, 2019).
Contacts: Stephen J. McBrady, Nicole Owren-Wiest, Skye Mathieson, Catherine O. Shames
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"Better to Ask Permission than Forgiveness: ASBCA Denies Subcontract Payments ,"
Government Contracts Bullet Points
(January 18, 2019).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Stephen J. McBrady, Skye Mathieson, Catherine O. Shames
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"Fixed-Price or Firm-Fixed-Price? Contractor’s Right to Seek Reimbursement of Legal Costs in Defending Qui Tam Suits,"
False Claims Bullet Points
(November 20, 2018).
Contacts: Nicole Owren-Wiest, Charles Baek, Catherine O. Shames
Firm News & Announcements