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Bad Alchemy: Turning Estimates Into Fraud

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 02.08.06

Building on comments at the Nash & Cibinic Roundtable, David Bodenheimer challenges the oxymoronic trend of government agencies and qui tam whistleblowers to assert defective pricing or false claims based upon second-guessing poor estimates. In his article "'False' or 'Inaccurate' Estimates" published in the December 2005 Briefing Paper (http://www.crowell.com/pdf/Expertise/GovtContracts/BriefingPapers_Bodenheimer.pdf), he explains that estimating -- due to its inherently risky and predictive nature -- requires judgmental forecasts long recognized as appropriate by government pricing guidelines and not suitable for defective pricing and fraud suits complaining about bad estimates of future events.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 01.07.26

FDA Request for Information Signals New Path for VC Firms and their Portfolio Companies in Federal Contracting

On December 17, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a request for information (RFI) on a proposal designed to help the FDA engage more directly with innovative, venture-backed companies focused on biotechnology, medical devices, AI, and regulatory technology.[i]The RFI includes 19 questions, with responses due by 2:00 p.m. ET on January 18, 2026....