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Decision Signals Increased SBA Scrutiny of Size Status

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.16.07

In Size Appeal of Ross Aviation, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4840, March 07, 2007, the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (“OHA”) reversed its earlier decision in Size Appeal of Spectrum Landscape Services, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4313 (1998), and expanded the scope of its review. Basing its reversal of position on the objective of promoting the integrity of the procurement process, OHA held that “[a]part from contract-specific issues (e.g., ostensible subcontractor and non-manufacturer rule), OHA will no longer dismiss automatically an unsuccessful offeror’s appeal as moot after contract award . . . simply because of a contracting officer’s representation that he/she intends not to disturb award of the contract (including their intent to award options).”

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.14.26

DOJ’s False Claims Act Resolution Against IBM Signals Heightened Risk for Federal Contractors with DEI Programs

On Friday, April 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has agreed to pay just over $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with federal anti-discrimination requirements incorporated into its federal contracts due to allegedly discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employment practices. This resolution marks the first FCA settlement secured by the DOJ under its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, created in May 2025, and announced by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as part of the administration’s coordinated efforts to target allegedly unlawful DEI practices. Per the agreement, the settlement is neither an admission of liability by IBM nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded....