DOD Issues Final OCI Rule For Major Programs
Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.30.10
In its much anticipated final OCI rule, issued December 29, 2010, DOD limited the new provisions to changes required by the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 for major defense acquisition programs ("MDAPs") and pre-MDAP programs, in contrast to the proposed rule, which would have been applicable to all DOD acquisitions. Additional key changes from the proposed rule include: (i) making clear that this final rule takes precedence over FAR subpart 9.5, to the extent that there are inconsistencies; (ii) adding an explanation of the basic goals to promote competition and preserve DOD access to the expertise of qualified contractors; (iii) removing the formal preference for mitigation as the preferred resolution strategy; (iv) tightening the System Engineering and Technical Assistance ("SETA") contractor exception for domain experience and expertise to require a head of the contracting activity determination; and (v) refining definitions of major subcontractor and systems engineering and technical assistance.
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
