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President Biden Signs New Legislation to Identify and Mitigate Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition

Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.03.23

On December 27, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act (S.3905) to strengthen the current rules relating to identification and mitigation of organizational conflicts of interest (OCIs) in federal acquisition. The Act focuses on updating the current FAR provision, Subpart 9.5, to provide clear definitions, examples, and guidance on potential OCIs and to consider expanding the Subpart to cover certain commercial and foreign relationships.

As currently drafted, FAR Subpart 9.5 provides general rules governing OCIs. Case law at the Court of Federal Claims and the Government Accountability Office have further identified three types of OCIs, “biased ground rules,” “impaired objectivity,” and “unequal access to information.” Under the Act, the FAR Council is meant to provide specific definitions and examples of the three types of OCIs.

The Act also instructs the FAR Council to provide executive agencies with standard solicitation provisions and contract clauses to address OCIs. Executive agencies will be able to tailor the solicitation provisions and contract clauses as necessary to address concerns associated with conflicts of interest and any considerations unique to the executive agency.

The Act directs the FAR Council to update the FAR’s OCI provisions in the next 18 months.  We are expecting the FAR Council to issue proposed regulations, and contractors should be prepared to review the proposed changes and modify practices if needed once the final rules are issued.

Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 10.15.25

Developers Adapt Timelines and Strategies for Wind and Solar Projects Following Recent IRS Guidance and Expected IRS Enforcement Activity

On August 15, 2025, the Treasury Department and IRS released updated guidance concerning Beginning of Construction requirements to qualify for clean energy tax credits. This new guidance is critical for developers to consider as they rush to qualify for the tax credits before they expire entirely. The much-anticipated guidance followed the July 7, 2025 Executive Order 14315, Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources (“July 7, 2025 Executive Order”), which signaled that the Trump Administration was planning to strictly enforce the termination of production and investment tax credits for solar and wind facilities that are set to expire under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act), covered in more detail here. The new guidance comes at a time when many in the industry are struggling to keep up with the myriad ways that the new administration is working to roll back wind and solar tax credits, leaving developers to piece through the recent guidance to determine how best to structure and invest in clean energy projects given the volatile position of the current administration vis-a-vis wind and solar energy....