Raise Confirmed! DoD Finalizes Doubling of CPSR Threshold
Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.10.20
Effective December 31, 2019, the DoD issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to establish a DoD contractor purchasing system review (CPSR) threshold of $50M at DFARS 244.302, doubling the existing $25M threshold at FAR 44.302(a). The final rule adopts the proposed rule (discussed here) without any substantive changes. In response to a comment, the final rule clarifies that contractors whose relevant sales have not reached the new threshold may opt to allow their approval to expire rather than incur the costs to maintain a system that meets the criteria for an approved system; in that case, the Government and contractor would continue with consent packages. But, if an approved purchasing system is necessary to support a particular program, the contractor can work with the contracting officer to obtain a CPSR based on risk or pressing need. The final rule also notes that it is a simple increase in the threshold, and does not impact any existing provisions or clauses.
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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
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