Insights

Washington – February 22, 2019: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that its Government Contracts Group has been recognized as one of Law360’s “Practice Groups of the Year” for government contracts. This is the ninth consecutive year that the group has earned this honor.

Washington, D.C. – April 4, 2016: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of partner Rob Burton to the firm's internationally recognized Government Contracts Group in Washington, D.C. A 30-year veteran of procurement law and policy development, Burton is the former Acting and Deputy Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), the nation's top career federal procurement official. Burton joins Crowell & Moring most recently from Venable LLP, where he was a partner in the firm's Government Contracts Group. His arrival comes on the heels of the addition of partner David Robbins, a former government Suspending and Debarring Official and Procurement Fraud Remedies Coordination Official, who joined the group in February 2016.

On September 8, 2022, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) issued Class Deviation 2022-O0009 (the “Deviation”) immediately authorizing contracting officers to allow active registration in the System for Award Management (“SAM”) within 30 days of contract award or three days prior to submission of the first invoice (whichever comes first) rather than at the time of award—provided the contractor can prove it has initiated or attempted to start the SAM registration process.  The Deviation is in effect through October 31, 2022 unless rescinded or extended.

The General Services Administration (GSA) transition from the Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which took effect on April 4, 2022, has faced challenges.  Substantial verification and validation delays continue, agencies have had to issue guidance for the management of SAM delays, and even Congress is showing concerns.   

Congress has not passed crucial funding bills for the start of FY 2022 and, on September 28, 2021, Treasury Secretary Yellen informed Congress that Treasury now estimates that the Federal government will reach the debt ceiling by October 18.  As a result, we again face the prospect of a government shutdown for lack of funding.  While Congress may yet take action, agencies across the government are likely to begin taking steps to prepare for a shutdown, and contractors should do so as well.

Join fellow public contract professionals from across the country in the heart of San Francisco for exceptional CLE Programs and networking opportunities at the ABA Section of Public Contract Law Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2016.

Please join members of Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group for an update on the potential impact of the Biden Administration’s policies and priorities on government contractors. As we approach the end of the first 100 days of the Biden Administration, the Administration’s policies are more clearly defined and the scale of government spending for pandemic relief and stimulus programs is unprecedented. This creates significant opportunities and challenges for government contractors.

Please join members of Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group for an overview of where acquisition regulations and policies may be headed in the new Biden Administration.  The attorneys will also highlight hot topics and new developments in government contracts for 2021.  Topics to be discussed include:

The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule, effective November 16, 2020, that implemented changes to a number of SBA programs, including the consolidation of the All-Small Mentor Protégé Program with the 8(a) Business Development Mentor-Protégé Program, revisions to its regulations governing joint ventures, and a few affiliation tests, among others.  The final rule has broad implications for both small and large government contractors, particularly those contractors engaging as mentor and protégé and forming joint ventures, and highlights the importance for large and mid-size contractors to build a pipeline of qualified small business partners.  We will discuss some of the final rule’s key changes as well as the practical impact that government contractors must be aware of, such as the interaction of the revised regulations with recent key decisions from the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals interpreting the joint venture requirements.