Five Peculiarities of Protests of Federal Supply Schedule Orders
- The General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Schedule contracts are an efficient method for agencies across the Government to meet their needs for many commercially available supplies and services. For requirements above a certain value, agencies ordinarily hold competitions among Schedule contract holders for issuance of... ›
New Year, New Domestic Preference Restrictions: Trump Final Rule and Biden Executive Order
By: Damien C. Specht and James A. Tucker
Despite their many differences, Presidents Trump and Biden agree on one thing: that the Government should favor American manufacturers over foreign companies by tightening the protectionist restrictions applicable to many Federal procurements. The outgoing and incoming Administrations each took actions this January that will... ›Initial Thoughts on the 2021 NDAA’s Procurement Provisions
By: J. Alex Ward, W. Jay DeVecchio, James A. Tucker and Locke Bell
Both houses of Congress now have voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. Although the threat of a presidential veto still hangs over the NDAA, we highlight below a few of the procurement-related provisions that likely will remain... ›Proposed Rule to Amend the Far’s Implementation of the Buy American Act
By: Damien C. Specht and James A. Tucker
Earlier this week, the FAR Council issued a proposed rule to implement President Trump’s Executive Order 13881. The Executive Order called for the expansion of the preference for domestic goods, products, and materials – particularly domestic iron and steel – in Federal procurements. If... ›Update: COVID-19/Coronavirus Webinar Series: Concerns for Government Contractors (MATERIALS)
By: J. Alex Ward
Updated to add final materials, which can be accessed here. Replays of the webinar can be accessed here. Please join Morrison & Foerster Government Contracts + Public Procurement practice co-chair Alex Ward , and partner Dan Chudd for a webinar concerning what government contractors... ›Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Keep Calm, Wash Your Hands, and Know Your Rights
By: Locke Bell
As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, invades more and more of everyday life, the chance it will affect government contracts and government contractors becomes more and more likely. These effects might include workforce reductions from those out sick, travel restrictions, base closures, or telework. Indeed,... ›Trade Agreements Act Compliance: Federal Circuit Clarifies Country of Origin and Place of Manufacture Analyses
By: Damien C. Specht and James A. Tucker
A variety of arcane domestic-preference regimes apply to many Federal procurements – the Buy American Act (BAA), the Trade Agreements Act (TAA), the Berry Amendment, and the Cargo Preference Act, to name a few. In Acetris Health, LLC v. United States , the Court... ›DOJ Takes Aim at Collusion in Government Procurement with New Strike Force
By: Megan E. Gerking
On November 5, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of a new Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) focused on deterring, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting antitrust crimes, especially bid-rigging, in government procurement at the federal, state, and local levels. This follows several... ›DOD Promulgates Long-awaited Restrictions on LPTA Procurement
By: James A. Tucker
The Department of Defense (DOD) has promulgated the final rule restricting DOD’s use of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) acquisition methods. The final rule adopts, without any substantive changes, the proposed rule published last December and implements sections of the National Defense Authorization Acts... ›President Issues New Domestic Preference Executive Order
By: Damien C. Specht and James A. Tucker
The President has issued the third in a series of executive orders (EOs) directed at tightening domestic-preference restrictions in Government procurements covered by the Buy American Act (BAA). EO 13881 orders the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) within 180 days to “consider proposing”... ›