Chasing the FAR: DOD’s Buy American Act Final Rule
- Recently, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a final rule that immediately implements President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 13881 to maximize the government’s procurement of American-made goods, products, and materials under the Buy American Act (BAA) statute. The final rule conforms the DOD’s pre-existing... ›
DoD Calls for Continued Flexibility in Contract Place of Performance
By: Markus Gerhard Speidel
In a win for remote contractors, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) expressed its continued preference for remote work under its contracts. In a memorandum issued earlier this month, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) asked contracting officers (COs) not to... ›Sekri, Inc. V. United States: Are Pre-proposal-submission Email Exchanges Now Enough to Avoid Blue & Gold Waiver?
By: James A. Tucker
In the seminal decision Blue & Gold Fleet, L.P. v. United States , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that “a party who has the opportunity to object to the terms of a government solicitation containing a patent error and... ›April 2022 Bid Protest Spotlight: Late-Is-Late, Party Interest, Timeliness
By: Caitlin A. Crujido
This month’s Bid Protest Roundup examines three recent decisions by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) and the Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”). The first two protests involve late proposal submissions both at the GAO and at the COFC, and the third involves establishing interested... ›Five Peculiarities of Protests of Federal Supply Schedule Orders
By: James A. Tucker
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, 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,... ›