Jonathan T. Williams, Partner

Guiding Growth. Securing Success.

jwilliams@pilieromazza.com
202 857 1000 tel
202 857 0200 fax


Jon Williams practices in the areas of government contracts, corporate matters, and telecommunications law.  He assists clients with all aspects of doing business with the government, including compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and navigating the complex rules governing small business procurement programs.  He drafts and reviews teaming agreements and subcontracts, has established numerous joint ventures and mentor/protégé relationships, assists with mergers and acquisitions involving contractors, and prepares and pursues requests for equitable adjustment and certified claims.  Mr. Williams also counsels contractors regarding False Claims Act violations, suspensions and debarments, and decertification from SBA procurement programs. 
 
The primary focus of Mr. Williams’ practice is the federal procurement programs for small businesses, including the SBA’s 8(a), HUBZone, SDVO SBC, and WOSB programs, as well as the programs for veteran-owned firms through the Department of Veterans Affairs.  He regularly assists clients with issues affecting eligibility for these programs, including counseling clients on the regulatory requirements, conducting internal compliance investigations, and developing strategies to obtain and maintain eligibility. 
 
Another key component of Mr. Williams’ practice is protests.  Mr. Williams has filed and defended numerous procurement eligibility protests before the SBA and the SBA’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA).  He has also successfully litigated many bid protests before the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  Some of the favorable reported results Mr. Williams has obtained for PilieroMazza clients include:

Procurement Eligibility Protests

  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination to SBA OHA, overturning SBA Area Office's decision that client was affiliated with another business due to an identity of interest based on a familial relationship, in Size Appeal of SP Technologies, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5319 (2012)
  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination involving the scope of the protection from affiliation for SBA-approved 8(a) Mentor-Protégé Agreements, familial identity of interest affiliation, and the newly organized concern rule, see Size Appeal of Rio Vista Management, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5316 (2012)
  • Obtained an important victory for SDVO firms in March 2011 via a ruling that overturned prior OHA precedent and held that SDVO joint ventures may be formed as limited liability companies and corporations, see Construction Engineering Services, LLC, SBA No. VET-213 (2011)
     
  • Filed successful size protest against contract awardee based on the ostensible subcontractor rule and defended the awardee’s subsequent appeal, see Size Appeal of Smart Data Solutions, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5071 (2009)
     
  • Won appeal with important precedential value for SBA mentor/protégé joint ventures, see Size Appeal of SES-Tech Global Solutions, SBA No. SIZ-4951 (2008)
     
  • Successfully defended size protests in Size Appeal of UXB International, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4930 (2008) and Size Appeal of PMTech, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4921 (2008)
     
  • Successfully appealed adverse SBA size determination to preserve 8(a) set-aside award for client in ASRC Airfield and Range Services, Inc., SBA No. SIZ-4835 (2007)

Bid Protests

  • Successfully protested the award of a facilities operations and software maintenance contract before the FAA’s Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition, see Protest of Columbus Technologies and Services, Inc., 10-ODRA-00514 (2010)
     
  • Represented protester in successful challenge to an agency’s failure to set aside a $75 million task order for small businesses, see Delex Systems, Inc., B-400403 (Oct. 8, 2008)
     
  • Represented one of the successful plaintiffs in a bid protest to the Court of Federal Claims regarding the $50 billion GSA “Alliant” procurement, see Serco, Inc., et al. v. United States, 81 Fed. Cl. 463 (2008)
     
  • Assisted client in obtaining favorable decision from the GAO regarding the permissibility of client's GSA Schedule contract in No-Cost Contracts for Event Planning Services, B-308968 (Nov. 27, 2007)
     
  • Successfully protested awards made pursuant to a $360 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers procurement in Doyon-American Mechanical, JV; NAJV, LLC, B-310003; B-31003.2 (Nov. 15, 2007), and reached favorable settlement with agency regarding subsequent protest of agency’s corrective action
Mr. Williams is a frequent writer and speaker on the federal procurement programs for small businesses, as well as other topics within the government contracting industry.

Bar Admissions

  • Maryland
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Education

  • The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D.,
    and Communications Law Institute, Certificate
  • Syracuse University, B.S.