New Minimum Wage Requirements for Government Contractors May Impact Price Adjustments

Effective January 1, 2021, the Executive Order (the Order) minimum wage rate that generally must be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with covered government contracts will increase to $10.95 per hour, while the required minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $7.65 per hour. Each year, the Department of Labor (DOL) assesses the established minimum wage and, using determined methodology, announces an . . . Read More

Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – September 8, 2020

If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “COVID-19 Client Resource Center.” Please contact covid19@pilieromazza.com for immediate assistance. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Jackie Unger Elevated to Counsel in PilieroMazza’s Government Contracts Group, September 1, 2020 PilieroMazza  is pleased to announce that  Jackie Unger  has been elevated to Counsel in the Firm’s  Government Contracts Group  effective September 1, 2020. The Group’s Practice Chair,  Tony Franco , said: “Jackie is one of . . . Read More

FAR Council Issues New Interim Rule on Section 889 Prohibitions on Using Chinese Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Equipment

If you have not viewed PilieroMazza’s prior client alert and webinar on the implications of the new prohibition on the use of certain Chinese telecommunications and video surveillance equipment, we highly recommend you do so before reading this article as it will provide helpful background and information which we will not rehash in this article.  You can find that content here and here , respectively. The FAR Council released a new interim rule , effective October 26, 2020, allowing federal contractors who already certified in . . . Read More

Certain SBA Loan Review Decisions Under Paycheck Protection Program Appealable

Millions of small businesses applied for and received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was a temporary program established under the CARES Act enacted by Congress to provide relief to America’s small businesses due to the devastating effects of COVID-19.  But some businesses were denied loans and others are seeking forgiveness, only to find that they were deemed ineligible for full or partial forgiveness.  A new rule may provide small businesses with options to appeal these decisions. An . . . Read More

DOD Receives Section 889 Waiver from Director of National Intelligence

On August 12, 2020, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe issued a memorandum to the Department of Defense (DOD) that waives DOD’s requirements under Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. The Federal Register published an interim rule on July 14, 2020, that implemented Section 889, which prohibits agencies from procuring telecommunications equipment and services from Huawei Technologies Company, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, Hytera Communications Company, Dahua Technology Company, and ZTE Corporation. The DOD originally released a . . . Read More

Prohibitions on Use of Some Chinese Telecommunications Equipment by Government Contractors Effective August 13, 2020

Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019—prohibiting government agencies and government contractors they work with from using certain covered telecommunications equipment or services from China—goes into effect on August 13, 2020. The FAR Council issued an interim rule implementing Section 889(a)(1)(B) by making a number of changes to 48 CFR Parts 1, 4, 13, 39, and 52. While the interim rule will be effective as of August 13, comments to the . . . Read More

Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – August 7, 2020

If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this  link . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “COVID-19 Client Resource Center.” Please contact  covid19@pilieromazza.com  for immediate assistance. NEWS: Matt Feinberg Talks to Law360 on Litigation Funding Companies’ Interest in Funding FCA Cases, July 28, 2020. [ Read More ] LABOR & EMPLOYMENT DOL Releases Fluctuating Workweek Fact Sheet The Department of Labor (DOL) released a new fact sheet with guidance on calculating overtime . . . Read More

SBA Issues More New Guidance on PPP Loan Forgiveness

In a new FAQ published on August 4, 2020, SBA clarified some additional points from the use of scanned documents to support the application to the forgiveness eligibility of costs incurred or paid during the chosen covered period. As always, PilieroMazza wants to bring this to the attention of all of our clients as we know many firms are currently preparing their forgiveness applications and these may be critical updates. General Loan Forgiveness If you are a sole proprietor/1099 or . . . Read More

California Consumer Privacy Act Enforcement Effective July 1

Despite requests for delay due to COVID-19, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has affirmed that enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has started, effective July 1, 2020. The CCPA is a huge step forward in data privacy law, granting California consumers robust data privacy rights and increased control over their personal information. Previous  PilieroMazza  coverage of the CCPA can be viewed  here  and  here . While the CCPA has been in effect since January 1, 2020, companies that do business with California . . . Read More

Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – July 27, 2020

If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this  link . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “ COVID-19 Client Resource Center .” Please contact  covid19@pilieromazza.com  for immediate assistance. CYBERSECURITY & DATA PRIVACY CMMC Heads to the STARS: Important Cybersecurity Provisions in GSA’s 8(a) STARS III RFP, July 22, 2020,  Jon WilliamsCy AlbaMeghan Leemon , and Anna Wright One of the hottest topics for government contractors is the General Services Administration’s (GSA) recent release of the updated 8(a) STARS . . . Read More