CIO-SP4 Amendment 7: Major Changes for Small Business and Large Business Prime / Subcontractor Teams
The National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) just issued major changes to the Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners 4 (CIO-SP4) Request for Proposals (RFP) under Amendment 7 to the RFP. These changes will impact both small and large business teams who intend to rely on subcontractors (i.e. FAR 9.601(2) Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) members). For small business teams, Amendment 7 clarifies that only first-tier subcontractors can be used for purposes of meeting the requirements for . . . Read More
What Does Bill Cosby’s Overturned Conviction Mean for Your Fifth Amendment Rights Against Self-Incrimination?
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently overturned Bill Cosby’s 2018 conviction for crimes of sexual assault. Most have focused on the justness of this outcome. But the court’s 79-page opinion also has implications for how witnesses in civil cases navigate the potential risk of self-incrimination—including witnesses testifying on behalf of a corporation as a corporate designee under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(b)(6). As we discussed in our blog on invoking the Fifth Amendment in a civil deposition, the privilege can . . . Read More
DOD Cancels $10 Billion JEDI Contract, Takes New Direction on Cloud Procurement
On July 6, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) canceled its $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud procurement, close to two years after issuing the award to Microsoft and merely two months after the U.S. Court of Federal Claims issued a sealed decision denying the Department of Justice’s and Microsoft’s motions to dismiss Amazon Web Services’ (Amazon) bid protest challenging the award. This end to the JEDI saga will likely shape the decisions of other agencies as they . . . Read More
Law360 Quotes Lauren Brier on Competition and Cybersecurity Issues in JEDI Replacement
The replacement of the Pentagon’s highly litigated $10 billion JEDI contract with a tentative arrangement for Microsoft and Amazon to provide cloud computing services could spark new lawsuits over a perceived lack of competition. Although the new Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability deal that replaces the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure acquisition is a multiaward contract, the U.S. Department of Defense indicated it expects to award deals only to JEDI awardee Microsoft Corp. and Amazon Web Services Inc. . . . [H]aving . . . Read More
Federal News Network Interviews Cy Alba on CIO-SP4 Recent Developments
All of the confusion and consternation over the solicitation for the CIO-SP4 IT services governmentwide acquisition contract finally has boiled over. Five companies filed pre-award protests with the Government Accountability Office after the National Institutes of Health Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) failed to clarify several questions about its request for proposals. . . . The law forces companies to protest Cy Alba , a partner with the law firm PilieroMazza , represents four of the protestors and has heard from several other . . . Read More
Federal Computer Week Quotes Jon Williams’ Congressional Testimony on CMMC
Small businesses are lobbying Congress for a more lenient process to meet the Defense Department’s unified cybersecurity standard for contractors, called the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. Jonathan Williams , a partner at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm PilieroMazza , told lawmakers much of small businesses concerns could be assuaged if DOD and prime contractors shoulder the burden. The key to keeping costs and concern down is for DOD to stay true to its word and for most defense industry base companies . . . Read More
OFCCP Audits Are Coming: 7 Tips to Help You Prepare
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) just released its FY 2021 list of Supply & Service contractors it expects to audit (see FY 2021 CSAL Supply & Service ). With enforcement a primary goal of OFCCP, preparing for an audit is key. If your company is on the list, PilieroMazza ’s Labor & Employment Group suggests you follow these 7 tips to properly prepare for an OFCCP audit to avoid potential penalties and possible loss of your government contract. Get your paperwork in order and organize all your documentation, . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – July 2, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . WEBINAR: Latest Developments with the HUBZone Program, July 21, 2021, Jon Williams . Read more here . WEBINAR: Risk Prevention Strategies: Legal Considerations in Crisis Management – Planning, Mitigation, and Recovery, July 28, 2021, Matt Feinberg and Megan Benevento . Read more here . LABOR & EMPLOYMENT DOL Announces Proposed Rulemaking to Protect Tipped Workers, Clarify Use of the Tip Credit The Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to withdraw and re-propose one portion of the Tip Regulations Under . . . Read More
Alaska Native Corporations Now Eligible for CARES Act Funds Following Supreme Court Decision
On June 25, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision , in Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, that Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) are “Indian tribes,” as defined by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA). In accordance with the ruling, ANCs are thus entitled to some of the $8 billion allocated to “Tribal governments” by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The decision . . . Read More
DOL/OSHA Implements COVID-Related Employee Safety Standards for Healthcare Employers
Building on President Biden’s Executive Order on Protective Worker Health and Safety issued on January 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard ( ETS ) aimed at workers in healthcare settings. Specifically, the ETS, issued on June 10, 2021, requires certain healthcare employers to take measures to protect their workers in settings where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated. This includes employees in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, . . . Read More