Government Contracts

The Supreme Court continues to define the False Claims Act (“FCA”). In September 2022, Ward & Berry explained the possibility of the Supreme Court taking on a second FCA case¹ this term, and why we should care about it. Short answer: The “knowledge” aspect of the FCA is under heavy debate and any resolution...

Last chance for Federal Contractors to object to the release of their EEO-1 Reports by OFCCP in response to the Center of Investigative Reporting’s FOIA request. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (“OFCCP”) is giving federal contractors two last chances to respond to its August 19, 2022 Federal Register Notice calling for objections...

Two contractors walk into a bar (named Public Disclosure). The first says, “Let’s cheat the Government!” The second says, “Great; I know just how to do it, I’m going to charge less than our regular prices – ON PURPOSE – just to mess with Uncle Sam.”   The contractors are overhead by a serial whistleblower,...

With inflation surging to the highest level in over 40 years, there is heightened focus on how to equitably balance risk between the government and the contractor.  This is particularly a concern when it comes to fixed-price contracts, where contractors generally bear the risk of cost increases, including inflation. Unless the contract states otherwise,...

The Department of Defense (“DoD”) released its “Equity Action Plan” (the “Equity Plan”) which was developed to ensure the creation of “opportunities for all Americans.” This Equity Plan was developed in response to President Biden’s January 2021 Executive Order 13985 – “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” The...

As most government contractors know, government customers frequently amend solicitations—often multiple times and sometimes after proposals have already been submitted.  These multiple amendments can extend the solicitation period by months or even years. So what happens when the solicitation is a small business set-aside and the offeror could certify as small at the time...