Podcast - Navigating M&A Due Diligence: Safeguarding Security Clearances
Podcast - Change Condition Packages: Tips for Cleared Contractors
Podcast - Corporate Documents in the Context of Clearances
Navigating Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs)
Cybersecurity Insights: Updates on CMMC Implementation and CUI Identification
What Is an FCL and How Do I Obtain One?
Protecting Our Nation’s Data: Cybersecurity Compliance for Government Contractors
Intellectual Property In Department of Defense Contracting
The When, Where, Why and How of CMMC with Fernando Machado
Podcast - The State of Contractor Cybersecurity with Katie Arrington
What Do the Newly Released CMMC 2.1 Documents Mean?
Podcast - Third-Party Assessments and NIST SP 800-171
Third-Party Assessments and NIST SP 800-171
Cybersecurity for Government Contractors: Success Through Compliance Readiness
Overcoming the Inflation Crisis: The Ins and Outs of Inflation Relief for DOD Contractors
[Podcast] NSA Cybersecurity Services for Defense Contractors
Torres Talks Trade Podcast- Episode 2- Cybersecurity, the Department of Defense, and the Private Sector/Government Contracting
2022 NDAA: Important Considerations for Government Contractors
Compliance Into The Weeds - Retreat on DoD Cybersecurity for Contractors
Last night, the House of Representatives passed the BIOSECURE Act (BIOSECURE or the Act) by a bipartisan vote of 306 to 81. The BIOSECURE Act prohibits federal agencies from procuring or obtaining any biotechnology...more
On May 16—for the second time in two weeks—the U.S. Supreme Court, this time unanimously, has taken a lenient, plaintiff-friendly view of whether a filing deadline is jurisdictional in the sense that it is governed by the...more
The recent bid protest decision in ELS, Inc., B-421989, December 21, 2023, 2023 CPD highlights an important aspect of bid protest litigation before the U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO"): task order jurisdiction....more
On December 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in one case...more
Welcome to the September edition of Akin Intelligence. As the U.S. Congress reconvenes after the August recess, we continue to see bipartisan interest in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. In the executive branch,...more
The origination of Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) traces back to the October 1957 launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union and the subsequent Space Race. Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...more
As we have discussed previously, proximity to sensitive U.S. Department of Defense military bases and operations, such as testing ranges, is an important element of many reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the...more
On May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in its role as the chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would (i) expand by...more
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) published a proposed rule that would expand the list of military installations subject to the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the...more
In a recent dispute, the United States argued that the Court of Federal Claims lacked jurisdiction to review any disputes concerning Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, and that it is “conceivable” that no court had...more
There has been significant uncertainty as to where a company can protest an Other Transaction (“OT”) award. As we previously reported, cases such as SpaceX, MD Helicopter, and Kinemetrics have provided useful data points. The...more
While most federal procurements are conducted using the onerous regulations set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency supplements, agencies are increasingly relying on the more flexible, but...more
On November 17, 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed the post-award task order protest of U.S. Information Technologies Corporation (USIT) for lack of jurisdiction. Task order protests related to...more
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS - $34 Million SEC Settlement for Legg Mason - On August 27, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Legg Mason Inc. will pay more than $34 million to settle an...more
On May 31, 2018, two new rules go into effect that impact the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) jurisdiction to hear protests of task orders and delivery orders issued pursuant to multiple-award...more
On May 1, 2018, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council published a final rule amending FAR 16.505(a)(10) to raise the minimum threshold for Government Accountability Office (GAO) protests of certain task and...more
In two recent opinions, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) has declined to reconsider protests it dismissed during the recent lapse in its jurisdiction over protests of civilian agency task and delivery orders...more
As we previously reported here and here, between October 1 and December 14, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) lacked jurisdiction to hear most civilian agency task order protests (its jurisdiction over protest...more
New Legislation Reinstates GAO’s Civilian Task Order Protest Jurisdiction, but the 2017 NDAA Will Up the Threshold for Non-Civilian Agency Task Order Procurements...more
Two new statutes—the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the GAO Civilian Task and Delivery Order Protest Authority Act of 2016 (Civilian Task Order Act)—greatly impact the ability of government contractors to...more
As we reported on December 14, 2016, on December 8, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017, which calls for changes to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) jurisdiction over civilian...more
On December 8, 2016, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017 previously passed by the House, and the legislation is pending President Obama’s signature. Once signed, Section 835 of the NDAA...more
It appears that, at long last, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will have permanent jurisdiction over task and delivery orders exceeding certain thresholds. The right of federal contractors to protest agencies'...more
Debates in Washington over expenditures associated with military-related bid protests are fueling new legislation that could curtail protest efforts. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) handles bid protests filed by...more
On May 7, 2014, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued Directive 2014-01, instituting a five-year moratorium on the OFCCP enforcement over TRICARE subcontractors. The moratorium applies to health...more