In a move that has been expected for some time, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced on January 12, 2021 that it will remove all drones (as defined by 49 U.S.C. Ch. 448) from Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts, except those drones approved by the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) through its
Helping individuals, companies, and organizations understand key legal and practical considerations for promoting compliance and making better business decisions in these types of federal, state, and local government contracting matters MORE
Sourcing Restrictions
Securing the Information and Communications Technology Services Supply Chain – Proposed Department of Commerce Rule
By Susan Ebner on
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) recently issued a proposed regulation to better secure the United States’ information and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chain. The ICTS supply chain supports how government, industry and the public communicate and conduct their business. The ICTS supply chain encompasses the generation, storage and transmission of data for critical…
Tiered Evaluations: A Lesson in Reasonably Applying Different Rules
By Judith Araujo on
It’s not always clear where the applicability of one law or rule should stop and the applicability of another should begin. Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision in Becton, Dickinson and Company, B-417854 (November 15, 2019) helped clarify the interplay between the Buy American Act (BAA) and the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) when it…
Managing Your Supply Chain Just Got Trickier: Interim FAR Rule Prohibiting Contracting for Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Goes Into Effect
By Susan Ebner on
Continuing threats to the supply chain pose increasing risks to our national security. The new interim Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule published on August 13, 2019, seeks to address certain of these threats by imposing new representation and reporting requirements on contractors and their subcontractors (herein “contractors”) in the new FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain…
New Executive Order Seeks to Sharpen the Teeth of the Buy American Act
By Susan Ebner on
On July 15, 2019, President Trump signed his third Executive Order on the topic of buying American, “Executive Order on Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials.” This latest Executive Order seeks to sharpen the teeth of the Buy American Act’s rules on buying preferences to be afforded goods, products and materials that qualify…