For the second year in a row, PilieroMazza was named the “top firm” in the government contracting category of the JD Supra 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards. The fourth annual awards acknowledge JD Supra contributors for achieving the highest visibility and engagement for their thought leadership during the year. Only 26 firms were named as winners of the Readers’ Choice Awards in selected categories. Readers in the government contracting category came from the defense & space, aviation & aerospace, insurance, and . . . Read More
On April 2, 2019, PilieroMazza submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ proposed rule issued on February 1, 2019, RIN 2900-AQ21—VA Acquisition Regulation: Competition Requirements. Our firm represents small businesses operating across the government contracting spectrum, and many of these companies are SDVOSBs verified to participate in VA’s “Veterans First Contracting Program.” In representing these firms and working with VA, we have received numerous comments from our clients and have become familiar with how VA and the VA . . . Read More
On April 2, 2019, PilieroMazza submitted comments on RIN 2900-AQ21—VA Acquisition Regulation: Competition Requirements. Includes our comments on: The amendments to VAAR 806.501 will be beneficial, but must be implemented correctly and should include other amendments. In our experiences, small businesses often are unsure of who to contact with small business-related concerns regarding a solicitation. Knowing exactly who to contact at VA and SBA will save time and allow small businesses access to resolve concerns with a solicitation, and may . . . Read More
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense released a class deviation , effective immediately, that implements section 1006 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. The class deviation prescribes that all contracting officers shall use the clause prescribed in the attachment to the class deviation when contracting with accounting firms providing financial statement auditing or audit remediation services to the Department of Defense in support of the audits required under 31 U.S.C. § 3521. The Office . . . Read More
Cy Alba and Tim Valley are presenting “Federal Subcontracts: Managing Data Rights and Protecting IP” at 1:00 and again at 3:00 this afternoon. Intellectual property (IP) rights under federal procurements are often misunderstood. This session will unpack important IP issues, including what the regulations require, the impacts on prime contractors, and what subcontractors must know to ensure their hard work is protected.
In a relatively recent decision, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit raised the bar a notch for whistleblowers in False Claim Act (“FCA”) cases whose allegations lack specificity as to direct evidence of presentment for payment to the government for fraudulent services. Indeed, in her dissenting opinion in U.S. ex rel. David Grant v. United Airlines, Inc., No. 17-2151 (4th Cir. 2018), Judge Keenan opined that this ruling, affirming the dismissal of the claim at the pre-discovery . . . Read More
HEARING ON THE SMALL BUSINESS RUNWAY EXTENSION ACT The House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure is holding a hearing on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., concerning the implementation of the Small Business Runway Extension Act (H.R. 6330) (the “Act”). The Act was signed into law in December 2018 and was designed to help small businesses successfully bridge the gap between competing in the small business space and the open marketplace against larger companies by changing the . . . Read More
Today’s economy is saturated with new ways to earn money without being subject to a set schedule or traditional employer demands. With so many individuals working part-time jobs with more autonomy than ever, companies are struggling to determine whether to classify those workers as independent contractors or employees. The distinction between those two categories is extremely important and can affect all aspects of your business, including benefits, overtime pay, and workers’ compensation. While determining employee classification is a fact-intensive process, . . . Read More
