Imagine that your company has just been awarded a contract after spending significant time and resources identifying a federal business opportunity and developing a winning proposal. Now imagine that just as you are preparing to perform that contract a bid protest is filed by an interested party (e.g., a disappointed competitor). Depending on the facts of the case, you may be inclined to sit back and let the protest play out. No doubt, such a tactic would save the company . . . Read More
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PROTESTS If the Federal Watchdog Office Works for Contract Protestors, Why the Decline? According to an article posted in the Federal Contracts Report, several reasons could explain the decrease in bid protest filings in 2017 despite an “effectiveness” rate showing that the Federal Watchdog office regularly provides relief to contractors. There has been a 7% drop in filing bid protests in fiscal 2017—from 2,789 to 2,596—and there are various reasons available as likely explanations; including but not . . . Read More
You may have heard it suggested that for an upcoming GSA Schedule task order opportunity, the ordering agency “encourages” contractors to form Contractor Team Arrangements (CTA). What does this mean? A CTA is when two or more Schedule contractors combine their Schedule offerings as a “team” to pursue task orders issued under Schedule contracts. In order to participate as a “team member” in the CTA, each team member must maintain its own current GSA Schedule contract and be otherwise . . . Read More
For the last several weeks, media outlets have reported on sexual harassment almost constantly. Indeed, the media makes it seem like sexual harassment claims are levied against a new public figure each day. To put this intense dialogue about sexual harassment and sexual assault in perspective, however, one must consider that the media generally only focuses on allegations levied against the most famous and powerful individuals: Hollywood moguls; movie stars; and politicians. But, in reality, the problem persists at every . . . Read More
The House Committee on Small Business held a bipartisan roundtable to hear from advanced small and mid-tier businesses and industry experts on the challenges to growth and success. The roundtable provided a forum for Members to learn about this middle market and the disparities from small to mid-tier business owners, academia, trade organizations, and subject-matter experts. PilieroMazza Partner Megan Connor was invited to attend and give her insight from working with small businesses who face these challenges. Ms. Connor stressed that . . . Read More
At the beginning of 2017, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (“PATH”) Act went into effect. One of the changes implemented by the Act altered how small and medium-sized business owners can use captive insurance companies (“CIC”). A CIC is an insurance company that is owned by the business itself either solo or along with other businesses that have the same insurance needs, rather than owned by a third-party provider. The CIC is a favored device of small and medium-sized . . . Read More
This week, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) published its annual report to Congress, detailing statistics on the bid protests filed during the 2017 fiscal year. The number of cases filed with GAO (including protests, supplemental protests, cost claims, and requests for reconsideration) was down 7% from fiscal year 2016. 22% of the cases filed were decided on the merits (meaning GAO issued a decision), and 99 protests were sustained, for a sustain rate of 17% of the cases decided on . . . Read More
This article originally appeared in our Fourth Quarter Legal Advisor Newsletter . The attorneys at PilieroMazza’s Colorado office frequently assists businesses in drafting, amending, and negotiating their operating agreements, bylaws, and shareholders’ agreements. When this exercise involves a government contractor, it is a good marriage of our government contracts and corporate practices because we can navigate the corporate governance issues with an eye toward applicable federal requirements. That is especially important when the company is bringing on a new owner, which affects the corporate structure . . . Read More
