Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – April 29, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “ COVID-19 Client Resource Center .” Contact covid19@pilieromazza.com for immediate assistance. LITIGATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION Return to Work: Employer-Mandated COVID Vaccination Policies and Accommodating Employee Disabilities and Religious Beliefs, April 23, 2021, Matthew Kreiser With over 50% of the adult population in the United States having received at least one dose of a vaccine to combat the novel . . . Read More
Biden Signs EO to Increase Federal Contractor Minimum Wage Rate to $15.00 an Hour
Yesterday, President Biden signed an executive order (Biden Order) that will increase the applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with federal contracts from $10.95 to $15.00 per hour beginning January 1, 2022. As early as his second day in office, President Biden committed to modifying an Obama-era executive order to get one step closer to a national minimum wage increase of the same magnitude. Below are key details on the applicability . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – April 21, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . WEBINAR: The First 100 Days: Deciphering Key Provisions in the Buy American Act for Government Contractors, April 27, 2021, Jackie Unger and Anna Sullivan. Read more here . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “ COVID-19 Client Resource Center .” Contact covid19@pilieromazza.com for immediate assistance. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS SBA Pivots to Say HUBZone Firms in Redesignated QDA Cannot Maintain 10-Year Principal Office Eligibility Through Long-Term Investment, . . . Read More
OHA Upholds SBA Denial of Admission to 8(a) Program for Failure to Demonstrate Status as Recognized Indian Tribe
In a noteworthy decision this February, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) upheld SBA’s determination denying GTEC Industries, Inc. (GTECI) entry into the 8(a) Business Development Program as a tribally owned entity. [1] For businesses seeking 8(a) program certification, this decision highlights the importance of demonstrating eligibility by a preponderance of the evidence. GTECI’s 8(a) application has a lengthy history. GTECI first applied to the 8(a) program in May 2017 and was denied in May 2018 . . . Read More
SBA Pivots to Say HUBZone Firms in Redesignated QDA Cannot Maintain 10-Year Principal Office Eligibility Through Long-Term Investment
In January, we issued a client alert discussing how HUBZone firms in redesignated areas could plan to maintain their HUBZone status after the end of 2021. One of the primary strategies we discussed in the client alert was based on Small Business Administration (SBA) guidance about long-term investments in qualified disaster areas (QDAs). At the time, based on SBA guidance, we understood that HUBZone firms located in redesignated areas could qualify their current HUBZone principal office location as HUBZone eligible for at . . . Read More
HHS Issues Proposed Regulations Governing Buy Indian Act Procurement Procedures
Late last year, the Indian Health Service (IHS) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued proposed regulations that would, if made final, govern IHS’s use of set-asides under the Buy Indian Act (Act). IHS’s current regulations give little guidance on how set-asides under the Act should be made. If the proposed regulations go into effect, officials at IHS will have a better roadmap for setting aside procurements under the Act. Below are key eligibility and procedural updates . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – April 2, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . PilieroMazza Reacts to the Rise in Violence Against the Asian-American Community, March 29, 2021 In the past year, 3,800 acts of violence were perpetrated against the Asian-American community, with a disproportionate number of these attacks directed at women specifically. The PilieroMazza family joins others in raising our voices to condemn these acts of violence, which diminish us as a nation and violate every human being’s basic right to . . . Read More
Congress Expands Buy Indian Act Procurement Authority: 7 Key Changes Native American Businesses Should Watch
A law passed by Congress at the end of 2020 seeks to expand contracting opportunities under the Buy Indian Act (Act). Through the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020, Congress amended the Act to expand the scope of the authority of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make acquisitions subject to preferences for Indian labor and Indian industry under the Act. It is unclear how DOI or HHS will . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – March 18, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . WEBINAR: Roadmap to Joint Venture Agreements: Legal and Accounting Considerations, April 6, 2021, Tony Franco . Read more here . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “ COVID-19 Client Resource Center .” Contact covid19@pilieromazza.com for immediate assistance. LITIGATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION Do Corporations Have Fifth Amendment Rights Against Self-Incrimination? The Corporate Designee’s Rights in a FRCP 30(b)(6) Deposition, March 10, 2021, Megan Benevento Anyone who has watched . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – March 10, 2021
If you have questions concerning the content below, please visit this link . WEBINAR: Exit Strategies for GOVCONs with Set Aside Contracts: 2021 Insights and Lessons Learned from Business Owners and Advisors, March 17, 2021, Cy Alba . Read more here . COVID-19 Client Resource Center: To access resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 crisis, we invite you to visit PilieroMazza’s “ COVID-19 Client Resource Center .” Contact covid19@pilieromazza.com for immediate assistance. BUSINESS & TRANSACTIONS PilieroMazza’s M&A Team Advises Senture in Its Sale to Kingswood Capital, March 3, 2021 PilieroMazza is pleased to . . . Read More