BLOG: New York v. Delaware Part 2: Which State is Best for Governing Law?
In Part 2 of this blog series (visit this link for Part 1), we dive into which state—New York or Delaware—is best for businesses to consider as governing law for their contracts. Both Delaware and New York have a reputation for being the governing law or jurisdiction of choice in commercial agreements and corporate transactions. A company’s decision will greatly impact which rules and laws govern agreements when legal issues arise. Where Should I Go for Governing Law? Both Delaware and New . . . Read More
BLOG: New York v. Delaware Part 1: Which State Is Best to Incorporate My Business?
Business owners often have two questions when launching their business and growing it through commercial relationships and/or corporate transactions. These questions are “where should I incorporate?”, and once the business is incorporated and operating, “what should the applicable law be of our agreements?” Two states come to mind when dealing with these questions. Both Delaware and New York have developed a reputation for purposes of incorporating businesses and being the governing law/jurisdiction of choice in commercial agreements and corporate transactions. . . . Read More
BLOG: Open-Source Software in Federal Procurements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 2 – The Bad
In the first post of this series, we discussed “the good” of open-source software and why federal buyers should find it attractive. However, when it comes to the federal government accepting open-source code with open arms, the reality is certainly more mixed. Faced with changing and technical regulations, government contractors need to know the major drawbacks of using open-source code in government contracts. In this second entry to our open-source series, we explore “the bad” impacts of open-source use in government contracting. . . . Read More
BLOG: Top Priorities from SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza
On January 7, 2020, the Senate confirmed U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza as the 26th Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). During her testimony before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Carranza listed a number of priorities she will bring to her role at SBA. Below are notable priorities that may impact small businesses and/or government contractors. Provide Better Resources to Small Businesses in Disadvantaged Communities Carranza mentioned that connecting small businesses from disadvantaged communities with SBA support . . . Read More
BLOG: New DoL Rule Clarifies Joint Employer Status Under FLSA
On January 16, 2020, the Department of Labor’s (DoL) Wage and Hour Division will publish a final rule clarifying joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), adopting a four-factor test to determine joint employer status. The rule simplifies and narrows the interpretation of a joint employer from the interpretation implemented by the Obama administration. This final rule will benefit companies establishing cooperative business arrangements as they seek assurances as to whether they will be responsible for ensuring . . . Read More
BLOG: The FCA Continues to Pay (For the Government): Key Takeaways from DOJ’s FY 2019 Fraud Statistics
On January 9, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it recovered more than $3 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and the False Claims Act (FCA) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, which ended September 30, 2019. Along with the announcement, the government issued its annual fraud statistics report for the fiscal year. The government’s announcement and report confirmed trends in FCA litigation and other fraud cases that government contractors should look out for in 2020 . . . Read More
BLOG: DoD’s Upcoming Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC): Still on Target?
PilieroMazza has been blogging a lot over the past year about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) highly anticipated CMMC. And there has been a lot to say, from the early stages of CMMC as a new “overarching standard,” to its first public draft release, through its first major streamlining, and finally to its latest public draft release in early December 2019. The pace of developments is expected to increase in 2020 as DoD releases a compliance checklist, finalizes the certification standards, and . . . Read More
BLOG: Open-Source Software in Federal Procurements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 1 – The Good
Open-source code is all the rage. With developers at Fortune 500 companies and hobbyists alike using it to make better products and cut development costs, it is ubiquitous in the commercial market, and government contractors are catching the buzz. Faced with ever-evolving software regulations, though, they need facts before dealing with a federal buyer. In this short blog series, we will walk through the key benefits, drawbacks, and risks associated with the use of open-source code in government contracting, especially . . . Read More
BLOG: Government Agencies Release 2020 Regulatory Agendas
As 2019 comes to a close, the government is setting its short- and long-term goals for 2020. On December 26, 2019, a number of federal agencies released their regulatory agendas for the upcoming year, including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council (which consists of DoD, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the General Services Administration (GSA)). Many regulatory agenda items could impact government contractors and small businesses, . . . Read More
BLOG: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC): The Final Countdown
PilieroMazza recently wrote about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) release of revision (rev.) 0.6 of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which only addressed certification Levels 1–3. DoD has now released rev. 0.7. All DoD contractors will be required to obtain CMMC certification in the coming months to show their IT systems’ capabilities with respect to protecting DoD sensitive information. Rev. 0.7 gives updates at all Levels. Additionally, rev. 0.7 contains new discussion and clarifications for Levels 1–3 and for the application . . . Read More