CARES Act and PPP: Important Updates Regarding Loan Forgiveness Calculations and Returns
On May 5, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) revised their FAQ concerning the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) and the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Of note, this new guidance clarifies PPP loan forgiveness amount calculations and extends the deadline for PPP borrowers to return loan proceeds. According to Question 40 of the FAQ, a PPP loan borrower’s forgiveness amount will not be reduced should the company make a good faith attempt, . . . Read More
JD Supra: PilieroMazza #1 for Government Contracts Legal Thought Leadership
For a third consecutive year, PilieroMazza ’s Government Contracts attorneys and their thought leadership take the #1 position in this year’s JD Supra Readers’ Choice Top Firm 2020 Award . Recognized by readers as the Firm’s leading author for content on government contracts law is Sam Finnerty , who earned the JD Supra Readers’ Choice Top Author 2020 Award as one of their top 10 authors. To put this achievement in perspective, last year, more than 50,000 authors published their insights and commentary on JD Supra, and of those, over 1,500 published content pertaining to government contracting. “This is a great accomplishment . . . Read More
SCA Compliance Challenges in a COVID 19 Environment
Presented by Nichole Atallah and Sarah Nash . If Service Contract Act (SCA) compliance wasn’t tricky enough already, federal and state programs providing for COVID-related leave and payments have raised unique SCA compliance concerns. In a time of uncertainty, the last thing government contractors need is to take an action that could precipitate a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation or client scrutiny. Join PilieroMazza ’s Nichole Atallah and Sarah Nash as they examine practical strategies to help avoid SCA pitfalls when implementing COVID-related leave and payment policies. Learning . . . Read More
BLOG: For Contractors, an REA for Keeping Your People Safe and on the Job
In COVID-19 times, one of the ongoing challenges for contractors is how to obtain upward equitable adjustments for increased operating costs due to the crisis. These costs could include more janitorial services, reconfiguring and/or refurnishing workspaces, changing processes and/or systems, overcoming supply chain fluctuations, enabling more remote work, compartmentalizing work groups, implementing shift work, allotting administrative time for health checks, giving more transportation and parking benefits, providing Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”), adding headcount made necessary by changes, as well as . . . Read More
$484 Billion Relief Bill Signed Into Law, $310 Billion Allocated to Paycheck Protection Program
H.R. 266 , the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, was signed into law today. Appropriating $484 billion in relief for the COVID-19 outbreak, it provides additional funding for small business loans, healthcare providers, and COVID-19 testing. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has been unable to accept new applications for the Paycheck Protection Program or the COVID-19 related Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) assistance program (including EIDL Advances) because Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding was exhausted. The . . . Read More
BLOG: HHS Provides Guidance on the CARES Act’s Provider Relief Fund
Under the CARES Act, Congress set aside $100 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (the Provider Relief Fund) to reimburse healthcare providers for healthcare-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the Coronavirus (COVID-19); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which President Trump signed into law, will provide an additional $75 billion to the Provider Relief Fund. Eligible healthcare providers that provide diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – April 24, 2020
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 .” Please contact [email protected] for immediate assistance. SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS & ADVISORY SERVICES $484 Billion Relief Bill Signed Into Law, $310 Billion Allocated to Paycheck Protection Program, April 24, 2020, Dave Shafer H.R. 266 , the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, was signed into law today. Appropriating $484 . . . Read More
Default Terminations – ASBCA Lacks Jurisdiction Over Excusable Delay, Constructive Change Defenses Not Presented to Contracting Officer for Final Decision
Westlaw Journal Government Contract recently published an article by Meghan Leemon and Lauren Brier titled “Default Terminations – ASBCA Lacks Jurisdiction Over Excusable Delay, Constructive Change Defenses Not Presented to Contracting Officer for Final Decision.” The article covers a decision from the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) that highlights the importance for prime contractors to preserve all relevant defenses to termination in advance of an appeal to the Board of Contract Appeals or Court of Federal Claims. To access the full article, please visit this link . . . Read More
Law360 Quotes Lauren Brier on Bad Faith and Allegations of Bias in JEDI Contract Award
The White House ‘s stonewalling of an investigation into the Pentagon’s JEDI cloud contract has prompted renewed allegations of bias from Amazon as it protests the deal, but experts say the company faces a steep climb to show the deal was unfair. . . . Showing bad faith effectively requires “very hard, clear facts” laid out in evidence such as internal communications, according to Lauren Brier , a PilieroMazza PLLC attorney who has written frequently about the JEDI procurement. Allegations that could be drawn from inferences about the . . . Read More
CARES Act Small Business Workshop Spotlights Cy Alba
Cy Alba recently partnered with Nitin Pradhan of ScaleUP USA for a workshop on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). The workshop serves as a starting point for startups, small businesses, and mid-size businesses seeking to apply for CARES Act small business funding. Questions addressed include: What is the CARES Act? What loan programs are available to small businesses? What are the program requirements for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)? How are the EIDL . . . Read More