Lyndsay A. Gorton
On April 13, 2017, President Trump’s federal hiring freeze will be lifted—at least in part. The hiring freeze was instituted by a presidential memorandum signed on January 23, 2017, and prevents federal agencies from filling vacant federal government positions that existed at that time, or creating new positions. President Trump included certain exceptions, including military personnel and other positions deemed “necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities.” The memorandum requests that agencies use existing personnel efficiently and does not prohibit reallocation of resources for the highest priority concerns. Continue reading “Hiring Freeze Thaws: How New Administration Policies May Impact Contract Administration”
It is no secret that deregulation is a top priority for the Trump Administration and the Republican-led Congress. In the early weeks of governing together, President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have dusted off the Congressional Review Act (“CRA”) as the tool of choice for undoing federal rules and regulatory initiatives implemented by the Obama Administration. The little-known but important law, enacted by President Clinton in 1996, provides Congress with the ability to enact legislation overturning certain federal agency rules. In the more than two decades on the books, the CRA has only been used to overturn a federal rule on one occasion when, in 2001, President George W. Bush signed a resolution overturning an ergonomics rule issued by the preceding administration. However, despite its past obscurity, the CRA is now more important than ever. 
Despite recent political shifts away from globalization, international trade remains a bedrock of the U.S. economy, and companies doing business in the United States must be cognizant of the intricate set of export control regulations promulgated by the U.S. government. In today’s rapidly changing economy, it is more important than ever for companies to thoroughly assess their connections to the international marketplace. While the Obama Administration took strides toward simplifying the export control process, U.S. export control regulations remain complex due to the multiple government stakeholders involved, resulting in varying interpretations, policies, and agendas. Export control violations can still carry serious ramifications for a company’s business practices both inside and outside the United States. Accordingly, the first of this three part series begins by identifying whether your business may be subject to the U.S. export controls regime. Our next two installments will then, respectively, address: (Part 2) practical strategies for addressing risk mitigation; and (Part 3) enforcement actions by the government. 
On January 5, 2017, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (“OFPP”) issued a “myth-busting” memorandum to Chief Acquisition Officers, Senior Procurement Executives, and Chief Information Officers in the federal government addressing common myths related to government debriefings. The memorandum, titled “Myth-busting 3: Further Improving Industry Communication with Effective Debriefings,” is a continuation of the OFPP initiative first launched in February 2011 to debunk misconceptions about communications with the industry during federal government acquisitions and to assist agencies with adopting best acquisition practices. 
The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) recently issued three new proposed cybersecurity regulations for DHS contractors which warrant careful attention. Although a freeze on new regulations by the Trump administration will likely delay any final agency action, and extensive comments and meaningful changes to any final rules are expected, these new regulations could radically impact the compliance landscape for DHS contractors. As with recent cybersecurity amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) (which we’ve covered 
Almost daily, clients call our office seeking to protest the award of a federal government contract. Unfortunately, sometimes these calls are too late. While contracts can be protested at the agency level, the Court of Federal Claims, and the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), GAO protests are the most common. The deadlines by which a protester must take certain actions to file a timely protest are confusing. Below we address some of the trickier and/or mandatory deadlines a potential protester must meet to file a timely protest, and we provide a useful sample timeline for protesters to follow during this critical process. 
There is no question cybersecurity is a critical compliance and risk area for federal contractors. A seemingly endless stream of cyberattacks—on 