Category: Adam Proujansky

Blank Rome Represents Qbase LLC in Successful GAO Protest of DOJ Award Bid for IT Support Contract

A Blank Rome government contracts team obtained relief for Qbase LLC in a protest before the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) involving the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) failure to award a $4.5 billion IT support contract to Qbase, a computer-related services and consulting provider.

The GAO concluded that the DOJ’s determination of which contract proposal provided the best value to the government was unreasonable because the DOJ failed to meaningfully consider the price of the proposals. Moreover, in its assessment of the proposals’ technical merit, instead of performing the required qualitative assessment of each offeror’s technical proposal, the DOJ unreasonably based its determination on a mechanical comparison of adjectival ratings (“very good,” “satisfactory”) between the offerors. In its decision, the GAO stated, “In sum, the agency’s best-value determination is unreasonable because the agency performed a mechanical tradeoff analysis that failed to meaningfully consider price and resulted in the exclusion of technically acceptable proposals from consideration for award.” The GAO sustained the protest, recommended that the DOJ conduct a new best-value analysis giving proper weight to pricing, and awarded Qbase its attorneys’ fees.

For more information, please read GAO Says DOJ Unfairly Assessed Bids On $4.5B IT Deal (Law360, November 20, 2020).

The Blank Rome team included Richard J. Conway, Adam Proujansky, and Michael J. Slattery.

A Federal Contractor’s Five-Part Guide to the CARES Act

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law. This massive $2.2 trillion economic package provides a host of opportunities and resources for all varieties of federal contractors—from those who need financial assistance through the coronavirus pandemic to those who can leverage their resources to assist the federal government in its response.

The five timely posts below discuss discrete portions of the CARES Act, how they might affect federal contractors, and what federal contractors can do to take advantages of the many programs and opportunities offered under the Act. Please contact us for assistance with any of these, or other components, of the Act.

1. The CARES Act Provides Much Needed Financial Relief for Small Businesses

Michael Joseph Montalbano
This article discusses the expanded $349 billion loan program set aside for small businesses under the CARES Act.

2. CARES Act § 3610: An Immediate Lifeline for Qualifying Federal Contactors Displaced by COVID-19

Michael J. Slattery
This article discusses § 3610 of the CARES Act, which provides funds that federal agencies can use to alleviate disruptions to federal contractors caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

 3. CARES Act Grant Programs: Searching for Opportunity in the Coronavirus Relief Effort

Tjasse L. Fritz
This article discusses the wealth of grant programs available to federal contractors and other businesses under the CARES Act.

4. CARES Act: Significant Funds for Defense Department and Defense Contractors

Adam Proujansky
This article discusses the billions of dollars in loans, loan guarantees, and other financial assistance available through the Department of Defense to defense industry contractors.

5. New Contracting Authorities and Preferences Established under the CARES Act

Albert B. Krachman
This article discusses new contracting authorities delegated under the CARES Act as well as sole source opportunities available under the Act.

As COVID-19 issues permeate virtually all aspects of commerce nationally and internationally, we stand ready to help. Blank Rome’s Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) Task Force includes interdisciplinary resources across every business sector from insurance recovery to HR.

CARES Act: Significant Funds for Defense Department and Defense Contractors

Adam Proujansky

The recently enacted coronavirus COVID-19 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act stimulus package (the “CARES Act” or “the Act”) includes billions of dollars earmarked for the Department of Defense (“DoD”) and defense industry contractors. It does this in two ways:

    1. By providing billions of dollars in loans, loan guarantees, and other financial assistance to businesses through the Department of the Treasury, including up to $17 billion specifically for businesses “critical to maintaining national security;” and
    2. By providing $10.5 billion in supplemental appropriations to DoD, much of which is likely to go to procuring goods and services from federal contractors, including in areas ranging from healthcare to information technology. The Act also contains provisions intended to streamline DoD contracting during the present emergency.

Although the procedures to obtain these loans were not established by the Act, the Secretary of the Treasury is required to publish procedures for applying for these loans within 10 days of enactment. It is expected that DoD will issue solicitations very soon to meet these pressing needs. We expect many contractors in the defense industry will be eligible for these loans, or for the parallel loan program for small businesses being administered by the Small Business Administration under the Act. Continue reading “CARES Act: Significant Funds for Defense Department and Defense Contractors”

New Year’s Resolutions: Top 5 Consequential Changes in the 2018 NDAA

Adam Proujansky and Ioana Cristei

The National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2018 was signed into law on December 12, 2017, and authorizes a topline national defense budget of $700 billion. While the 2018 NDAA makes a number of changes to Department of Defense (“DOD”) policy and programs, in this article we explain five major changes to acquisition policy and how they will impact the way companies do business with DOD. Continue reading “New Year’s Resolutions: Top 5 Consequential Changes in the 2018 NDAA”

Supreme Court to Hear Important False Claims Act Case

Adam Proujansky

Lasproujanskyt week, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to resolve an important issue for government contractors that has split the lower courts:  what standard governs whether a court should dismiss a False Claims Act (“FCA”) lawsuit
brought against a government contractor by a private qui tam relator because the relator violated the FCA seal requirement.

The FCA sets forth a number of procedural requirements for a qui tam action, including that a relator’s complaint “shall be filed in camera, shall remain under seal for at least 60 days, and shall not be served on the defendant until the court so orders.” 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(2).  This seal requirement gives the Government a chance to investigate the claim and determine whether to intervene in the qui tam action and/or bring criminal charges against the defendant, and prevents reputational harm to the defendant while the investigation takes place.  Although the statute provides that the complaint shall remain under seal for at least 60 days, the time may be extended, and the complaint often remains under seal for months or even years.  During this potentially lengthy sealing period, relators sometimes intentionally or inadvertently violate the seal and disclose the lawsuit.  When this happens, defendants invariably move for dismissal of the qui tam action for violation of this statutory requirement. Continue reading “Supreme Court to Hear Important False Claims Act Case”