Tag: transparency

President Trump Signs New Executive Order: “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Cost Efficiency Initiative”—What Federal Contractors Need to Know

Dominique L. Casimir, Justin A. Chiarodo, and David L. Bodner ●


On February 26, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (“EO”) that states that it “commences a transformation in Federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans to ensure Government spending is transparent and Government employees are accountable to the American public.” Here’s what government contractors need to know.

Who Does the EO Apply To?

The EO is primarily directed at Agency Heads and contemplates that each Agency Head will work closely with its Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) Team Lead on a number of activities intended to reduce federal spending and root out fraud, waste, and abuse. (On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed EO 14158 establishing DOGE and requiring each agency to have a DOGE Team Lead to “advise their respective Agency Heads on implementing the President’s DOGE Agenda.”).

Continue reading “President Trump Signs New Executive Order: “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Cost Efficiency Initiative”—What Federal Contractors Need to Know”

DoD Urges Contracting Officer Transparency in COVID-19 Impacts

Albert B. Krachman and Dominique L. Casimir

The Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment issued Guidance on March 10, 2020, addressing internal and external communications in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. See Planning for Potential Novel Coronavirus Contract Impacts.

The Guidance states that the Contracting Officers (as distinguished from Program personnel) hold the contractual authority to address contract performance impacts related to COVID-19. Moreover, the Guidance encourages close communication between Contracting Officers and contractors, and stresses Contracting Officer transparency, a term not normally seen in contract administration guidance. In pertinent part the Guidance states as follows:

Communication between the Government and contractors is key to total workforce safety and mission continuity. Therefore, contracting officers should be as transparent as possible as they make decisions potentially impacting contract performance or contractor personnel. Contracting officers should also encourage their contractor site leads/leadership to engage with their employees as soon as possible to share information and discuss any COVID-19 concerns they have, and ask their contractors to identify potential impacts to the welfare and safety of their workforce or contract performance, which impacts our total force. Continue reading “DoD Urges Contracting Officer Transparency in COVID-19 Impacts”