E.O. 13858 Reiterates the Need for Strict Application of Buy American Rules on Infrastructure Projects On January 31, 2019 President Trump issued his “Executive Order on Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects” (E.O. 13858). The Order is a re-assertion of and expansion upon his April 18, 2017 “Executive Order on Buy American and Hire American”Read More
On January 21 and February 5, 2019, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Ellen Lord, issued two memoranda outlining steps that the Department of Defense (DOD) is taking to increase the scrutiny and consideration of a government contractor’s implementation of DOD cybersecurity requirements. These memoranda make clear that the DOD is ratchetingRead More
In order to operate, maintain, and modernize the National Airspace System (NAS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relies on an expansive portfolio of capital assets. Acquisition plays a key role in supporting FAA’s mission to operate the NAS and modernize air traffic control through implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The NextGenRead More
On February 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) issued Directive 2019-04, “Voluntary Enterprise-wide Review Program (VERP).” VERP is essentially an elective audit program and, while it may seem to have some appealing components, it is hard to imagine how the risk of participation would outweigh the rewardRead More
Over the past few months, the threat of a partial government shutdown became real. The initial shutdown broke the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history – it lasted 35 days. It was resolved by continuing resolution, but the threat returned when the resolution was approaching its end. The threat for this fiscal yearRead More