govconjudicataTM

Matross Managing partner and GCJ publisher, Joshua Duvall, will be presenting a webinar on Monday, August 3, 2020 on "Debriefings & Bid Protests: What Every GovCon Should Know." The webinar is part of the "GovCon Best Practices Series" with Glenn Robinson of Blue Ridge Information Systems.

Summary:

• Debriefings and bid protests are powerful tools for government contractors. By developing a basic understanding of these issues, decision makers can not only avoid undue cost and headache but also g...

This week's Weekly Debrief covers NIH's search for an "honest broker" to manage COVID-19 data warehouse, NASA's trip to Mars, Cyber Solarium Commission report on scanning defense contractor networks, Pentagon's increased telework, hackers targeting federal teleworkers, and three tribal officials charged in bribery scheme.

NIH

• NextGov – NIH Needs ‘Honest Broker’ To Manage New COVID-19 Data Warehouse

  • ​"The National Institutes of Health is standing up a new research data sharing init...

According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice ("DoJ") press release, a Maryland defense contractor agreed to pay nearly $1 million to resolve False Claims Act ("FCA") allegations that the company knowingly billed the National Security Agency ("NSA") for services performed by the contractor's employees who "did not meet all of the specialized qualifications required under their contract with NSA."

The press release provided the following details regarding the civil settlement agr...

This week's Weekly Debrief covers several interesting – and elevated – topics, including Treasury's push for a new cloud, SBA's data exposure response, Space Force acquisition and new logo, Energy's blueprint for a quantum internet, and a report on the Pentagon's UFO research.

Treasury

• NextGov – Treasury Department Wants To Move Its Cloud Into Another Cloud

  • ​"The Fiscal Service—the Treasury Department component charged with compiling and ensuring public access to the government’s finan...

This week's Weekly Debrief covers several interesting topics, including GSA's Alliant 2 SB, a White House cyber coordinator, security clearance reforms, a contract for an experimental space station, defense spending, and the VA's hunt for cyber. 

GSA

• FCW – GSA working on Alliant 2 Small Business replacement

  • ​"Development work continues on an alternative to the General Services Administration’s cancelled $15 billion Alliant 2 Small Business vehicle, according to one of the age...

In May, we wrote about the U.S. Small Business Administration's ("SBA") long-awaited final rule amending its regulations for the Women-Owned Small Business Program (third-party certification). Notably, through that final rule, SBA also amended certain 8(a) Business Development Program ("8(a) Program") requirements, which take effect on July 15, 2020.

These additional changes harmonize the 8(a) Program and EDWOSB requirements that were the subject of scrutiny because of di...

This week's Weekly Debrief covers robotic automation for VA's EHR system, DoD's $7b household goods contract, Space Force's polar communications system, CISA's plans for securing industrial control systems, and CMMC in GSA's STARS III governmentwide contract.

VA

• NextGov – VA Wants to Automate Digitization of its 5-Mile-High Electronic Health Record Backlog

  • ​"The Veterans Affairs Department is on the cusp of deploying a massive electronic health records system and wants to kno...

Recently, the Government Accountability Office ("GAO") sustained a protest where the awardee had actual knowledge––prior to award––that a key person was unavailable and failed to notify the agency of that material change.

The protest of M.C. Dean, Inc., B-418553; B-418553.2, June 15, 2020 involved a National Security Agency contract to "provide maintenance, installation, and distribution services for the agency’s comprehensive enterprise class physical security syste...

In a relatively rare occurrence, the Government is appealing a U.S. Court of Federal Claims' ("COFC") bid protest decision in NIKA Techs., Inc. v. United States, No. 20-299C (Fed. Cl. Apr. 16, 2020) to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir. Case No. 20-1924).

In its appeal, the Government will be seeking clarity on an all too important issue facing defense contractors and procuring officials in negotiated procurements: where an unsuccessful offeror does n...

This week's Weekly Debrief covers GSA's cancellation of A2SB, malware aimed at federal agencies, DoD withdrawals DPA small launch awards, 2021 NDAA, IT modernization, and FEMA's need for  robotic process automation bots for payments.

Happy Q4!  Happy 4th of July!

GSA

• NextGov – After Years In Limbo, GSA Cancels $15B Governmentwide IT Contract

  • ​"The General Services Administration is canceling its small business IT governmentwide acquisition contract, with plans to reissue a new soli...