GovConJudicata Weekly Debrief (4/5–9)
This week's Weekly Debrief covers the Army's RFI for technology to detect bio threats, the DES contract, CMMC final rule on the horizon, Air Force's top IT leader's mixed feelings on CMMC, the FCA, women-led tech companies, and a guilty plea in a GSA bid rigging case.
Defense
"The U.S. Army is looking for details on technology solutions capable of detecting emerging biological threats like the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease, according to a recent request for information."
"There’s a defense cloud program that may turn out to be worth even more than the highly publicized $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) enterprise cloud program. Defense Enclave Services (DES) is a defense cloud-computing contract intended to bring enterprise email, voice, video, and collaboration to the Pentagon’s so-called “Fourth Estate” – the DoD agencies and departments not directly part of the individual military services or intelligence agencies."
CMMC
"The final Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) rule that will require all contractors to have third-party inspections of their networks prior to working with the Department of Defense will get its final tweaks within the next 30-40 days, the program’s lead official said Thursday."
"The Air Force’s chief information officer has concerns about how the Department of Defense’s new cyber standards for contractors could harm small businesses trying to enter the defense market."
Contractors
"What exactly is a false claim for purposes of federal contracting and if the government goes after a contractor? The Supreme Court recently decided not to weigh in on a split lower court decision regarding standards for what exactly makes a false statement. To explain what happened and what it means to federal contractors, McGuireWoods law firm partner Michael Podberesky joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin."
"Powering women-led tech companies in the public sector. The Shatter Fund, founded by Shelly Kapoor-Collins (previously the Tech Advisor to now Vice President Kamala Harris) has partnered with Public Spend Forum to create a growth program to boost women-led tech companies in the government sector."
"A Missouri man pleaded guilty today to rigging online bids submitted to the General Services Administration (GSA). According to court documents, Alan Gaines pleaded guilty to the one-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2020. According to the indictment, Gaines conspired with others to rig bids at online public auctions of surplus government equipment conducted by the GSA from about July 2012 until as late as May 2018. Gaines is the third individual charged and the third individual to plead guilty in the investigation."
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