Mon.Jan 27, 2025

article thumbnail

Are Set-Asides at Risk Amid DEI Changes?

USFCR

Federal contractors are facing a wave of uncertainty as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies come under scrutiny. Many small business owners are concerned about the potential ripple effects on set-aside programs like SDVOSB, WOSB 8(a), and others. With information circulating, its critical to understand the facts and separate policy changes from speculation.

IT 59
article thumbnail

HII Completes Purchase of South Carolina Manufacturing Facility

GovCon Wire

HII has completed the acquisition of a South Carolina-based metal fabricator as part of a push to expand its shipbuilding capacity. The company said Monday the acquired facility will support the production of nuclear-powered submarine modules and aircraft carrier structures for U.S. Navy programs.

article thumbnail

Court Finds Project Labor Agreement Mandate Unlawful

Holland & Knight: Government Contracts

Court ruled that project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects of $35 million or more to be unlawful regarding the terms and conditions of employment.

61
article thumbnail

Pete Hegseth Begins Role as Secretary of Defense

GovCon Wire

Vice President JD Vance on Saturday swore Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, into office as the 29th secretary of defense, DOD News reported Monday. Hegseth received Senate confirmation on Friday evening. Making DOD ‘Laser-Focused on Lethality, Readiness During his Jan.

83
article thumbnail

How to Create a Blueprint for Fleet Resilience

Speaker: Jeff Dickinson - President and CEO of Railgistixs Transport, Supply Chain and Logistics Thought Leader

Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

article thumbnail

'Key Personnel' Defense Is Trending In GAO Bid Protests

Government Contracts

A trio of recent cases before the U.S. Government Accountability Office demonstrate that both the government and intervenors are increasingly defending bid protests by arguing that a protester's key personnel became unavailable after a proposal submission, but prior to an award, says Joshua Duvall at Maynard Nexsen.

Bidding 59
article thumbnail

2 Recent Studies Inch Toward Quantum Computer, Says NSA Research Director

GovCon Wire

Gil Herrera, the National Security Agencys research director, has spoken publicly in multiple places about how, if a true, fully powerful quantum computer were built, it could have the potential to both drastically cut worldwide energy consumption but also, if in the wrong hands, handily dismantle the worlds economy.

IT 64

More Trending

article thumbnail

OPEXUS, Casepoint Merge to Advance GovTech Market Expansion

GovCon Wire

OPEXUS and Casepoint have merged and received a majority investment from software investment firm Thoma Bravo to form a combined entity that will offer data discovery platforms and process management software to government and commercial customers in North America.

Data 52
article thumbnail

General Atomics Asks Musk Team To Reform Arms Acquisitions

Government Contracts

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.'s CEO published an open letter Monday to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, urging leader Elon Musk to refine the defense acquisition processes to bolster global security, making it the second letter sent to the newly created agency by a defense contractor proposing suggestions on reducing bureaucracy.

article thumbnail

John Hillen’s Book ‘The Strategy Dialogues’ Delves Into the Art of Strategic Thinking

GovCon Wire

The Honorable Dr. John Hillen, a member of Enlightenment Capitals advisory board and a previous Wash100 awardee, has launched a book that discusses the art of strategic thinking, how to set the right direction for an organization and how to turn strategic aspirations into reality.

52
article thumbnail

Contractor Seeks DC Circ. Approval Of $200M Arbitral Award

Government Contracts

A toll road contractor asked the D.C. Circuit to approve a $200 million arbitral award against the Peruvian city of Lima over a failed construction contract, saying the city's argument that the contract was obtained through corruption had already been rejected by two arbitration panels and a federal judge.

article thumbnail

Kimberly Durfee Named Operations SVP at Elbit Systems of America

ExecutiveBiz

Kimberly Durfee has joined Elbit Systems of America to serve as senior vice president of operations at the aerospace and defense company, the executive announced in a LinkedIn post published Sunday.

86
article thumbnail

The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

Government Contracts

Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

52
article thumbnail

Trump Administration Pauses Federal Financial Assistance

Holland & Knight: Government Contracts

Trump Administration issued a memorandum directing all federal agencies to temporarily pause the obligation or disbursement of federal financial assistance, effective Jan. 28, 2025, at 5 p.m.

107
107
article thumbnail

VA To Nix $6.1M In Contracts Under Trump's DEI Order

Government Contracts

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it has placed dozens of employees on paid leave and will cancel $6.1 million worth of contracts as part of efforts to root out diversity, equity and inclusion activities.

article thumbnail

GovCon Index Slumped After Logging Its Best Day

GovCon Wire

Executive Mosaics GovCon Index marked its best-day performance to start the shortened trading week but slumped the rest of the way. The index, which tracks the stock performances of 30 major government contractors, closed 1.02% lower at $5,016.21 before the weekend and lost -0.10% for the week.

IT 52
article thumbnail

Feds May Trim $2B In Leases Over Trump's Term, Trepp Says

Government Contracts

Following President Donald Trump's order on Inauguration Day that federal workers return to the office, a Trepp report finds more than a third of all office space leased by the federal government could potentially be terminated during Trump's second term.

article thumbnail

Enhance productivity with Amazon Bedrock Agents and Powertools for AWS Lambda

AWS Public Sector

The public sector faces unique challenges that demand innovative solutions to improve productivity and service delivery. Large language models (LLMs) have shown great promise in various applications, but their true potential is unlocked when they can access real-time informationsuch as current data, time, weather, or breaking events. This capability is crucial for effective public sector planning and decision-making.

Data 103
article thumbnail

Cybersecurity Monitoring Across Systems

FedInsider

Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 2:00PM EST | 1 Hour | 1 CPE One of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity is how to monitor cybersecurity and risk across multiple systems, whether within a single federal agency or throughout a sprawling department. The U.S. Department of Defense has a program in place Continuous Monitoring and Risk Scoring (CMRS) to address the challenge.

article thumbnail

Whistleblower Awarded $8.4 Million in Pfizer Settlement

Whistleblower Network News

On January 24, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Pfizer agreed to pay $59.7 million on behalf of its wholly-owned subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. to settle allegations that Biohaven violated the False Claims Act through illegal kickback payments. The settlement resolves allegations brought forward by a whistleblower in a qui tam lawsuit.

article thumbnail

Booz Allen, AWS Partner to Deliver Technologies to Benefit Government Customers

ExecutiveBiz

Amazon Web Services and Booz Allen Hamilton are collaborating to develop capabilities that would help federal customers drive innovation, accelerate decision-making, cut down costs and scale advanced technologies for intelligence, defense, civil and commercial missions.

article thumbnail

Top Execs to Watch in 2025

WashngtonExec

Amid international conflicts, an administration transition and shifting national priorities, contractors and government officials have navigated some tricky terrains. But despite political changes and a changing workforce, these leaders continue to prioritize employee and citizen well-being while innovating, transforming and meeting bipartisan, mission-critical needs all in the name of making the federal government more [.

article thumbnail

Key procurement trends in 2025

Federal News Network

Bill Gormley, president of the Gormley Group , joins Off the Shel f for a discussion of some the key procurement trends of 2024 and what to expect in 2025. Bill Gormley, president, The Gormley Group Gormley gives his thoughts on the key trends shaping interagency contracting with a focus on GSAs Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). Among other topics, Gormley assesses the performance of the Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) in 2024 and the prospects for 2025.

article thumbnail

Aretum Secures OASIS+ Contracts to Enhance Government Procurement Process

ExecutiveBiz

Government consulting firm Aretum has received multi-pool awards under the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus, or OASIS+, governmentwide acquisition contract aimed at enhancing the procurement process for federal agencies. The Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered company said the contracts, awarded through Aretum’s joint ventures, include OASIS+ Unrestricted, OASIS+ Women-Owned Small Business, OASIS+ 8a and OASIS+ Small Business.

article thumbnail

The False Claims Act landscape in 2025

Federal News Network

Alex Canizares, partner, Perkins Coie This week on Off the Shelf Alex Canizares, partner at Perkins Coie , shares his thoughts regarding False Claims Act landscape for 2025, including the anticipated priorities of the Department of Justice in 2025. Canizares also discusses the recent status of the legal challenge to the constitutionality of the FCAs qui tam provisions.

article thumbnail

Brian Funk Named MetaPhase Consulting Chief Technology Officer

ExecutiveBiz

Brian Funk, a seasoned technology executive, has been appointed chief technology officer at MetaPhase Consulting, the company announced on LinkedIn Friday. In his role as CTO, Funk will oversee product development, technology management, software development, cloud computing architecture, digital modernization and the strategic adoption of advanced technologies to its federal information technology offerings.

article thumbnail

February Online Training Opportunities

GovLoop

Agency modernization, innovation through AI, managing new grants, and more thats whats in store for Februarys online training line-up. Check out the list of available professional development sessions below, and dont forget to register, even if you cant make it the day of the training. Well send you a recording after the event to watch, learn from, and share with your colleagues.

Data 52
article thumbnail

Virtualitics Adds Richard Timme to Advisory Board

ExecutiveBiz

Artificial intelligence applications provider Virtualitics has appointed Richard Timme, a retired U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral, to its advisory board. The company announced Timmes appointment in a LinkedIn post published Thursday.

article thumbnail

EROD przedstawia standardy przetwarzania danych osobowych w modelach AI. Co to oznacza dla podmiotów rozwijających lub wdrażających takie rozwiązania?

Traple Konarski Podrecki & Partners

W grudniu 2024 r. Europejska Rada Ochrony Danych (EROD) przedstawia Opini 28/2024 dotyczc niektrych aspektw ochrony danych zwizanych z przetwarzaniem danych osobowych w kontekcie modeli AI (dalej: Opinia). Przedmiotem opinii s zasady wykorzystywania danych osobowych przy tworzeniu i wdraaniu modeli sztucznej inteligencji. Dokument skupia si na trzech kluczowych obszarach stosowania przepisw RODO w kontekcie AI: kryteria dla uznania, e w ramach dziaania modelu AI nie dochodzi do przetwarzania dan

52
article thumbnail

Riverside Research Books Air Force EM Spectrum Contract

ExecutiveBiz

Riverside Research Institute has been awarded a $48.9 million contract by the U.S. Air Force for electromagnetic spectrum enhancement. Contract Specifications The Department of Defense said Friday under the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, the Fairfax, Virginia-based nonprofit organization will provide services to enhance different EM spectrum systems or infrastructures.

article thumbnail

The Importance of Early Supplier Involvement

Oxford College of Procurement and Supply

Many organisations work their budget on the fiscal year so savings will be a key area of discussion at the beginning of the year. Whilst negotiation, rationalisation, standardisation and building relationships can all help to reduce costs, there is something that is often overlooked: Early Supplier Involvement Early supplier involvement (ESI) is a great way to reduce costs of both new and existing specifications that are sourced.

article thumbnail

Precision Talent Solutions Eyes GovTech Sector Expansion in 2025

ExecutiveBiz

Precision Talent Solutions, a provider of executive search and technical recruitment services for commercial as well as government customers, recently announced having taken steps to bolster its efforts to expand in the government technology, or GovTech, market through 2025.

article thumbnail

The countdown to the Procurement Act 2023 is on: Are you ready?

VWV

A practical guide to help your organisation prepare for the new regulations before the deadline. With just one month left until the Procurement Act 2023 officially takes effect, the clock is ticking for organisations to ensure theyre fully prepared. Have you: Reviewed your existing policies and procedures? Updated your procurement documents to comply with the Acts requirements?

article thumbnail

Bryce Lyons Joins FTI as Business Development VP

GovCon Wire

Bryce Lyons has been named vice president of business development at Frontier Technology Inc., the executive announced in a LinkedIn post. In his new role at FTI, Lyons will leverage his experience in business development management within the small and mid-size business sector. He brings knowledge of corporate scaling, team building and driving business growth.

article thumbnail

2024 in Review: Arbitration-Related Developments in France

Kluwer Arbitration

In a year marked in France by the Paris Olympics and political instability, 2024 proved to be somewhat less eventful in terms of arbitration-related developments than previous ones (see 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , and 2020 ). New trends and reforms are also on the horizon. This post aims to review some of this years noteworthy developments. Investment Arbitration: An Idle Year While previous years have shown that investment law was an important take of French courts caseload, this year marks a decline.

article thumbnail

7 Companies Secure Spots on $249M Veterans Affairs Architect-Engineer Services Contract

GovCon Wire

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has named seven contractors on a potential $249 million indefinite-delivery contract to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with architect-engineer services. According to a SAM.

article thumbnail

President Trump Threatens Tariffs and Sanctions Against Colombia; Colombia Retaliates with 25% Tariffs on US Imports

Import and Trade Remedies

Since this post was published on January 26, 2025, the White House announced that the US and Colombian governments had reached an agreement on flights carrying individuals deported from the United States and paused efforts to impose the measures described above. Stay tuned for a blog post with insights and practical tips for trade between Colombia and the United States.

Import 45