When a government buyer stipulates in an RFP that they want an “exact product” that is, apparently, what they mean, even if the items involved are “aircraft curtains”. A recent protester at GAO found out the hard way that “exact” means just that and not an extremely similar item made by an “authorized source.” While the case, reported by the law firm of Jackson Kelly, involved a military specification, there are instances of companies offering “similar” commercial items that lost protests as well. One famous (or infamous, depending on Read more
Any company selling to the government must be aware of ethics and gift rules. Annual training is a best practice for smart companies. Not only can it help prevent bad things from happening, in the event a problem does occur, regular training is one way to show the government you’re a responsible company that shouldn’t be suspended. If it’s been awhile since your firm has had ethics training, now is the time. Allen Federal has conducted dozens of ethics training classes and can tailor a program to meet your needs. Make sure everyone in your company knows the rules on gifts. Contact Allen Federal today to schedule your class at info@allenfederal.com
Don’t look for a “full” 2018 appropriations measure anytime soon. Congressional leaders are still trying to hammer out a top line number for a catch-all appropriations bill and the required process even after a deal is struck means that it will be late February at the earliest before there Read more
A recent NextGov article predicts that IT systems modernization, cyber, and data center optimization are three of the of top four federal IT priorities for this year. While some have changed focus, these probably look very familiar to IT contractors. Rounding out the top four is planning for the networks of the future, a topic that first started getting industry ink last year. Read more
The Department of Justice obtained more than $3.7 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government in FY’17 according to a recent DOJ release. While about two-thirds of the amount was in health-care related fraud, Read more