This week Michael Gruden, counsel at Crowell & Moring, joins Off the Shelf, for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on cybersecurity and the CMMC journey.  Gruden provides a cyber retrospective, outlining the evolution of government cybersecurity requirements to the present-day implementation of CMMC. A former contracting officer and Pentagon Branch Chief, Gruden shares his perspectives and insights on the key contracting considerations surrounding cybersecurity compliance.  He also...

Luke Levasseur and Evan Williams, counsel at Mayer Brown, join Off the Shelf for an in depth discussion of the bid protest process.  Levasseur and Williams outline the underlying authority and rationale for bid process and the role the process plays in the procurement process. They walk through the procedural steps of a GAO bid protest, sharing the key litigation timelines, standards of review, document production requirements, and the administrative procedures for reviewing and commenting on...

This week on Off the Shelf, Alan Thomas, founder of Alpha Tango Strategies, examines the state of interagency contracting and the role of Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (MAIDIQ) contracts.   Thomas shares his thoughts and observations on the increasingly duplicative structure of the IT GWACs and OASIS+. With potentially hundreds, if not thousands of contractors, all competing for the same or similar requirements across each of the major IT GWACs, many in the...

This week on Off the Shelf, Ken Dodds, executive vice president and general counsel at the Coalition for Government Procurement provides a small business policy and regulatory update. Dodds tackles the SBA’s August 2024 proposed rule, which addresses multiple small business contracting programs, including mentor protégé joint ventures, the HUBZone program, and the 8(a) program. He also provides analysis of recent administrative and court decisions impacting the mentor protégé...

Jeff Koses, senior procurement executive at the General Services Administration (GSA) joins Off the Shelf for a focused discussion on GSA’s current procurement policy priorities. Koses talks about the implementation and expansion of Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) across the Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) program. He highlights the positive impact on small businesses, customer agencies, and GSA through the management, evaluation, and use of the data to enhance competition, value, and...

Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller joins host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf for “Procurement Potpourri,” a wide-ranging discussion of key procurement policy and program developments across the federal market. They tackle the state of interagency contracting focusing on the status of the four major interagency procurements: OASIS+, CIO-SP4, NASA SEWP, and Alliant 3.  The discussion highlighted the role of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy has played in...

Tony Celeste, Head of Ingram Micro Public Sector LLC and Promark Technology Inc., joins Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion of significant trends shaping the federal IT market.  Celeste offers his thoughts on digital transformation and best practices agencies and contractors can leverage towards IT modernization.  He also addresses the role of AI and virtual reality in supporting federal IT mission requirements, including how agencies can effectively leverage these rapidly evolving...

This week Al Montoya, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) acting under secretary for Health for Support, and Spencer Roberts, executive director for Logistics at VHA, join Off the Shelf for a briefing highlighting the VHA’s key strategic priorities. Montoya and Roberts outline VHA’s strategic efforts in bringing more veterans to the VA and ensuring those veterans receive best in class benefits, care, and support programs. Montoya shares how The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson...

Joy Sturm, partner at Hogan Lovells, joins Off the Shelf for a briefing on the proposed BIOSECURE Act that would reshape biotechnology supply chains serving the federal government. The proposed legislation would prohibit the federal government from contracting with certain Chinese “companies of concern.”  The prohibition would cover contracts, grants, and subcontractors. Sturm provides context on the goals for the legislation and outlines the key provisions and how they would impact federal...

Steve Schooner, Jeffery & Martha Kohn associate dean for Academic Affairs and Nash & Cibinic professor of Government Procurement Law at The George Washington University Law School, joines Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on green acquisition and the role of sustainability policy in the federal procurement market. Schooner recently received the Coalition for Government Procurement’s Sustainability – Green Excellence Award for his thought leadership on the nexus...

This week on Off the Shelf, Jason Workmaster, Member at Miller & Chevalier, provides an update on key legal developments in federal procurement. Leading off the discussion is a briefing on the Federal Circuit’s Percipient.AI decision potentially lowering the jurisdictional bar for task order protests. Workmaster outlines the facts of the case, the legal analysis and the implications for bid protests generally and task orders protests more specifically. He also gives his thoughts on the...

The Gormley Group’s Sean Nulty and Andrew Sisti join host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf for a deep dive into current trends shaping the contract negotiations and administration under GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. Nulty is a managing consultant and director of DC Operations & Training, and Sisti is a principal consultant and GSA Systems Subject Matter Expert for the Gormley Group. Both are subject matter experts on the MAS pricing policies and procedures. They...

This week on Off the Shelf, Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton and Associates, examines the economic, technological, and geopolitical trends that are shaping the federal market.  Schwartz highlights the accelerating strategic competition among major powers which is reflected in current federal procurement and budget priorities. In this context, the fields of AI and biotechnology are rapidly advancing and are an increasing focus for the federal government.  Schwartz also provides an update...

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf is Tim Keeler, partner, and co-head of the International Trade team at Mayer Brown.    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) plays a critical national security role regarding the industrial base. Keeler details the inter-agency structure, purpose, and scope of CFIUS, and explains the process and criteria whereby CFIUS reviews certain covered transactions involving foreign investments in the nation’s industrial base that raise...

This week on Off the Shelf , Jonathan Aronie, partner at Sheppard Mullin, updates his leukemia journey since his last year’s appearance on the show. He is now back to work full-time and as such the conversation quickly turns to key trends in investigations and audits.  Aronie outlines the spectrum of “reviews, investigations, and audits” that are part of doing business with the federal government. He continues with his analysis of the oversight spectrum by outlining the key features...

This week on Off the Shelf, Townsend Bourne, partner at Sheppard Mullin, shares her insights regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) proposed rule implementing the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA).  At over 400 pages, the proposed CIRCIA rule is a daunting read. Bourne breaks down the rule identifying the key aspects and corresponding impacts for those covered entities.  She discusses the 16 critical infrastructure...

Bob Metzger, shareholder at Rogers Joseph O’Donnell, joins Off the Shelf this week and provides his incisive analysis and insights regarding the federal government’s cybersecurity framework. Metzger outlines the complex, ever-changing threat environment facing government and industry. From near peer adversaries to independent criminal elements, he frames the threat against the government’s ongoing program and regulatory cyber initiatives. Metzger analyzes the government’s underlying cyber...

This week on Off the Shelf, Alan Thomas, founder and chief strategist at Alpha Tango Strategies, examines the history of the eCommerce platform and shares his thoughts on the acquisition and policy history of the CPI as well as prospects for growth now that the eight follow on contracts have been awarded.  Thomas highlights the outreach role GSA has played and must continue to play to enhance opportunities for growth in customer agency usage., and he discusses the impact of GSA's new SaaS...

This week Jason Miller, executive editor at Federal News Network, joins Off the Shelf, for a wide-ranging discussion of the policies, regulations, legislation, trends, and programs shaping the federal procurement market. Topics include the FAR at 40 years, the new part 40 of the FAR, GSA's commercial platform awards, GSA's new policy on SaaS and advance payments, the impact of CMMC on small business, new grant regulations, and the trends on DoD's PALT for task and delivery orders.  

This week on Off the Shelf, Jason Workmaster from Miller Chevalier provides a legal and policy update for government contractors.  Topics include key provisions in the 2024 NDAA impacting procurement and the industrial base, the DFARS commercial item rule and regulatory creep, the impact of a recent federal circuit decision on EULAs and third party suppliers' ability to seek redress under a government contract. Workmaster also discusses the lessons learned and the impact of the CIO-SP4 bid...

This week's guest on Off the Shelf is Anthony Principi, principal in the Principi Group, and former secretary of Veterans Affairs in the President George W. Bush Administration.  His discussion with host Roger Waldron focuses on the evolving healthcare environment and the implications for the VA's mission.  Principi highlighted the advances in medical technologies, treatments, and protocols that have reduced the need for hospital beds and resulted in a VA medical infrastructure that is a...

Ken Dodds, vice president of Acquisition Policy at the Coalition for Government Procurement joins host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf for an in-depth discussion on the latest policy, contracting, and program developments impacting small businesses in the federal procurement market.   The discussion topics include the impact of the Ultima decision on small, disadvantaged businesses, the Forward Slope size appeal and the impact on Seaport NG, mentor-protégé joint venture experience...

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf is Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for Government Procurement Law & Government Contracts Advisory Council Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in Government Contracts Law & Policy at The George Washington University Law School.  The GWU Law School’s Government Procurement Law Program is considered the preeminent program of its type in the world. Professor Tillipman highlights the resources and opportunities to students focusing their legal studies...

Deborah Haywood, vice president, McKesson Medical-Surgical Government Solutions, joins Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion of current trends in healthcare delivery and logistics, including the continued growth and evolution of telehealth.   There continues to be a lot of focus on supply chain resiliency both from the federal government and the private sector, and Haywood shares her thoughts and insights on the management keys to increasing supply chain resiliency. Haywood also...