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Industry executive: Defense Production Act small launch contracts should have been competed

The Defense Department caused an uproar when it announced on June 18 it had selected six small launch companies to receive contracts funded under the Defense Production Act, the head of a space industry group said July 22.

“I know there were a lot of complaints on Capitol Hill and within agencies,” said Chuck Beames, executive chairman of York Space Systems and chairman of the SmallSat Alliance, an industry group that represents space companies including several small launch providers.

“Many companies thought it was unfair, why them and why not us?” Beames said during an online event hosted by the Mitchell Institute.

For the small launch contracts, DoD had set aside $116 million appropriated for Defense Production Act Title 3 investments in key sectors of the defense industry financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Keep reading this article at: https://spacenews.com/industry-executive-defense-production-act-small-launch-contracts-should-have-been-competed/

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Verizon loses protest of use of LPTA

The Government Accountability Office has denied Verizon’s protest of the use of lowest price, technically acceptable (LPTA) source selection for telecommunications services under the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) telecom and network modernization contract.

Verizon specifically protested requests for proposals by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), arguing that the reliance on LPTA violated the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, as well as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, which both require the Department of Defense to try to avoid such source selection when acquiring information technology.

The telecom company suggested DISA instead use best value tradeoff (BVTO) source selection, which would see the task order awarded to the contractor offering the greatest value to the government — not the lowest-cost or highest technically rated offeror.

GAO rejected that idea.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.fedscoop.com/verizon-lpta-eis-protest-denied/

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Government contractors and financing a post-coronavirus ‘reboot’ of the economy

When the shutdown ends, contractors will be busy.

When the economy does begin to recover from our nationwide lockdown, one  certainty is that it will not be as simple as “turning the lights back on.”

Companies may have a long road back to full strength as they go through the process of restoring their workforces, rebuilding supply chains and planning for growth in a new, unfamiliar economy.

One certainty, however, is that government contractors will be in high demand as agencies face a backlog of project work as well as new initiatives grown out of coronavirus recovery plans. Taking the right steps now will be essential to aligning these resources with expected need.

So why will government contractors face a surge in demand when COVID-19 restrictions lift? One reason is that many projects that were underway in the spring, particularly construction projects, will once again come back online after being placed on hold due to social distancing guidelines. Construction on roads, bridges and highways is expected to peak as state and federal agencies race to catch up on work planned and postponed for the spring and summer periods.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2020/07/government-contractors-and-financing-a-post-coronavirus-reboot-of-the-economy/

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has established a webpage where all contract-related developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) are summarized.  Find the page at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/coronavirus-information-for-contracting-officers-and-contractors/

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Two firms renew legal challenges to DoD’s $7 billion moving contract

A Pentagon contract meant to completely overhaul the military’s system for moving service members’ belongings around the world is once again under protest.

The same two companies who had initially challenged the $7.2 billion Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) in May filed new bid protests at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week, meaning the contract could continue to be tied up until Oct. 21, the due date for GAO to rule on the latest round of challenges.

GAO dismissed protests by Connected Global Alliance LLC, and HomeSafe Alliance LLC late last month after U.S. Transportation Command pledged to take corrective action on at least one of the issues they raised in their complaints. But less than two weeks later, TRANSCOM announced it wouldn’t be taking any corrective action after all, and re-awarded the contract to the same vendor it initially picked for the award, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC).

“The decision to re-award GHC in light of the serious issues raised is extremely disappointing,” Al Thompson, HomeSafe’s CEO said in a statement. “We are confident GAO will agree that errors have been made on a major contract that touches every member of the armed forces and their families.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2020/07/two-firms-renew-legal-challenges-to-dods-7b-moving-contract/

See earlier article about this subject at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/2020/07/09/transcom-allegations-unsubstantiated-awards-7-2-billion-contract-to-privatize-household-goods-moves/

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Cutting Chinese suppliers from government supply chains will cost billions every year

Prospective contractors are invited to comment on how much it might cost them.
Click on image above to see Federal Register notice.

Implementation of a rule barring federal agencies from entering into contracts with entities that use equipment from a selection of Chinese telecommunications and surveillance companies is expected to cost the government $11 billion in year one, and just over $2 billion each subsequent year, according to an action published in the Federal Register on July 14th.

The Federal Register action details an interim rule from the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and NASA to implement the second part of section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.

Starting Aug. 13., Contracting Officers will include provisions in their solicitations that prohibit contractors from using the covered equipment and require bidders to state whether they do.  Agency leaders can issue waivers in the case of emergencies, or other conditions, under the interim rule.

Covered equipment and services refer to those provided by Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company or Dahua Technology Company, or any subsidiary or affiliate of those entities.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2020/07/cutting-chinese-suppliers-government-supply-chains-will-cost-billions-every-year/166846/

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