Petrillo and Powell
-
When awarding a competitively-bid contract on past performance, you better make sure you look carefully at references the bidders provide. Immigration and Customs Enforcement found this out the hard way. It lost a protest when a services contractor complained ICE didn't do its due diligence on past performance. The Government Accountability Office agreed. In this week's Legal Loop Segment, procurement attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo and Powell tells Tom Temin on the Federal Drive about the lessons learned from the case.
December 11, 2014 -
An energy inspector general investigation has found several problems with the way Sandia National Laboratories awarded billions of dollars in maintenance and operations contracts to Lockheed Martin. The IG found a lack of competition and violation of at least one important statute. In this week's legal loop, attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo and Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Driveto explain what this investigation means for Sandia Martin.
November 20, 2014 -
Contracting officers have a lot of authority when it comes to deciding who wins federal contracts, but they don't have unlimited discretion. That's what the contracting officer who awarded a deal to USIS found out. In a sustaining protest, the Government Accountability Office says the contracting officer should have paid more attention to allegations of fraud against the company. In this week's Legal Loop segment, Procurement Attorney Joe Petrillo joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this case.
November 06, 2014 -
Probably every contracting officer has been tempted to do it. Lowball the size of an acquisition so that it falls under small business rules. Or accept a lowball bid from a contractor that knows better. A part of the Transportation Department tried this with a contractor that was about to graduate from the 8(a) program. Oops. The deal ended up in court. Lots of egg splatter to go around. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain the case in this week's legal loop segment.
September 11, 2014 -
ASBCA sounds like the people telling you to be nice to dogs. But the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals is all about military contracting, and what happens when it goes wrong. The Board has adopted some new rules to help streamline things and iron out ambiguities. In this week's legal loop, Procurement Attorney Joe Petrillo joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with the details.
August 28, 2014 -
Congress back in 2012 ordered Defense agencies and contractors to get a handle on counterfeit or non-conforming electronic parts. The FAR Council has taken a liberal reading of the law, and now we're beginning to see the scope of the reporting that will be required. How does a half million new reports per year grab you? In this week's legal loop segment, Procurement Attorney Joe Petrillo joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive for an explanation.
July 17, 2014 -
Government contractors are feeling pretty good about a recent U.S. Appeals Court decision. It says the government must act in good faith and deal fairly in all government contracts. Believe it or not, this was not always the case. In this week's Legal Loop, Procurement Attorney Joe Petrillo examined the ruling and its implications when he joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive.
June 12, 2014 -
The Pentagon has issued a final rule for dealing with counterfeit parts. Officials believe too many of them make their way into crucial electronic systems, threatening their reliability or compromising their security. The rule has been a long time coming. It affects both government buyers and industry suppliers. Joe Petrillo, a procurement attorney with the law firm Petrillo & Powell, spoke about some of the main aspects of the rule with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive.
May 15, 2014 -
CERCLA sounds like a 1960s television character made out of a rug. It's actually an environmental law that can have a big effect on federal contracting. One recent CERCLA case shows how a gasoline contract from World War II can affect a procurement today. Attorney Joe Petrillo explained the case to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
May 01, 2014 -
When you download an app or update your software, do you read those fine-print licensing agreements? Few people, including federal employees, do. The Office of Management and Budget says those agreements essentially don't apply for government purchases. Instead, new regulations call for a standard clause in nearly every contract. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo breaks down the new provision with Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
April 17, 2014 -
The great thing about federal contracting is that the rulemakers never rest. Just when you are sure you've got it all figured out, things change. The latest rules are just out from the Labor Department. They concern affirmative action programs required of federal contractors. In Federal Drive's weekly legal loop segment, hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp turned to procurement attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo & Powell for an explanation.
April 03, 2014 -
A new GSA inspector general report criticizes Federal Acquisition Service managers for altering contracts at the request of contractors and against the wishes of FAS staff and the IG himself.
June 11, 2013 -
GAO's Mark Gaffigan talks about how the federal government will experience increased fiscal exposure due to climate change. Gary Somerset discusses the GPO's new Pinterest page. On Legal Loop, procurement attorney Joe Petrillo discusses a change in status for the Alaska Native Corporations. John Plaguta of the Partnership for Public Service discusses the critical skills gaps in the federal workplace. Former SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt talks about rule writing in the wake of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
February 19, 2013 -
Robert Litan discusses a Bloomberg Government study about rule-making in the Obama administration. Michael Tinsley, CEO of NeoSystems Corp., offers insight on how furloughs might affect federal contractors. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo weighs in on a a 2012 Supreme Court case that could come back to bite federal agencies facing budget cuts under sequestration. Gregory Wilshusen discusses a new GAO report on how prepared agencies are to fend of online assaults. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service talks about sequestration and the threat of furloughs.
February 05, 2013 -
OPM's Angela Bailey discusses how agencies are struggling to fill critical skill gaps in the hard sciences. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo fills us in on what to expect with the new defense authorization law. Jacque Simon of AFGE says her union is frustrated with the lack of attention being paid to federal workers' concerns over sequestration. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service discusses possible changes agencies may face in President Obama's second term.
January 22, 2013