Federal government contractors face many uncertainties as they implement President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. This includes the distinct possibility of civil lawsuits arising out of their implementation of the mandate, including potential allegations of invasion of privacy, wrongful termination, lost wages, discrimination, personal injury or other common law claims
Continue Reading Are Federal Contractors Immunized From Vaccination Litigation? Mitigating The Risk Of Civil Liabilities Arising Out Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Frederic Levy
Fred Levy is senior counsel in the firm's Government Contracts and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. He is a leading suspension and debarment lawyer, focusing his practice on the resolution of complex compliance and ethics issues. He has successfully represented numerous high-profile corporations and individuals under investigation by the government in civil and criminal matters, including False Claims Act cases, and in suspension and debarment proceedings to ensure their continued eligibility to participate in federal programs. He has also conducted numerous internal investigations on behalf of corporate clients and advises corporations on voluntary or mandatory disclosures to federal agencies. Fred regularly counsels clients on government contract performance issues, claims and terminations, and litigates matters before the boards of contract appeals and in the Federal Circuit.
Related to his work involving program fraud, Fred counsels clients in the area of contractor "responsibility." He is involved in the development and implementation of contractor ethics and compliance programs that meet the standards of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and Sarbanes-Oxley, and he regularly conducts ethics and compliance training.
Fred is a principal editor of Guide to the Mandatory Disclosure Rule, and of The Practitioner's Guide to Suspension and Debarment, 4th Edition. He is a vice-chair of the Debarment and Suspension Committee of the ABA Public Contract Law Section, and a former co-chair of that committee and of the Procurement Fraud Committee. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School.
Task Force Releases Guidance on New COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors
On September 24, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released guidance on workplace safety protocols for federal contractors and subcontractors related to COVID-19 (“the Guidance”). The Guidance was issued pursuant to President Biden’s Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors.
As expected, the Guidance covers
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for U.S. Government Contractors
On September 9, the Biden Administration released a number of new details for its Path out of the Pandemic that will impact U.S. Government contractors and a number of other individuals and entities. In addition to requiring most executive agency employees to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Administration plans to…
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President Biden Orders Tightening of Made in America Laws: What Contractors Need to Know
Trump Administration Renews Focus on Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts
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Suspension & Debarment Update: SBA to Sharpen Suspension & Debarment Procedures
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Senate Armed Services Committee Proposes Expansive but Unclear Software Review Provisions
Key Takeaways from Trump Administration Memo on Buy American Laws
Earlier this week, colleagues in our Government Contracts Group published an article about a recent Trump Administration memo regarding the “assessment and enforcement of domestic preferences in accordance with Buy American Laws,” and which follows the Administration’s April 2017 Buy American Executive Order. In the article, Justin Ganderson,…
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Private-Sector Opportunities – and Challenges – in the new $38.8 billion U.S.-Israel Military Assistance Package
Uncertainty surrounding the policies of the new administration is felt across industries. In particular, U.S. and Israeli defense industries are anxious for details of a ten-year, $38.8 billion military assistance package that was signed in Washington this past September. Whether the terms of the aid package are upended entirely or left mostly unchanged by the current incoming administration will have far reaching consequences on future U.S. and Israeli government procurement.
As discussed in this post, since 2007, U.S. and Israeli defense contractors have become accustomed to navigating the terms of an FY2009-FY2018 assistance program. The new 10-year package, however, presents new, unchartered challenges, for which industry will have to prepare and adapt. To do so effectively, companies will want to (i) glean more specific details regarding the terms of the new aid package, especially in light of changing administrations (ii) work towards increasing their eligibility for defense funding by adapting structurally, either through approved M&A activity or B2B cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies, and, finally, (iii) engage with experts, policy makers and regulators, to ensure their plans align with any current or future compliance constraints.
What is clear, the changing landscape presents challenges and opportunities for both U.S. and Israeli defense contractors.
Continue Reading Private-Sector Opportunities – and Challenges – in the new $38.8 billion U.S.-Israel Military Assistance Package