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and Construction Matters Since 1893.
Smith Currie Oles Morrison

Oles Morrison to host Federal Government Contracts Seminar

Mon Oct 22, 2018

On October 25, Adam Lasky, David Yang, Douglas Oles, James Nagle and Howard Roth will host their second annual federal government contracts seminar/webinar, Navigating Federal Government Contracts Northwest 2018.

The seminar, in conjunction with Washington PTACPacific Northwest Defense Coalition, and AGC of Washington is designed to help contractors navigate the rough seas of doing business with the federal government in the Trump administration. The Oles Morrison Government Contracts team has assembled a group of nationally recognized government contracts professionals who will cover topics relevant to government contractors across all industries.

Session topics include:

  • Federal Design-Build Challenges | Doug Oles, Partner, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP   |   With a long history in design-bid-build construction, federal agencies have struggled with the design-build project delivery system. This session will highlight some of these key challenges, and how contractors can avoid falling victim.
  • DCAA Audit & Investigation Essentials | David Yang, Partner, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP; Tony Worick, Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers  |  The session will cover the types of audits and investigations conducted by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), what you should expect during them, best practices for maximizing your position while minimizing risk, and a look at the key DCAA trends from FY2018 as well as what we can expect from DCAA in FY2019.
  • Are You Sure That Your Small Business Size Certification Is Accurate? | Dominique Casimir, Partner, Arnold & Porter; Adam Lasky, Partner, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP     SBA’s complex size and affiliation rules lead many federal contractors to inaccurately certify that they are small, which can lead to FCA liability and debarment. This session will provide a guide to SBA’s Affiliation Rules, plus best practices for managing the accuracy of your size certifications and mitigating/correcting inaccurate certifications.
  • Panel: Roadblocks to Commercial Items Contracting | Howard Roth, Of Counsel, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP; Laurie Davis, Sr. Contract Specialist; Shaun Kennedy, Senior Attorney, Ball Corporation   |   This session provides private and government sector perspectives on recent changes in commercial item contracting and provides practical tips for making commercial item determinations (i.e., price reasonableness, commerciality, of-a-type, etc.).  The panel will also address to what extent the Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Palantir will affect commercial item purchasing. 
  • Lunch Speaker: Understanding Your Obligations and Potential Compliance Gaps Regarding Bribery, Gratuities, Kickbacks and Other Government Contract Ethics | Paul Bowen, Partner, K&L Gates LLP   |   Conducting business with the government requires strict compliance with all ethical business practices. This includes avoiding, detecting, and, in some cases, reporting bribery, illegal gratuities, and kickbacks. This session will help you understand the key ethical obligations in government and recognizing compliance gaps in your ethics program.
  • Labor Compliance Pitfalls: Obama-Era Challenges and Regulations Remain | Eric Crusius, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP   |   This session will cover how to spot and comply with various government contracts-specific labor requirements, including the Service Contract Act, Davis-Bacon Act, and Fair Labor Standards Act, plus new regulatory requirements such as mandatory sick leave and minimum wage. In addition, Eric will discuss the Top 10 labor compliance pitfalls in government contracting.
  • Navigating Tariffs, Shutdowns and Other Sovereign Acts | James Nagle, Of Counsel, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP   |   Acts by the government in its sovereign (public, as opposed to contracting) capacity, such as tariffs, government shutdowns, or new EPA or OSHA rules, can throw a monkey wrench into a contractor’s planned costs and schedule. Learn how to anticipate, plan for and react to such acts, which is indispensable to a contract’s and contractor’s success.
  • Keynote:  Hot Topics in Procurement Reform | Prof. Steven Schooner, Nash & Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law and Co-Director of the Government Procurement Law Program, The George Washington University Law School    |   Our distinguished keynote speaker will discuss and provide commentary on the hottest topics in federal procurement reform, including the proposed Section 809 Panel reforms, which could change the face of government procurement.

Click HERE for the program flyer and complete schedule.