More than 300,000 companies within the Defense Department’s supply chain will need to meet new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements and pass a third-party assessment to ensure they are adequately protecting sensitive information on their networks. Now, Crowell & Moring has become the first AmLaw 100 firm to achieve Registered Provider Organization (RPO) status by the CMMC Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB) to help defense contractors comply with CMMC cybersecurity standards and prepare for their assessments.…

In Globe Trailer Manufacturing, Inc., ASBCA No. 62594 (Jan. 28, 2021), the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (the Board) addressed whether a contractor’s certified supplement to a termination settlement proposal (TSP) constitutes a claim under the Contract Disputes Act. After termination, the contractor submitted a TSP that included costs of constructive changes. During the ensuing TSP negotiations, the contractor provided government counsel with a supplement to the TSP that included supporting documentation, calculations,…

In this episode, hosts Evan Wolff and Kate Growley talk with Michael Gruden about what government contractors need to know about Federal Contract Information or FCI. Crowell & Moring’s “Byte-Sized Q&A” podcast takes the complex world of government contracts cybersecurity and breaks it down into byte-sized pieces. Listen: Crowell.com | PodBean | SoundCloud | Apple Podcasts  …

This week’s episode covers suspension and debarment, False Claims Act developments, and oversight relating to the pandemic response, and is hosted by partner Peter Eyre and associate Gabby Trujillo. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory developments that no government contracts lawyer or executive should be without. Listen: Crowell.com | PodBean | SoundCloud | Apple Podcasts  …

Yesterday, February 17, 2021, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, Brian Boynton, highlighted the central role that the False Claims Act (FCA) has held and will continue to play in the government’s civil fraud enforcement toolkit for years to come. In prepared remarks at the Federal Bar Association’s 2021 Qui Tam Conference, Grassley confirmed that he is drafting legislation intended to curb what he called the government’s incorrect…

On February 3, 2021, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) issued an update to its Top Challenges in Pandemic Relief and Response, identifying new challenges in funding oversight and reiterating others identified in its original report issued in June 2020. The updated report, based on feedback received from Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) at more than 40 agencies, identifies four new challenges focused on ferreting out fraud related to pandemic funding and the health and safety…

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released the final version of NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-172, Enhanced Security Requirements for Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information. Designed to supplement the requirements in NIST SP 800-171—the applicable standard under DFARS 252.204-7012—800-172 provides 35 enhanced security requirements to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) associated with critical programs and high value assets from sophisticated adversaries referred to as advanced persistent threats (APTs). Although expected to impact…