Author Archives: Alston Government Contracts Team

Alston Government Contracts Team
The lawyers in Alston & Bird’s Government Contracts Group frequently assist clients in all types of matters involving the negotiation, performance and litigation of government contracts, whether based on the FAR or other federal, state or local regulations.  Read More →

Breana Ware Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor

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On May 17, Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts associate Breana Ware was quoted in The Christian Science Monitor article “For Builders, Trump’s Wall Beckons but Is Fraught with Political Risk.” The article discusses how political pressure from state legislatures and activists has been focused directly on some of the largest and best-known design, engineering, and construction firms that are qualified to complete President Trump’s proposed border wall. Such pressure, in the form of protests and proposed and passed state antiwall legislation targeting participating companies, [...]Read more

Alston & Bird Partners Secure Dismissal from Delaware Qui Tam Suit

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On Friday, April 21, Alston & Bird obtained the dismissal of claims against two publicly traded retail companies, Ralph Lauren and Ruth’s Hospitality, from a qui tam lawsuit the State of Delware had intervened in. The retailers, along with nearly a dozen others, were named in State of Delaware v. Card Compliant, et al., pending in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. The state was alleging violations of the Delaware False Claims and Reporting Act resulting from alleged noncompliance with Delaware’s Escheats Law involving unused gift card balances. In Friday’s ruling, Superior [...]Read more

Chris Roux Published in Law360 on Trump’s Infrastructure Plan

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On April 7, Law360 published “Trump’s Infrastructure Plan: Getting The Show On The Road,” written by Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Chris Roux.  In the article, Chris lays out the promises regarding infrastructure spending made by President Donald Trump during his campaign and the actions the Trump administration has taken that support and contradict those commitments. Chris then discusses some of the many questions and difficulties surrounding the plan and outlines three key needs that will be critical to successful implementation. These include: Creating [...]Read more

Alston & Bird Advisory: Highlights of the OIG’s 2017 Work Plan

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In coordination with Alston & Bird partners Dawnmarie Matlock and Wade Pearson Miller and other authors, Construction & Government Contracts associate Erica Harrison Arnold contributed to the Alston & Bird Health Care and Health Care Litigation advisory “New Initiatives for the New Year: Highlights of the OIG’s 2017 Work Plan.” The advisory focuses on new OIG HHS initiatives and projects in the 2017 Work Plan that companies in the health care industry should take special note of when planning their business strategies, risk assessments, internal audits and compliance efforts for [...]Read more

The Washington Post Quotes Jeff Belkin on Obama Order on Contractor Workplace Violations

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On August 31, Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Jeff Belkin was quoted in the Washington Post article “Obama Order on Contractor Workplace Violations Takes Effect Soon, Despite Objections.” The article discusses some of the issues surrounding the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order that will compel potential government contractors to report violations covering 14 workplace protections from the previous three years. As indicated by Belkin, the new regulations could turn into a “blacklisting rule” that may shut out “many highly capable, ethical and [...]Read more

Corporate Counsel Quotes Clare Draper on Final “Blacklisting” Rule for Government Contractors

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On August 25, Alston & Bird Labor & Employment partner Clare Draper was quoted in the Corporate Counsel article “New ‘Blacklisting’ Rules for Contractors Add Compliance Burden for Companies.” The article explains what the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, or so-called “blacklisting rule,” would do and examines some of the anticipated effects. Draper was quoted as saying the firm expects the regulations “to bring about complex compliance issues on a variety of levels to both large and small companies, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to risk.” To learn [...]Read more

Law360 Quotes Chris Roux on Florida I-4 Ultimate Project

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Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Chris Roux was quoted on federal funding for Florida’s $2.3 billion I-4 Ultimate Project in conjunction with traditional public-private partnerships.  As indicated by Roux, a notable aspect of the project is the inclusion of two TIFIA loans and construction loans with Societe Generale as the syndication agent, CIBC as the documentation agent and BTMU as the administrative agent.  Roux said that the TIFIA loans, at approximately $950 million, were the largest ever TIFIA loans to a P3 project. To read more about Roux’s comments [...]Read more

Jeff Belkin and Tony Balloon Quoted in The Wall Street Journal

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On February 29, Jeff Belkin and Tony Balloon were quoted in The Wall Street Journal explaining the Office of Management and Budget’s new mandate on electronic invoicing and how it will impact government contractors and raise additional cybersecurity concerns. “Any time you’re talking about moving money—particularly this volume—there’s going to be a significant level of scrutiny on compliance infrastructure and risk mitigation and fraud mitigation. There will be more scrutiny on what is already a highly regulated area of finance,” said Balloon. “It’s not clear if any financial [...]Read more

Jeff Belkin and Tony Balloon Quoted in General Counsel News on New OMB E-Voicing Mandate

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On February 18, Jeff Belkin and Tony Balloon were quoted in General Counsel News regarding a new mandate from the Office of Management and Budget requiring that all billing and invoicing from government contractors and federal agencies be electronic. They advise government contractors and payment service providers to prepare and implement clear, practical methods of e-payments based on the new mandate. To learn more about Belkin’s and Balloon’s comments, see “Federal Mandate on E-Voicing & Government Contract Compliance.” [...]Read more

Jeff Belkin Quoted on the U.S. Supreme Court Case Kingdomware Technologies, Inc. v. United States

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On November 5, 2015, Jeff Belkin was quoted in Law360 in connection with the Kingdomware case. Belkin was again quoted on December 1, 2015, in Law.com on the same case. At issue for the Court is whether the Federal Circuit court erred in construing 38 U.S.C. § 8127(d)’s mandatory set-aside as discretionary. Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of 38 U.S.C. § 8127 provide authority for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) contracting officers to restrict competition and make awards directly to service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) and veteran-owned small business (VOSB) firms, [...]Read more