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Andrew Howard

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About Andrew Howard

Andy Howard is a partner in the firm’s Construction & Government Contracts Group who represents clients across a wide range of industries, including construction, health care, aerospace, energy and technology. Andy’s practice involves representing construction industry professionals and federal, state and local government contractors.

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Affiliation and Control Under SBA

May 12, 2021 By Andrew Howard and Jessica Sharron

The Paycheck Protection Loan program created by the CARES Act thrust the U.S. Small Business Administration’s complicated size standards into the spotlight for many companies that never before waded into those muddy waters.  None of SBA’s rules frustrated businesses that otherwise thought they were “small” more than the rule of “affiliation”, which requires concerns, when determining size, to include the size of other entities under common control.  A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims is a timely reminder that the concept of “affiliation”, in the context of federal [...]Read more

Filed Under: Advice to Contractors & Grant Recipients Tagged With: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Court of Federal Claims

The Moving America Forward Act: If Passed, Will Result in Increased Opportunities for Infrastructure Work and Contracting With the Federal Government

August 12, 2020 By Andrew Howard and Jamie Furst

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Moving America Forward Act (H.R. 2). Its purpose is to invest in American infrastructure and to create jobs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. As of this posting the bill is now in the Senate.  The President has expressed opposition to the bill’s passage, despite general statements of support for rebuilding America’s infrastructure. If it passes in the Senate and is signed into law by the President, the Act could result in the investment of more than $1.5 trillion in: (1) rebuilding highways, bridges, transit and rail facilities; [...]Read more

Filed Under: Advice to Contractors & Grant Recipients Tagged With: Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Government Spending, Infrastructure Plan

President Invokes Wartime Production Law to Require Commercial Businesses to Prioritize Manufacturing & Delivery of Goods to Combat Coronavirus Pandemic

March 18, 2020 By Andrew Howard

At a news conference this morning, March 18, 2020, President Trump announced he was invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 (“DPA”) to thwart the Coronavirus pandemic. Among numerous broad powers, this 1950 law authorizes the President to force commercial entities to prioritize and accept contracts for materials and services deemed necessary to promote the national defense. While initially passed to ensure the nation’s wartime readiness following the Korean War, Congress has greatly expanded the scope of the law to include – within the meaning of “national defense” – emergency [...]Read more

Filed Under: Defense Tagged With: Defense Production Act of 1950

Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media: Enhanced FOIA Protection for Contractors’ “Confidential” Commercial or Financial Information

January 6, 2020 By Andrew Howard

For the last 55 years nearly all federal agencies and courts tasked with determining whether a contractor’s “commercial or financial” information is “confidential” for purposes of exemption from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act have had to evaluate – among other things – whether disclosure of the information likely would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the person from whom the information was obtained. In Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, 588 U.S. ___ (2019), the Supreme Court rejected this decades-long “competitive harm” [...]Read more

Filed Under: Advice to Contractors & Grant Recipients, Information Technology, IP and Research in the Government World Tagged With: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), U.S. Supreme Court

Davis-Bacon Act Repeal Efforts Renewed

April 24, 2017 By Andrew Howard

Republican members of Congress have renewed steps to repeal the Davis–Bacon Act, which sets the prevailing wage requirements for workers employed under federally funded or assisted contracts for the construction, alteration, or repair of public works. In January, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced the Transportation Investment Recalibration to Equality (TIRE) Act that would suspend the Davis–Bacon Act’s provision that workers on federal contracts be paid a prevailing wage for all federal highway construction projects. Additionally, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Steve King (R-IA) [...]Read more

Filed Under: Advice to Contractors & Grant Recipients, P3 Matters, Public Construction Tagged With: Davis-Bacon Act, Infrastructure Plan, President Trump, Transportation Investment Recalibration to Equality (TIRE) Act, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

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This blog is a service of Alston & Bird’s Government Contracts team and provides insights on cases, rules, trends, and latest developments in local, state, and federal government contracting. Our attorney observations include analysis of investigations, litigation, protests and issues affecting present or prospective prime contractors, subcontractors, and grant recipients across various industries.

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