Tag Archives: Press

DOJ Antitrust “Strike Force” Will Crack Down on Collusive Bidding and Procurement Fraud

▪ Written by
On November 5, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the formation of a new Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) to prosecute collusive bidding and procurement fraud in government contracting. According to Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, the PCSF “will target bid-rigging and other antitrust crimes that can cost American taxpayers billions of dollars each year by undermining the federal government’s processes for purchasing goods and services and for money granted to states and municipalities to undertake large, high-dollar-figure public improvement projects.” The PCSF will [...]Read more

Jeff Belkin Quoted by Law360 on Leaked DOJ FCA Memo

▪ Written by
On January 25, 2018, Jeff Belkin was quoted by Law360 in the article “FCA Memo No Proof of New DOJ Direction on Dismissals,” which covers a recently leaked memo from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) detailing when DOJ attorneys should ask to dismiss “meritless” qui tam False Claims Act cases. The article covers varying viewpoints about what the impact of the memo will be on future FCA cases. Many FCA defense attorneys have reacted positively, some saying that the memo does suggest a change in policy. Others have reservations and remain unconvinced of actual policy changes. In the article, [...]Read more

Chris Roux and John Hanover Published in The Construction Lawyer on Implied False Certification Liability

▪ Written by
Alston & Bird partners Chris Roux and John Hanover had their article, “Implied False Certification Liability Under the False Claims Act: How the Materiality Standard Offers Protection after Escobar,” published in the Winter 2018 edition of The Construction Lawyer. The article takes an in-depth look at the viability of implied false certification claims under the False Claims Act by examining their use before and after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Escobar decision, the key elements of the decision, and how varying interpretations of the decision apply to the construction industry. Readers [...]Read more

Chris Roux Quoted in Law360 on Trump’s Infrastructure Plan

▪ Written by
On August 18, Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Chris Roux was quoted in the Law360 article “Trump Infrastructure Order Shows Strategy Without Clear Plan.” The article discusses the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s August 15 Executive Order that was intended to push the government to complete environmental reviews to approve or deny major infrastructure projects within a two-year time frame, on average. The Executive Order also repeals an order signed by President Barack Obama in 2015 that required federal agencies and developers to factor in climate [...]Read more

Breana Ware Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor

▪ Written by
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

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

▪ Written by
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

▪ Written by
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 Publishes Article on Kingdomware by Jeff Belkin and Breana Ware

▪ Written by and
On June 21, 2016, Law360 published the article “High Court Boosts Veterans Contracts in Kingdomware” written by Jeff Belkin and Breana Ware. In this article, Jeff and Breana discuss the issues at hand in the recent unanimous decision for the U.S. Supreme Court in Kingdomware Technologies Inc. v. United States, No. 14-916. As indicated by Jeff and Breana, this ruling will have a significant impact on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ procurement process; on current and future protests before the Government Accountability Office regarding the VA’s use, or nonuse, of the Rule of Two; [...]Read more

Law360 Quotes Chris Roux on Florida I-4 Ultimate Project

▪ Written by
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

▪ Written by
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