Alston & Bird Government Contracts Blog

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Additional GSA Webinar Guidance for Section 889 Part B Implementation Delayed to September 10, 2020

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The Alston & Bird Government Contracts team has been closely following developments in the implementation of Section 889 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”), and particularly Section 889 Part B, which broadly prohibits the government from “entering into a contract with” an entity that “uses” “covered telecommunications equipment or services.”  Our prior blog posts on this topic can be found here and here. On August 6, 2020, the General Services Administration (“GSA”) gave notice that the previously scheduled August 12, 2020 GSA webinar [...]Read more

GSA Provides Additional Guidance on Section 889 Part B Implementation and “Waivers”

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On July 30, 2020, General Services Administration’s (“GSA”) Office of Small Business Utilization hosted a webinar on the implementation of Section 889 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”).  The Alston & Bird Government Contracts team has been closely following developments and previously wrote about Section 889 Part B here. The webinar confirmed GSA’s position that Part B of Section 889 applies to every sector, no matter what a company makes or sells, and all systems a government contractor uses—whether in the performance of a government contract [...]Read more

DoD Weighs In As Federal Contractors Search for Guidance on Implementation of Section 889 Part B

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To curb the threat of U.S. foreign adversaries gaining access to critical infrastructure and stealing sensitive information, Congress passed Section 889 ("Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment") as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”). There are two prohibitions in the statute, Part A and Part B.  Part A, which became effective on August 13, 2019, prohibits the government from “buying” certain “covered telecommunications equipment or services.” (NDAA Section 889(a)(1)(A)).  Part B, which is slated [...]Read more

Warning: Iranian Cyber Response Possible Against Government Contractors

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As a result of heightened tension between the United States and Iran, companies, especially those that do business with the Federal Government and with the Department of Defense in particular, would be well-advised to take immediate steps to confirm and strengthen their cybersecurity measures.  Read on for the post from our firm’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Blog discussing how regulators are warning of a possible rise in cyber-attacks. ... After Friday’s announcement of the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, a leader of Iran’s Quds Force, several regulators have put industry on [...]Read more

Final FAR Council Rule Expands the Scope of GIDEP Screening and Reporting and Effectively Mandates GIDEP Membership for Covered Contractors

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The FAR Council recently issued a Final Rule on the Reporting of Nonconforming Items to the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) to address supply chain risks from counterfeit and nonconforming goods. The Rule goes into effect on December 23, 2019. While the Final Rule on its face addresses counterfeit and nonconforming parts, the GIDEP program is potentially more onerous than meets-the-eye. GIDEP is a U.S. Government funded and managed voluntary information exchange program among government and industry participants.  Its members include, among others, dozens of government [...]Read more