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31-Month Suspension of Affiliates Violates FAR

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 07.06.12

In Agility Def. and Gov't Servs. (June 26), an Alabama District Court rejected the government's assertion that an agency's suspension of a government contractor is beyond judicial review and overturned the suspensions because they had exceeded 18 months, in violation of FAR 9.407-4(b). The two plaintiffs were suspended in November 2009 based on their affiliation with an indicted contractor, Public Warehousing Company, and, although the initial suspension of the affiliates was proper, the agency could not extend the suspensions of the affiliates beyond 18 months because legal proceedings had not been initiated against the affiliates themselves.


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Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.15.26

GAO Indicates Reasonable Conflict of Interest Investigation Must Include Inquiry of Involved Firm

The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent decision in Viderity Inc.—Costs, B-424422.5, Sept. 1, 2026, offers useful insight into what constitutes a legally sufficient conflict of interest investigation. The decision arose in an unusual procedural posture: Viderity initially protested, alleging that an agency evaluator had a personal conflict of interest. After the agency took corrective action, Viderity filed a cost entitlement claim requesting that GAO direct the agency to reimburse Viderity’s protest costs. In evaluating that claim, GAO assessed whether Viderity’s underlying protest ground was “clearly meritorious.”...