Moderator

U.S. Moves to Cut Off Chip Supplies to Huawei.

I would look at the section and then the Conference report. Section 889: Prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment. Note: I went back to Congress.gov and realized there is no paragraph (e) that I could find. I'm going to check the .pdf file to see if it was an editiing error by the LOC. I checked the .pdf version and no (e). The statute pages which are in sequence so there is nothing missing--that I see. (d) WAIVER AUTHORITY.— (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: Apparently, we have a section of the NDAA for 2019 that doesn't have a paragraph (e) FARA: The answer to your question is what is in paragraph (f).

I don't think we can judge how much being a finalist means to a company/start-up. xTechSearch 2 provides links to each company. I looked at one called AKHAN Semiconductor Inc. One can read through the news releases and imagine how the founder is using being selected as one of the finalists. Read the article on the Samsung Fold near the top of the list. We can almost feel the peaks and valleys that the founder is going through. Note a little help from a federal contractor and patent after patent.

When I looked a little deeper the other day, I wanted to find out what happened to the winners. xTechSearch 1 Adranos, Inc.. As Paul Harrell would say, You be the judge. xTechSearch 2. (Same site) Lumineye, Inc. You be the judge.

The JEDI Acquisition: Innovation Rejected by Vernon J. Edwards Courtesy of Thomson Reuters and The Nash & Cibinic Report If you were to read the Request for Proposals for the Department of Defense’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) acquisition, issued on July 26, 2018 (the source selection is still underway), you might notice a strange thing. Please read: The JEDI Acquisition: Innovation Rejected

It looks like very good is the sweet spot. You can tell the contractor--look you didn't get satisfactory--and the government--look the contractor didn't get exceptional--and keep the maximum possible number of complainers semi-happy.

It looks like there are definite trends for exceptional and satisfactory. Did your source provide an explanation?

Contracts Department of Defense DOD Awards $134 Million Contract, Providing Personal Protective Equipment For Medical Personnel At 15,000 Nursing Homes DOD Awards $126 Million Contract to 3M, Increasing Production of N95 Masks. (5/6/2020) DOD Details $133 Million Defense Production Act Title 3 COVID-19 Project. (4/20/20) Department of Health & Human Resources Oracle Donates Therapeutic Learning System to HHS to Gather Crowd-Sourced Data on COVID-19. (4/20/20) HHS Announces Ventilator Contract with GE Under Defense Production Act. (4/16/20) HHS Announces New Ventilator Contracts, Orders Now Totaling Over 130,000 Ventilators. (4/13/20) HHS Announces Ventilator Contract with Philips under Defense Production Act. (4/8/20) HHS to Provide Millions of TYVEK Protective Suits for U.S. Healthcare Workers. (4/8/20) HHS Announces Ventilator Contract with GM under Defense Production Act. (4/8/20) Secretary Azar Statement on New Defense Production Act Orders. (4/3/20) DOJ and HHS Partner to Distribute More Than Half A Million Medical Supplies Confiscated From Price Gougers. (4/2/20)

Rules The White House Memorandum Authorizing the Exercise of Authority under Public Law 85-804. (April 10, 2020) Memorandum on order Under the Defense Production Act Regarding 3M Company. (April 2, 2020) Memorandum on Order Under the Defense Production Act Regarding the Purchase of Ventilators. (April 2, 2020) Memorandum on Order Under the Defense Production Act Regarding General Motors Company. (March 27, 2020) Office of Management and Budget M-20-22: Preserving the Resilience of the Federal Contracting Base in the Fight Against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (April 17, 2020) M-20-18: Managing Federal Contract Performance Issues Associated with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). (March 20, 2020) Department of Defense Class Deviation 2020-O0016: Original Documents, Signatures, Seals, and Notarization. (April 30, 2020) Class Deviation 2020-O0014: Flexibilities for Electronic Delivery of Information Related to Suspensions and Debarments. (April 20, 2020) Implementation Guidance for Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. (April 9, 2020) Class Deviation 2020-00013: CARES Act Section 3610 Implementation. (April 8, 2020) Class Deviation 2020 00012: Undefinitized Contract Actions During the National Emergency for the Coronavirus Disease 2019. (April 3, 2020) Implementation of Class Deviation 2020-O0010—Progress Payment Rates. (April 3, 2020) Class Deviation 2020 00011: Submission of Interim Vouchers Under Classified Contracts. (April 3, 2020) Class Deviation 2020 00010: Progress Payment Rates. (April 16, 2020) Determining and Making Commercial Item Procurements to Respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (March 31, 2020) Reporting COVID-19 Related Actions to the Federal Procurement Data System. (March 31, 2020) Managing Defense Contracts Impacts of the Novel Coronavirus. (March 30, 2020) Doing Business with the Department – Supporting the Response to COVID-19. (March 27, 2020) Planning for Potential Novel Coronavirus Contract Impacts. (March 10, 2020) Civilian Agency Acquisition Council Class Deviation 2020-04: Consultation to Issue a Class Deviation from the FAR to eliminate hard copy original documents, signatures, notarization, seals on bonds and other seals for certain contract requirements. (May 4, 2020) Class Deviation 2020-03: From the FAR Regarding Customary Progress Payment Rates Based on Costs. (April 15, 2020) Class Deviation 2020-02: From the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to provide for accelerated payments to small business contractors and subcontractors. (April 6, 2020) Class Deviation 2020-01: From the Federal Acquisition Regulation Regarding Flexibilities for the Suspending or Debarring Official’s Correspondence with Contractors. (April 1, 2020)

Purpose Covid-19 will be with us for some time. To assist you, I have added a topic called Covid-19 Contracting: Laws, Rules, Contracts. Public Law 85-804 has been brought into play and some of us know its effect on contracting. I was able to find an old Committee Print from 1976 that describes it. This topic is a work in progress that I will update daily and I know I am missing things now. You may add a post stating anything that I have missed. I'll consider it and add it. However, please don't add discussions to it. It's not intended for that. Laws Defense Production Act. Public Law 85-804. Extraordinary Contractual Relief Under P. L. 85-804, Committee Print, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, . . . May 10 1976. (University of Florida Libraries) Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. Public Law No: 116-136, March 27, 2020.

New opportunities to un-confuse any current or future confusion. Early Engagement Opportunity: Implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This was posted to the Home Page but I'm trying to get all the Section 3610 clarifications and future clarifications in one place.

I just posted this OMB item of the Home Page. M-20-22: Preserving the Resilience of the Federal Contracting Base in the Fight Against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

I posted the decision below to the Home Page tonight. It has some features related to the discussion above. Timbered Rangeland Management, LLC, B-418424: Apr 15, 2020.

I did a check this past weekend and there is no committee report to go with this law. It was rammed through Congress in an effort to keep the economy afloat and I believe it is 880 pages. We will be dealing with it for many years to come. In addition, all the deviations, the invoking of P. L. 85-804, possible contracting by non-contracting types, etc., etc. etc., will feed the media with stories for many years to come. Then will come the "corrective measures" etc., etc., etc. You can check the amounts for ventilator contracts by checking HHS's website.

Taxpayers Paid Millions to Design a Low-Cost Ventilator for a Pandemic. Instead, the Company Is Selling Versions of It Overseas.

Don't forget the provided. . . Who will be first to figure out the amount?

You can find a variety of GAO and Court of Federal Claims decisions and opinions at: FAR 6.001: Competition; Modifications, beyond the scope. Excerprts are shown and links to the decision or opinion.

This is a new sub-forum to discuss the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on contracting. This deals with new rules to award contracts, administer contracts, etc. You should be able to use this as any other sub-forum under Contracting. I will close the discussions under the COVID-19 Poll but you will still be able to vote in that poll. I cannot move posts by themselves to a new sub-forum.

Take a look at this GAO decision. It may have some bearing on your situation. Continental Service Company, B-258807, February 15, 1995. You can find other protests within this one. In The Allen Prods. Co., B-213318, Nov. 10, 1983, 83-2 CPD Para. 548. GAO said It seems that procedural deficiencies do not matter.

Quick story: I was going through a source selection file at one of the Department of Energy sites many years ago. One of the offeror's Key Personnel was an individual present at the development of the first nuclear weapon. I stared at the name in the proposal for a moment and turned to an SSET member and said with reverence: he's one of the old ones. I seem to remember Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock saying something similar on their adventures. I've seen other offeror's using well known names for window-dressing but the guy I saw in the offeror's proposal was the real thing.

I agree. Will the services be used with a system under development, etc.

H2H: I don't think it had anything to do with your post.

I cannot find a current list but everything I find is dated in 2007.

I updated the Legislation Page and found this. H. R. 5822: Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act. I was surprised to se that this bill was already marked-up by the full Committee. It may get through the House. Do you have an opinion on this Bill?

Did the contract, as originally awarded, have an option provision in it?