Beyond the FAR

This week on  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  welcomes  Will Roberts , a former contracting officer, and former Chief of Acquisition for the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. Roberts discusses the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, alternative acquisition pathways, artificial intelligence procurement, and the future of the federal acquisition workforce. Drawing on hi...

This week on  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  is joined by  Arash Heidarian  and  Phil Carter  of Google and GW Law to explore the evolving intersection of technology and government procurement. Drawing on the innovative course they teach at GW Law,  Government Procurement of Technology , the discussion examines how agencies acquire cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other rap...

This week on  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  welcomes  Professor Sope Williams , one of the world’s leading scholars of comparative public procurement law and the newest member of GW Law’s Government Procurement Law Program. Their conversation explores the intersection of procurement, anti-corruption, and governance, drawing on Professor Williams’ research across Africa and Europe. Toge...

This week on  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  welcomes  Polly Hall , GSA’s Chief Advisor for Acquisition Innovation and Policy and Executive Lead of the practitioner workstream for the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). Marking one year since the executive order that launched the RFO, the conversation explores the policy changes, workforce strategy, and cultural transformation driving one...

In this episode of  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  is joined by  David P.J. Timm , a government contracts litigator, to examine the growing risks associated with generative AI misuse in Government procurement litigation. The discussion focuses on the rise of “hallucinated” legal citations, the increasing presence of AI-driven errors in bid protests, and the implications for tribunals an...

In this episode of  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  speaks with  Scott Simpson , an acquisition professional known for advancing procurement innovation across the federal government. Simpson discusses his work with the  Department of Homeland Security’s Procurement Innovation Lab , his role supporting acquisition reform initiatives, and his current work exploring artificial intelligence...

In this episode of  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  is joined by  Professor Christopher Yukins  to examine how recent U.S. trade policies, tariff measures, and procurement reforms are reshaping the global procurement landscape. The discussion explores the international response to U.S. policy shifts, the impact of tariffs on government supply chains, and the resulting strain on trust bet...

In this episode of  Beyond the FAR , host  Jessica Tillipman  examines the role of oversight in combating fraud, waste, and abuse in federal procurement at a time of heightened scrutiny and institutional change. Joined by  Robert Storch , former Senate-confirmed Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense, the discussion explores how inspectors general function as independent watchdogs, th...

In this episode of Beyond the FAR , host Jessica Tillipman speaks with Sam Le , former SBA Director of Policy, Planning, and Liaison, to examine the state of U.S. federal small business contracting amid unprecedented regulatory change. Together, they unpack the FAR overhaul, the legality and implications of the Model Deviations, the shifting understanding of small business success metrics, and the...

In this episode of Beyond the FAR , host Jessica Tillipman speaks with Bonnie Evangelista , Karen Thornton , and John Willison about the “talent valley of death” facing U.S. federal acquisition. As sweeping policy reform—including the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul—promises speed, innovation, and empowered contracting officers, the panel asks whether the acquisition workforce is prepared to carry it f...

On September 9, 2025 GW Law School’s Government Procurement Law program hosted a free one-hour webinar on potential reforms to U.S. government bid protests. Our panelists discuss the en banc decision in Percipient.ai from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a key report on bid protests by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, revealing data on bid protests gathered by the ABA P...

In this inaugural episode of Beyond the FAR , Associate Dean Jessica Tillipman speaks with Professor Albert Sanchez-Graells of the University of Bristol Law School, a leading scholar in public procurement and digital transformation. Their conversation explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping procurement systems, the challenges of regulating AI use in government, and the risks of overrelia...

Open contracting transforms government spending by making procurement data accessible and machine-readable, enabling better analysis and improved outcomes for citizens. This foundational webinar explores how data transparency and digital innovation are revolutionizing the world's largest marketplace through goal-driven, citizen-centered reforms. • Public procurement represents 12% of global G...

On January 15, 2025, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) published its long-awaited Proposed Organizational Conflict of Interest Rule, as required by a 2022 statute - the Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act (P.L. 117-324). This webinar featured a panel of experts who discussed current OCI challenges, the proposed changes, and the impact i...

A webinar about rising protectionism in public procurement in the United States and the European Union. The panel addressed potential new protectionism in the Trump administration and the Court of Justice for the European Union’s landmark Kolin decision on access to the EU public procurement market.

Representatives from the government, whistleblower bar, and defense bar discussed recent developments in procurement fraud enforcement and compliance. For additional Program information, visit: https://blogs.gwu.edu/law-govpro/combating-fraud-in-government-procurement/PANELISTSCleveland Lawrence III, Partner & Co-Chair of the Whistleblower Rights practice, Mehri & Skalet, PLLCSara McLean,...

On November 19, 2020, Jessica Tillipman was the featured speaker at the ABA International Anti-Corruption Committee's monthly meeting where she discussed her research into the causes and consequences of small business compliance challenges. Her presentation focused on the heightened risks of corruption and fraud for small companies, and the related impact on U.S. government and World Bank pro...

On March 31, 2022 the ABA International Anti-Corruption Committee, GW Law Government Procurement Law Program, and American University U.S. and International Anti-Corruption Law Program hosted a Virtual Roundtable Discussion: Tackling Demand-Side Corruption. The virtual roundtable discussion broadly addressed the issues surrounding demand side corruption: legislative initiatives that would allow th...

Join a roundtable discussion with King’s College, London and George Washington University Law School’s Government Procurement Program, to review important lessons learned from procurement during the pandemic.

The European Commission is concerned that subsidies granted by non-EU governments to companies active in the European Union appear to have an increasing impact on the Single Market. Although the EU has tools at its disposal to address some of the distortions caused by foreign subsidies, the Commission is concerned that the existing tools do not fully address all possible distortions caused by thes...

On Dec 10, 2020, GW Law's Government Procurement Law Program hosted a webinar which discussed what may be the greatest challenge to public procurement in our lifetimes: delivering COVID-19 vaccines, worldwide. A panel of experts addressed distribution strategies in the United States and internationally, focusing on potential problems and their solutions.

The George Washington University Law School’s Government Procurement and National Security/Cybersecurity programs hosted a discussion about emerging threats and solutions in cybersecurity and public procurement. Panelists: Sandeep Kathuria (Leidos), Lisa Schenck (GW Law), Paul Rosenzweig (R Street Institute), Kate Growley (Crowell & Moring), Alexander Canizares (Perkins Coie), Moshe Schwartz (...