Off the Shelf

This week Al Montoya, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) acting under secretary for Health for Support, and Spencer Roberts, executive director for Logistics at VHA, join Off the Shelf for a briefing highlighting the VHA’s key strategic priorities. Montoya and Roberts outline VHA’s strategic efforts in bringing more veterans to the VA and ensuring those veterans receive best in class ben...

Joy Sturm, partner at Hogan Lovells , joins Off the Shelf  for a briefing on the proposed BIOSECURE Act that would reshape biotechnology supply chains serving the federal government. The proposed legislation would prohibit the federal government from contracting with certain Chinese “companies of concern.”  The prohibition would cover contracts, grants, and subcontractors. Sturm provides context o...

Steve Schooner, Jeffery & Martha Kohn associate dean for Academic Affairs and Nash & Cibinic professor of Government Procurement Law at The George Washington University Law School , joines Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on green acquisition and the role of sustainability policy in the federal procurement market. Schooner recently received the Coalition for Government...

This week on Off the Shelf , Jason Workmaster, Member at Miller & Chevalier , provides an update on key legal developments in federal procurement. Leading off the discussion is a briefing on the Federal Circuit’s Percipient. AI decision potentially lowering the jurisdictional bar for task order protests. Workmaster outlines the facts of the case, the legal analysis and the implications for bid...

The Gormley Group’s Sean Nulty and Andrew Sisti join host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf  for a deep dive into current trends shaping the contract negotiations and administration under GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. Nulty is a managing consultant and director of DC Operations & Training, and Sisti is a principal consultant and GSA Systems Subject Matter Expert for the...

This week on Off the Shelf , Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton and Associates , examines the economic, technological, and geopolitical trends that are shaping the federal market.  Schwartz highlights the accelerating strategic competition among major powers which is reflected in current federal procurement and budget priorities. In this context, the fields of AI and biotechnology are rapidly a...

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf is Tim Keeler, partner, and co-head of the International Trade team at Mayer Brown .    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) plays a critical national security role regarding the industrial base. Keeler details the inter-agency structure, purpose, and scope of CFIUS, and explains the process and criteria whereby CFIUS reviews certain c...

This week on Off the Shelf  , Jonathan Aronie, partner at Sheppard Mullin , updates his leukemia journey since his last year’s appearance on the show. He is now back to work full-time and as such the conversation quickly turns to key trends in investigations and audits.  Aronie outlines the spectrum of “reviews, investigations, and audits” that are part of doing business with the federal governmen...

This week on Off the Shelf , Townsend Bourne, partner at Sheppard Mullin , shares her insights regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) proposed rule implementing the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA).  At over 400 pages, the proposed CIRCIA rule is a daunting read. Bourne breaks down the rule identifying the key aspects and...

Bob Metzger, shareholder at Rogers Joseph O’Donnell , joins Off the Shelf this week and provides his incisive analysis and insights regarding the federal government’s cybersecurity framework. Metzger outlines the complex, ever-changing threat environment facing government and industry. From near peer adversaries to independent criminal elements, he frames the threat against the government’s ongoin...

This week on Off the Shelf , Alan Thomas, founder and chief strategist at Alpha Tango Strategies, examines the history of the eCommerce platform and shares his thoughts on the acquisition and policy history of the CPI as well as prospects for growth now that the eight follow on contracts have been awarded.  Thomas highlights the outreach role GSA has played and must continue to play to enhance opp...

This week Jason Miller , executive editor at Federal News Network , joins Off the Shelf , for a wide-ranging discussion of the policies, regulations, legislation, trends, and programs shaping the federal procurement market. Topics include the FAR at 40 years, the new part 40 of the FAR, GSA's commercial platform awards, GSA's new policy on SaaS and advance payments, the impact of CMMC on small bus...

This week on Off the Shelf , Jason Workmaster from Miller Chevalier provides a legal and policy update for government contractors.  Topics include key provisions in the 2024 NDAA impacting procurement and the industrial base, the DFARS commercial item rule and regulatory creep, the impact of a recent federal circuit decision on EULAs and third party suppliers' ability to seek redress under a gover...

This week's guest on Off the Shelf is Anthony Principi, principal in the Principi Group, and former secretary of Veterans Affairs in the President George W. Bush Administration.  His discussion with host Roger Waldron focuses on the evolving healthcare environment and the implications for the VA's mission.  Principi highlighted the advances in medical technologies, treatments, and protocols that h...

Ken Dodds, vice president of Acquisition Policy at the Coalition for Government Procurement joins host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf for an in-depth discussion on the latest policy, contracting, and program developments impacting small businesses in the federal procurement market.   The discussion topics include the impact of the Ultima decision on small, disadvantaged businesses, the...

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf is Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for Government Procurement Law & Government Contracts Advisory Council Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in Government Contracts Law & Policy at The George Washington University Law School .  The GWU Law School’s Government Procurement Law Program is considered the preeminent program of its type in the world. Profess...

Deborah Haywood, vice president, McKesson Medical-Surgical Government Solutions , joins Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion of current trends in healthcare delivery and logistics, including the continued growth and evolution of telehealth.   There continues to be a lot of focus on supply chain resiliency both from the federal government and the private sector, and Haywood shares her though...

This week on Off the Shelf , Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton & Associates , shares his insights and analysis of the key acquisition, supply chain, and industrial base provisions contained in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  Schwartz gives some background on the key factors shaping the NDAA, with a particular focus on the Congressional concerns regarding the growing ca...

This week on Off the Shelf , Bill Gormley, president of the Gormley Group , provides the latest update on the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), including his thoughts on the FAS reorganization and what it means for customer agencies, GSA, and industry.  Gormley also shares the latest operational trends in the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program, including key contracting trends shaping the mark...

Greg Giddens, co-founder and partner at Potomac Ridge Consulting , joins Off the Shelf for a discussion of the key procurement trends at the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA).  Giddens discusses the VA’s IT and supply chain modernization efforts, including the agency's embrace of best value methodologies, including use of statement of objectives and performance-based contracting. He also hig...

Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners , joins Off the Shelf for a review of some of the key procurement events of 2023.   Allen highlights the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) reorganization and its impact on FAS operations and explains the potential positive impact on customer agencies and contractors through the restructuring of the management structure to eliminate regional...

Townsend Bourne, partner at Sheppard Mullin , joins Off the Shelf for an examination of a series of cyber policies, regulations, and certifications that are in various stages of government review and/or public comment.  Bourne provides her insights on many of the key cyber policies and programs that will impact government and industry, and gives her thoughts on FedRAMP modernization and the draft...

This week Brian Conrad, acting FedRAMP director and program manager for Cybersecurity, joins host Roger Waldron on this week's Off the Shelf , to give an update on The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).  Conrad outlines the cloud cybersecurity mission and structure of FedRAMP, and addresses the impact and changes reflected in the FY 2023 statutory authorization (the FedRA...

Jason Miller , executive editor of Federal News Network , joins Off the Shelf for a wide-ranging discussion of the procurement news of the day. Miller shares his thoughts and analysis of key procurements like the Department of Veterans Affairs' recent VA TGN2 awards and POLARIS. He also outlines the history of VA TGN2, and the current post award prospects for debriefings and their implications.  M...

This week on Off the Shelf , David Black, partner at Holland & Knight , Ken Dodds, vice president and GovCon Industry Expert at Live Oak Bank , and Jon William, partner at PilieroMazza , provide an update on key small business policy, regulatory, and legal trends shaping the federal market.  Topics include the impact and federal response to the Ultima decision, the GAO-Court of Federal Claims...