Department of Defense Advocacy, Regulatory Affairs & Contract Negotiations

Defense procurement is a legal regime, a budget process, and a political environment at once. Clients who treat it as only one of the three lose ground in the other two.

We represent contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers across the Department of Defense, the military departments, the defense agencies, and the intelligence community. Our work covers the entire relationship: shaping requirements before a solicitation issues, competing for the award, performing under it, disputing what goes wrong, and defending the company's eligibility when the government questions it.

On the front end, we advise on capture strategy within the bounds of the procurement integrity rules, review and negotiate solicitation terms, file agency-level protests and pre-award challenges, and secure clarification of ambiguous specifications before they become performance risk. Organizational conflict of interest mitigation plans, teaming agreements, subcontract flow-downs, and data rights allocations get negotiated with the disputes they will produce clearly in view.

On the back end, we litigate. Bid protests at the agency, the Government Accountability Office, and the Court of Federal Claims. Requests for equitable adjustment, claims under the Contract Disputes Act, and appeals to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the Federal Circuit. Terminations for convenience and default. Cost allowability and Defense Contract Audit Agency findings. False Claims Act investigations and qui tam defense, including the criminal exposure that often accompanies them.

We also defend eligibility itself — suspension and debarment proceedings, responsibility determinations, and small business size and status protests — and we handle the regulatory affairs work that surrounds it: DFARS and FAR compliance, CMMC and cybersecurity requirements, supply chain and Section 889 restrictions, ITAR and EAR export controls, foreign ownership and FOCI mitigation, and CFIUS review. Where a client's interests require it, our government affairs team pursues authorization and appropriations advocacy in parallel.

What we handle

• Contract formation, negotiation, and teaming agreements
• Bid protests: agency, GAO, and Court of Federal Claims
• Contract Disputes Act claims and ASBCA appeals
• Requests for equitable adjustment and termination settlements
• Suspension and debarment defense
• False Claims Act and qui tam defense
• DCAA audit response and cost allowability disputes
• FAR, DFARS, CMMC, and cybersecurity compliance
• Export controls, FOCI mitigation, and CFIUS matters
• Authorization and appropriations advocacy

Who we represent

• Prime contractors and major subcontractors
• Small, 8(a), SDVOSB, and HUBZone businesses
• Technology and software providers to defense customers
• Manufacturers and supply chain participants
• Private equity sponsors of defense portfolio companies
• Foreign-owned entities seeking U.S. defense work