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March 2009 |
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From
the editors of CCH's government contracts products, here are summaries
of the important recent developments in this practice area for the past
month. Complete coverage of these issues, and many more, appear
in the Government Contracts Reporter and related products. Hot Topic
President Calls for Government Contracting
Reforms
The President called on the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to work with the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Administrator of General Services, and other agency heads as appropriate, to issue, by July 1, 2009, government-wide guidance to assist agencies in reviewing and creating processes that identify wasteful and inefficient contracts, and to formulate appropriate corrective action. The memorandum also orders the OMB director and agencies to develop and issue by September 30, 2009, government-wide guidance to address: (1) the appropriate use and oversight of sole-source and other types of noncompetitive contracts and maximizing the use of full and open competition; (2) the appropriate use and oversight of all contract types to minimize risk and maximize value to the government; (3) the capacity of the federal acquisition workforce to develop, manage, and oversee acquisitions appropriately; and (4) when governmental outsourcing for services is and is not appropriate. For the text of the memorandum, dated March 4, 2009, see ¶70,105.05.
Claim Used as "Negotiating Ploy"
Was Fraudulent On appeal, the contractor did not offer a strong challenge to the CFC's findings, but instead argued the CFC's decision should be set aside because the court found only $50.6 million of the $64 million claim was fraudulent. However, the CFC's decision to assess the lesser amount as a penalty did not undermine its factual findings. Though the breach of contract claims could also have been fraudulent, they could be supported by different methodologies, which even if incorrect were not fraudulent. The contractor further argued a claim can be fraudulent only if it rests on false facts rather than on a baseless calculation. This argument lacked merit, as the CDA at 41 USC 605(c)(1) requires the submission of a claim "in good faith" and with "supporting data [that] are accurate and complete." By certifying to $64 million, the contractor represented the entire claim was submitted in good faith. Congress enacted the antifraud provision of the CDA specifically to address such baseless claims. The contractor's argument the penalty was unconstitutional under the Eighth and Fifth Amendments also lacked merit. The penalty was not disproportionate to the possible harm to the government. (Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. v. U.S., CA-FC, 53 CCF ¶79,065) Legal News
No Damages for Delay Caused by Sovereign
Act The Federal Circuit, however, sustained the board's decision, agreeing the order was not directed at relieving the government of its contractual obligations, and the order's effect on the contractor was incidental to the objective of maintaining operational security while a military unit prepared to deploy. The fact the commander had to make particularized judgments as to which activities might interfere with that objective did not convert a public and general act into a nongeneral one. The admission of certain non-construction contractors did not indicate the order was specifically directed at the contractor's contract rights, because the access restrictions applied to the public at large, admitted contractors were deemed to be mission-essential and did not have the contractor's massive presence, and the admission of a vendor and cable personnel contravened the order. In addition, the exclusion of the contractor did not reflect government dissatisfaction with the contract or its performance and conferred no economic advantage on the government. Granting delay damages would also undermine a principal rationale of the sovereign acts doctrine by affording more favorable treatment than if the contractor had contracted with a private party and been excluded under the order. Finally, in failing to argue before the board that the government did not satisfy the "impossibility" requirement of the sovereign acts defense, the contractor waived the argument on appeal. (Conner Bros. Construction Co. v. Geren, CA-FC, 53 CCF ¶79,057)
Infringement Claim Sent to District
Court with New Defendant Under 28 USC 1631, a civil action may be transferred to another forum when the transferor court lacks jurisdiction, the transferee court would have had jurisdiction at the time the original case was filed, and transfer would serve the interests of justice. Here, all three prongs were met. First, the Federal Circuit already found the CFC lacked jurisdiction over the claim. Second, although the original complaint alleged a cause of action against the government under 28 USC 1498(a), and the district court would not have had jurisdiction over the government, the district court could have asserted jurisdiction if the complaint properly alleged a claim against the contractor under the Patent Act (35 USC 271). The claimant was granted leave to amend the complaint to change the statutory basis of the claim, and to add the contractor as a defendant, because the factual basis for the claim remained the same and the contractor would not be unduly prejudiced. Third, the claim could be time-barred if transfer were denied. Moreover, the contractor was involved in discovery in the earlier phases of the litigation, and the claimant encountered several issues of first impression, so the interests of justice favored a transfer. The government had argued "§1498 takes away the patentee's right to bring an infringement action against a [contractor] and substitutes an action for compensation against the [g]overnment," citing a 1928 Supreme Court case stating Congress enacted §1498 "to relieve the contractor entirely from liability of every kind for the infringement of patents in manufacturing anything for the government" (275 US 331). However, §1498(a) only insulates contractors from suit when the government can be found liable, and §1498(c) provides that the provisions of §1498 do not apply to claims arising in a foreign country. Therefore, "§1498(c) must be construed to nullify the contractor immunity provision of §1498(a)." There was no evidence in the legislative history that the "authorization or consent" language was intended to establish patent infringement immunity for contractors in cases where the government cannot be held liable. Further, "[c]onstruing §1498(a) ... to incorporate all forms of liability defined in [the Patent Act] ... would be contrary to legislative intent and would be inconsistent with the language of §1498 as a whole." Finally, even if §1498(a) insulated contractors from suit when §1498(c) was triggered, §1498(a) would still not prevent the exercise of jurisdiction by the district court, because §1498(a) is an affirmative defense, not a jurisdictional bar. (Zoltek Corp. v. U.S., FedCl, 53 CCF ¶79,053)
District Court Had Tucker Act Jurisdiction The Tenth Circuit first determined the claim implicated the APA's waiver of sovereign immunity because the claim's primary purpose was to obtain equitable relief. The claim was not for monetary relief because its focus was entirely prospective – seeking to preserve the contractor's ongoing relationship with the government rather than enabling a claim for past pecuniary harm. In addition, the claim sought to prevent the government's allegedly premature termination of Section 8 payments, not recovery of compensatory damages. The court then addressed whether another statute might forbid the relief. The Tucker Act "impliedly forbids" federal courts other than the Court of Federal Claims from ordering declaratory or injunctive relief for claims founded on contract, but not for claims founded on the Constitution, statutes, or regulations. Accordingly, the district court correctly declined jurisdiction over the claim for breach of contract, but it erred in dismissing the contractor's regulatory claims. The fact that the regulatory violation could not have been alleged absent the existence of a contract did not convert a claim asserting rights based on federal regulations into one which is "at its essence" a contract claim. The case was reversed and remanded in part, and affirmed in part. (Normandy Apartments, Ltd. v. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, et al., CA-10, 53 CCF ¶79,066)
Kidnapped Informant Established Breach
of Implied Duties The court explained that the covenant of good faith and fair dealing imposes a duty "not to interfere with the other party's performance and not to act so as to destroy the reasonable expectations of the other party regarding the fruits of the contract." The duty to cooperate is a subspecies of the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, and its scope is determined from the contract and its surrounding circumstances. Here, the duty to cooperate imposed on the government "a duty to refrain from taking any action that would either disrupt [the contractor's] ability to effectively perform as a confidential informant or ... render the value of its own performance worthless." To ensure the contractor's continued viability as a confidential informant, the government was obligated to follow established protocols governing minimum notification. However, the government's own investigation established the contractor's supervising agent did not follow U.S. and Colombian protocols when he authorized travel without notifying or obtaining approval from the proper authorities. By failing to follow its own procedures, the government, at the very least, interfered with, and failed to cooperate in, the contractor's performance of the operations in Columbia. The agent "was well aware of the accepted principle of coordinating interoffice investigations with all concerned offices," but he failed to follow fundamental protocols, and "either fabricated a non-existent agreement or grossly misinterpreted conversations," when he authorized the travel. The agent's "subterfuge and evasion" also constituted a violation of the obligation of good faith under Section 205 of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts. Although the evidence suggested the agent was a "rogue agent," he was acting within the scope of his employment when he sent the contractor "into harm's way." The amount of the contractor's damages was to be determined in a separate trial. (SGS-92-X003 v. U.S., FedCl, 53 CCF ¶79,063)
Government Used Functionally Similar
Software After Termination The government argued it did not use any of the software leased under the delivery order, so it could not have replaced it. The government also denied using functionally similar software and further argued that the purportedly similar software was already in use when the delivery order was terminated, so it could not have replaced any applications. However, the record indicated the government used the delivery order software when it analyzed and evaluated whether it could install the software to interface with its then-existing applications. Also, the government's argument it had the allegedly similar software in use before terminating the delivery order for convenience lacked merit. The government upgraded some of the software it was using and in doing so created applications that were functionally similar to the contractor's product. Accordingly, the government was liable for damages to the extent it used software functionally similar to that provided under the delivery order. (DLT Solutions, Inc., ASBCA, ¶92,501) Regulatory News
DoD Suspends SDB Price Evaluation Preference
OPM Finalizes Rule on Health Benefits
Acquisitions
Guidelines for Acquisition of Energy
Efficient Products Issued Major Contract Awards
Lockheed Martin - $5 Billion. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services of Gaithersburg, MD, is being awarded a potential $5 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with mixed payment provisions including firm-fixed-price, incentive arrangements and cost reimbursable arrangements for contractor logistics support services in support of U.S. Special Operations Command worldwide. The minimum amount guaranteed under the contract is $2.5 million. The work will be performed at Special Operations Forces Support Activity in Lexington, KY, and other locations across the globe, and is expected to have a period of performance from March 2, 2009, to March 1, 2018. This contract was awarded through full and open competition. The contract number is H92254-09-D-0001. Government Contracts Reports 1999, March 11, 2009.
Verizon - $2.5 Billion. Verizon Business Network Services Inc., Ashburn, Va., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract consisting of one five-year base period, two 24-month option periods and one 12-month option period and a maximum ceiling amount of $2,500,000,000. This requirement was announced via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers were received. This action, the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) transmission services - Pacific II (DTS-P II) contract, provides end-to-end transmission services and capabilities essential to Defense Information System Network - Pacific, DoD's consolidated enterprise level telecommunications infrastructure for the expanded Pacific region. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Pacific is the contracting activity (HC1019-09-D-2000). Government Contracts Reports 2000, March 18, 2009.
Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group - $977 Million. Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc., Pasadena, Calif., is being awarded an estimated $977,374,565 requirements contract with firm-fixed unit prices subject to economic price adjustment. This contract will provide a realistic environment to support a variety of training tasks related to the deployment and maneuverability in an urban setting to enable Marines to conduct training in an environment replicating urban conditions. The Military Operations in Urban Terrain system also allows Marine units to master the challenges of urban navigation, movement, target acquisition and engagement and cross boundary coordination. The training may be performed at any Marine Corp base worldwide, and the work is estimated to be completed March 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was awarded by using a full and open competition. The Marine Corps System Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-D-8000). Government Contracts Reports 2001, March 25, 2009.
McKesson Pharmaceutical Supplies - $902 Million. McKesson Corp., San Francisco, CA, is being awarded a maximum $902,400,000 firm-fixed-price, national prime vendor contract for pharmaceutical supplies. Other location of performance is Arizona. Using service is Department of Defense. The original proposal was FedBizOps-solicited with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the sixth option year period. The date of performance completion is February 28, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (SPM200-03-D-1666). Government Contracts Reports 1998, March 4, 2009.
Lockheed Martin - $797 Million. The Air Force is modifying a firm-fixed-price contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas for $797,132,785. This contract action will provide 14 F-16C and 16 F-16D Block 50 aircraft for the Government of Turkey. At this time, $682,158,785 of Foreign Military Sales funds has been obligated. 312 AESG/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8615-07-C-6034, PZ0005). Government Contracts Reports 1998, March 4, 2009.
Computer Sciences Corp. - $737 Million. The Computer Sciences Corp., Federal Sector of Falls Church, VA, is being awarded a cost-plus-award fee contract modification under contract HQ0006-03-C-0003 for $108,011,668. After award of this modification the cumulative contract value will be $736,989,348. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. This sole source award is a modification to extend the existing contract through January 2010. This is a bridge modification to provide continuity of support until the competitive award of the Missile Defense Agency Advisory and Engineering Support Services contracts. The amount obligated on this action is $40,129,330 using fiscal year 2009 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds. The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity (HQ0006-03-C-0003). Government Contracts Reports 1998, March 4, 2009.
Lockheed Martin - $666 Million. Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime Systems and Sensors Tactical Systems, St. Paul, Minn., is being awarded a $665,637,785 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of phased depot maintenance, structural service life extension, and avionics modification on 12 P-3C aircraft for the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. In addition, this contract provides for ground handling and support equipment and publications. Work will be performed in St. Paul, Minn., (50 percent); Greensville, S.C., (27 percent) and Marietta, Ga., (23 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0031). Government Contracts Reports 2000, March 18, 2009.
General Electric - $438 Million. General Electric Co., Aircraft Engines Business Group, Lynn, MA, is being awarded a $438,138,755 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to exercise an option for the Fiscal Year 2009 full rate production of 90 F414-GE-400 engines and 90 F414-GE-400 device kits for the U.S. Navy. In addition, this option provides for 26 F414-GE-400 engines and 24 F414-GE-400 device kits in support of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The F414-GE-400 engine powers the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft. Work will be performed in Lynn, MA, (50 percent); Madisonville, KY, (22 percent); Hooksett, NH, (13 percent); Albuquerque, NM, (6 percent); Rutland, VT, (5 percent); Dayton, OH (2 percent); Evandale, OH, (1 percent); and Bromont, Canada, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2011. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($343,713,854; 78.4 percent) and the Government of Australia, ($94,424,901; 21.6 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity (N00019-06-C-0088). Government Contracts Reports 1999, March 11, 2009.
EDO Communications and Countermeasures Systems - $317 Million. EDO Communications and Countermeasures Systems, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, is being awarded a $316,848,122 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6311) for the production and support of 4,501 JCREW 2.1 Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems to meet urgent Department of Defense (DoD) requirements in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Vehicle Mounted CREW systems are one element of the DoD's Joint Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare program. Spiral 2.1 CREW systems are vehicle mounted electronic jammers designed to prevent the initiation of Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices. Work will be performed in Thousand Oaks, CA, and is expected to be completed by April 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, DC, is the contracting activity. Government Contracts Reports 1999, March 11, 2009.
Lockheed Martin - $265 Million. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an advance acquisition contract with an estimated value of $265,000,000 for long lead materials and effort associated with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Air System Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot IV procurement of 12 Air Force Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) air systems, 14 Marine Corps Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) air systems, one Navy Carrier Variant air system, and one Netherlands CTOL air system. In addition, this contract provides for associated ancillary mission equipment, sustainment support, special tooling/special test equipment and technical/financial data. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif., (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom, (20 percent); Orlando, Fla., (10 percent); Nashua, N.H., (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md., (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in Jan. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0010). Government Contracts Reports 2000, March 18, 2009. |