The Money You Keep That You Should Have Returned: Reverse False Claims
The False Claims Act does not only punish taking money you should not get. It also punishes keeping money you should give back. Reverse false…
4 min read
Government Contracting News & Insights
Contracting intelligence for small and minority-owned businesses, from the TIKC advisory team.
The archive
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Page 12 of 24 · Newest first
When Your Subcontractor Is Secretly Running the Job: The Ostensible Subcontractor Rule
If your subcontractor performs the primary and vital work, or you rely on them too heavily, SBA can treat you as affiliated and strip your…
4 min read
The Duty to Turn Yourself In: The Mandatory Disclosure Rule and Your Code of Ethics
Federal contractors must have a written code of business ethics and, for larger contracts, must disclose credible evidence of fraud or a False Claims Act…
4 min read
The Handshake That Becomes a Felony: Bid Rigging and the Procurement Collusion Strike Force
Agreeing with a competitor on who wins, what to bid, or who stays out is a criminal antitrust violation, and DOJ’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force…
4 min read
Hiring the Government’s Own People: The Revolving-Door Rules That Can Backfire
Hiring a former federal official can be a smart move or a legal landmine. The revolving-door rules under 18 U.S.C. 207 and the FAR restrict…
4 min read
The Information That Can Send You to Prison: The Procurement Integrity Act
The Procurement Integrity Act makes it a violation to disclose or obtain contractor bid, proposal, or source selection information before award, and it restricts hiring…
4 min read
The Corporate Death Penalty: How Suspension and Debarment Can End Your Federal Business Overnight
Suspension and debarment can shut you out of the entire federal market government-wide, without a criminal conviction. It turns on present responsibility, and it moves…
4 min read
Writing the Rules You Later Compete Under: Biased Ground Rules OCI
If you help write the specs, the statement of work, or the evaluation criteria, you may have set the ground rules in your own favor…
4 min read
The Information You Should Not Have Seen: Unequal-Access OCI and the Firewall That Saves You
When one contract gives you nonpublic information that would unfairly advantage you on another, you have an unequal-access conflict. The good news: it is the…
4 min read
The Finder Who Can Void Your Contract: The Covenant Against Contingent Fees
Paying someone a success fee to land a federal contract can breach the Covenant Against Contingent Fees and let the government annul the award. Where…
4 min read
The Rulebook That Arrives the Day You Outgrow Small: Cost Accounting Standards
Small businesses are exempt from Cost Accounting Standards, but that shield disappears as you grow or when you join CAS-covered work. What CAS is and…
4 min read
The Little FCA That Skips the Courthouse: The Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act
Agencies can pursue false claims and false statements administratively under the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act, with penalties and double assessments, and no need to…
4 min read
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The Briefing
The Briefing is the TIKC weekly federal contracting newsletter covering policy changes, opportunities and practical next steps for small businesses.
- Policy changes worth knowing about
- Opportunities for small and minority-owned firms
- Practical next steps you can act on
