I begin with a shout-out to Kara Sacilotto (Wiley Rein LLP), who served as the Conference Director for the Section’s Fall Forum in November in Reston, Virginia, along with the Conference Co-Chairs Stephen Bacon (Rogers Joseph O’Donnell PC), Ann McRitchie (Amentum Inc.), Andrew Smith (US Army Legal Services Agency), and Abigail Stokes (The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense Space & Security), who did an absolutely stellar job planning and conducting the conference—supported by our indefatigable Section Director Patty Brennan and Program Specialist Sean Dickerson. Moving our Fall educational conference to the Beltway area was in direct response to feedback the Section received over the last several years about the time and travel commitments preventing our government and in-house counsel members from attending—and the move to Reston worked! It was wonderful to see so many of our government and in-house counsel colleagues at the Forum. I received positive feedback from attendees that they appreciated the Section’s efforts to relocate the Forum, the proximity to where they work and live, and the walkability of the Reston Town Center shops, restaurants, and the no-host dinners—bringing an old Section tradition to a new location. The Section reception was a highlight as well. I, for one, was deeply moved to be with my professional “family,” just a few days after such a contentious election, and see the George Mason Army ROTC Color Guard post and present the colors and hear the National Anthem played in honor of our Armed Services government contracting professionals. Last, but certainly not least, the substantive content of the programming was simply second-to-none—again, thanks to the planning team and our outstanding slate of speakers and moderators, including luncheon speaker, Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post, whose discussion of his books on the Afghanistan war and the Fat Leonard scandal was simply fascinating. The meeting was very well-received and the Fall Forum will return to Reston in November 2025. You can read an article from Kara Sacilotto summarizing the Fall Forum in this issue of The Procurement Lawyer.
In case you missed them, the Section published two special articles in The Procurement Lawyer, highlighting the fifth anniversary of the Department of Justice Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF). The first article authored by Sandra Talbott, the Deputy Director for the Strike Force, and Prosecutor Daniel Loveland, also with the Strike Force, discussed the evolution of the Strike Force over the last five years, criminal violations in public procurement, the consequences of antitrust crimes, enhanced incentives to report and invest in compliance, and the future of the Strike Force. The follow-up article featured a Q&A with Deputy Director Talbott and Director Daniel Glad. The Section greatly appreciates the willingness of the Strike Force to engage with us and provide the opportunity for dialogue.
It’s also a pleasure to report that the Section is making headway on revising the Model Procurement Code (MPC) for State and Local Governments in partnership with the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). This is a massive undertaking to update the MPC for the first time in twenty-five years. Many thanks to the numerous Section members involved in this effort over the course of time, particularly Immediate Past Chair Eric Whytsell (Stinson LLP), past Chair Jennifer Dauer (Diepenbrock Elkin Gleason McCandless LLP), Diana Mendez (Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP), Missy Copeland (Schmidt & Copeland LLC) and Keith McCook (State Fiscal Accountability Authority).
Not surprisingly, our Annual Federal Procurement Institute (FPI), from April 2–4 in Annapolis, Maryland, includes an exciting lineup of panels and topics, including “Procurement Policy and Priorities Under the New Administration,” “Post-Award Debriefings,” “Continuing COVID-related Funding Issues,” “IRA and CHIPS Initiatives and the Continuing Impact on Government Contracting and Construction Projects,” “the Space Industry and Lower Earth Orbit Development,” “Current Trends in Commerciality,” and “Legal Ethics for Government Contracts Attorneys.”
Following the FPI, we will also have our third-annual Committee Showcase on May 15, again graciously hosted by Hogan Lovells. My thanks as well to Adam Lasky (Seyfarth Shaw LLP) for his planning and oversight again this year for the Showcase. Please stay tuned for details.
This is an exciting time to be a member of the Section of Public Contract Law. If you’re looking for ways to get involved and help us advance our mission, please contact me and Section Director Brennan.
See you in Annapolis!
