Aron Beezley Quoted in Law360 on 2021 Government Contract Cases
January, 2022 - Birmingham, Alabama
Bradley partner Aron Beezley was quoted in Law360 highlighting the top five government contracting policies of 2021.
In September, President Biden introduced a set of vaccine mandates, including one directly applicable to federal contractors. The mandate is intentionally sweeping, applying to nearly all companies with federal contracts and "contract-like instruments."
"Never in my career have I had a policy decision from the White House immediately affect so many different clients," Beezley said. "Many companies that did not think of themselves as government contractors in the last few months found out that, in fact, they do hold government contracts."
As demonstrated by the vaccine mandate and the minimum wage rule, federal contractors are often at the vanguard of each administration's push for broader social policy changes, and the Biden administration has sought to use federal procurement as part of its efforts to promote a more equitable society.
As part of that plan, the White House on Dec. 2 asked federal agencies to set "ambitious" small business spending goals to ensure that 11% of federal contract spending in fiscal year 2022 goes to small disadvantaged businesses, or SDBs, up from the 9.8% average of the previous five years and significantly higher than the statutory goal of 5%.
"That is certainly welcome news for the small business contracting communities," Beezley said. "Certain federal agencies may not feel the same way."
The complete article, "Top 5 Gov't Contracting Policies Of 2021,” was published by Law360 on December 21, 2021 (login required).
