Alston & Bird LLP hosted a seminar titled "The Nuts and Bolts of Public Contracting: Managing Risk and Maximizing Reward" on Thursday, July 17. In a weakened economy, commercial companies rightly turn to public contracting to make up for a downturn in commercial sales. While selling goods and services to a governmental body – whether federal, state or local – can be financially rewarding, having a public customer also brings with it risks not generally encountered in the commercial marketplace. Participants learned from government contracting experts – including in-house counsel and government contracting attorneys both in private practice and for the government – how to manage these risks in order to fully reap the rewards of federal, state and local government contracting. Continental breakfast and lunch were provided, and this was a free seminar to our clients and friends. 6.0 General CLE credits have been approved for this seminar with the State Bar of Georgia.
Agenda
8:15am - 8:30am Opening Remarks
8:30am - 9:15am Bidding, Negotiating & Lobbying Issues Involved in Goverment Contracting
*Panelists will discuss the public procurement process from solicitation through contract award, and the rules and limitations applicable thereto.
9:15am - 10:00am Federal Commercial Items Contracting
*Introduction of FAR Part 12 and discussion of recent issues in GSA Multiple Award Scheduling contracting.
10:00am - 10:15 am Break
10:15am - 11:00am Labor & Employment: E-Verify, Equal Employment Opportunity & Other Socio-Economic Contracting Issues
*Discussion of the recent E-Verify restrictions and other socio-economic programs required in government contracting.
11:00am - 11:45am Privacy, FOIA/GORA & Other Open Government Issues
*Learn what risks you face in disclosure of your company’s valuable proprietary and trade secret information when performing public contracts, and how to minimize risks.
11:45am - 1:00pm Lunch and Networking
1:00pm - 1:45pm Procurement Integrity & The New Contractors Code of Ethics
*Discussion of various state and federal procurement integrity regulations and the requirements of the new contractor’s Code of Ethics.
1:45pm - 2:30pm State of Georgia & City of Atlanta Contracting
*Hear about unique rules and restrictions involved in contracting with Georgia Department of Adminstrative Services and City of Atlanta Department of Procurement.
2:30pm - 2:45pm Break
2:45pm - 3:30pm Procurement Claims & Disputes
*Learn about the unique disputes process and how to preserve, document, prosecute and resolve disputes with your important customer.
3:30pm - 4:15pm Government Audits, Investigations & The False Claims Act
*When Uncle Sam starts digging: how to handle routine and non-routine government audits by DCAA, offices of inspector general or DOJ.
*How to recognize and respond to a False Claims Act problem, and recent FCA developments.
July 17, 2008
7:30am - 4:15pm
Alston & Bird LLP / 1180 West Peachtree Street / 15th Floor / Atlanta, GA