Demystifying the Section 809 Panel's Proposals

Please join Partner Eric Crusius and Associate Rodney Perry of Holland & Knight's Government Contracts Group for "Demystifying the Section 809 Panel's Proposals to Remake Contracting with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)."

The Section 809 Panel, established by the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was charged with reshaping how contracting with the DOD would work. Its proposals were outlined in three separate volumes and a roadmap guide released in February. The Panel said that bold change is needed because the current cost-centric, process-oriented defense acquisition system poses a security risk and negatively impacts the warfighter.

Topics include:

• an overview of the Panel's proposals and possible roadmaps and roadblocks to their enactment
• a review of the Panel's recommendations to "revolutionize" how DOD conducts business, including leveraging the dynamic marketplace, allocating resources effectively, enabling the DOD workforce and simplifying acquisition
• the Panel's proposal to replace the current paradigm for purchasing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items, commercial items and non-commercial items with new acquisition categories: readily available, readily available with some customization for DOD, and DOD-unique items
• the Panel's proposal to restructure DOD's acquisition decision-making authorities and process from a program-centric execution model to a model based on "portfolio management"
• specific proposals to change how small business programs and domestic preferences apply to DOD and a significant curtailing of bid protests
• what all of this could mean for the defense acquisition community

We look forward to you joining us for this highly informative webinar that will benefit federal contractors of all sizes, their general counsels and in-house legal departments, and other industry professionals who perform work for the government.