Federal Drive

Alan Chvotkin, Executive VP and Counsel, Professional Services Council

For more than 20 years, a driving principle behind federal procurement is a simple one: To the extent possible, the government should buy regular commercial ite...

Federal News Network Staff

March 12, 2015 9:57 am

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wfedstaff | April 18, 2015 3:01 am

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For more than 20 years, a driving principle behind federal procurement is a simple one: To the extent possible, the government should buy regular commercial items under regular commercial terms and conditions. That idea is enshrined in law and regulation. So when it doesn’t happen, companies protest. In a dispute between contractor CGI Federal and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Court of Appeals reaffirmed that commercial principle. Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain why the ruling is so important.