Jonathan S. Aronie

Jonathan S. Aronie is a partner in the Government Contracts Practice Group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Aronie counsels and represents large and small clients in some of the country's largest and most prominent Government contracts matter, including bid protests and DOJ investigations.

Mr. Aronie’s experience includes: litigating under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, developing and implementing corporate compliance programs, conducting internal investigations (proactive and defensive), and providing advice on the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rules as well as a variety of federal regulatory and statutory matters, including those relating to the Multiple Award Schedule Program. He frequently represents clients before the Department of Justice, the Government Accountability Office, the General Services Administration, and other defense and civilian agencies. Additionally, Mr. Aronie is cleared at the highest levels and counsels and defends clients in classified national security matters.

Mr. Aronie has authored more than 60 articles and co-authored what is regarded by many as the leading treatise on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program, published by ThompsonWest. He also is a regular speaker at national forums and CLE programs. He is an active member of the Public Contracts section of the ABA, and currently serves on the ABA Task Force charged with drafting formal guidance regarding the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule.

Mr. Aronie's significant matters include:

• Protest of Air Force award of $15 billion Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) aircraft to the Boeing Company
• Defense of Navy award of $1.2 billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) contract to Northrop Grumman against GAO protest
• Defense of GSA Schedule contractor in post-award audit and civil fraud investigation conducted by GSA OIG Investigations Division
• Pursuit of civil Court of Federal Claims suit against Department of Interior challenging unlawful Termination for Default of civilian contractor
• Implementation of comprehensive Mandatory Disclosure compliance program for Fortune 100 defense contractor
• Defense of Fortune 100 defense contractor in $300 million False Claims Act law suit pursued by Department of Justice

As part of Mr. Aronie's internal investigation practice, he served as the Deputy Independent Monitor over the Metropolitan Police Department, a position created as a result of an agreement between the United States Department of Justice and the District of Columbia.

Education

• J.D., Duke University, 1993
• B.A., Brandeis University, 1990, with honors

Clerkships

• Law clerk to the Honorable Patricia A. Wynn, District of Columbia Superior Court. During this one-year clerkship, Mr. Aronie divided his time between the court’s civil division and juvenile criminal division

Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Maryland

Honors

• Selected as an official delegate, District of Columbia Judicial Conference, five times

Articles

• "Finally, A Ruling That Applies Some Common Sense To The False Claims Act," governmentcontractslawblog.com, May 12, 2010
• "When Does A Free Item NOT Fall Below The Micro-Purchase Threshold?" governmentcontractslawblog.com, May 12, 2010
• Aronie, Jonathan (Co-Author and Chapter Editor), Guide to the Mandatory Disclosure Rule: Issues, Guidelines, and Best Practices (January 2010)
• GSA Schedule Handbook, Fourth edition, Thomson West, 2009 (J. Chierichella, J. Aronie)
• "The First 100 Days," governmentcontractslawblog.com, March 19, 2009
• Multiple Award Schedule Contracting, Third edition, Thomson West, 2009 (J. Chierichella, J. Aronie)
• "Regulatory Relay", The Deal, December 15, 2008
• "Conquering Uncertainty in an Indefinite World: A Survey of Disputes Arising Under IDIQ Contracts", Public Contract Law Journal, May 27, 2008
• "The Eagle and the Arrow," Federal Computer Week, May 12, 2008
• "Aronie: The Danger of Discounts," Federal Computer Week, November 5, 2007
• FAR Proposes Mandatory Contractor Codes of Ethics and Business Conduct,"  governmentcontractslawblog.com, September 20, 2007
• "Changing Answers to a Longstanding Test Question (or what the new T&M rule means to us)," Off the Shelf, January 2007 (J. Aronie, M. Kipa)
• "Multiple Award Maze", January 12, 2007
• "It's All About the Rules," Security Management, November 2006 (co-author)
• "The Profit Margin: GSA's Inspector General Squeezes Profit Margins of Vendors Selling Services Under Schedule Contracts," Federal Computer Week, July 31, 2006
• Multiple Award Schedule Contracting, Second edition, Xlibris Corporation, July 2006 (J. Chierichella, J. Aronie)
• "Set a rouge to catch a rogue - why Canada should think before following in the United States' footsteps," Summit, June, 2006
• "Keep GSA Schedules Humming," Federal Computer Week, March 20, 2006
• "In Search Of A Better Audit-A Proposal For Instilling Greater Consistency And Transparency In The GSA IG Audit Process," The Government Contractor, February 15, 2006
• "Don't be a target: Using the False Claims Act as a weapon has moved to the GSA schedules," Federal Computer Week, November 7, 2005 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "That's 'Dee' To My Friends," Federal Computer Week, July 11, 2005 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "Image is Everything -- Never Forget Contract Compliance," The Secrets of Schedule Sales Success by Bill Gormley and Larry Allen, Xlibris 2005, Chapter 5 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "Foolish Consistency, Some people hide behind the 'this is the way we always do it' shield," Federal Computer Week, April 18, 2005,(Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "Paying the Subcontractors," Federal Computer Week, February 21, 2005 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "The Lesson of Time," Federal Computer Week, December 6, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• "Service Contracting: An Integrated Approach," National Contract Management Association, 2004 NCMA (book) (Jonathan S. Aronie, contributing author)
• “The Simple Made Complex,” Federal Computer Week, August 23, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Contractors' Thorny Position,” Federal Computer Week, June 28, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Defining Small by Committee,” Federal Computer Week, April 19, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Gone In 60 Seconds,” Federal Computer Week, February 23, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Selling to Prime Contractors Under the Multiple Award Schedule Program,” Off the Shelf, Vol. XXX, No. 2, February 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Learning from the Past,” Federal Computer Week, January 26, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “A Controversial Clause,” Federal Computer Week, November 17, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “See You In Court,” Federal Computer Week, October 13, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Discussing Debarment,” Federal Computer Week, September 9, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Fudging on Fees,” Federal Computer Week, August 25, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Advice to Contractor: Be Compliant,” Federal Computer Week, July 28, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Advice and Appeals,” Federal Computer Week, June 23, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “No Guarantees,” Federal Computer Week, May 26, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Survey of Recent MAS Protest Decisions,” Off the Shelf, May 2003 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Small-Business Confusion,” Federal Computer Week, April 14, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “The SARA Clause,” Federal Computer Week, March 17, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Cooperative Buying Overdue,” Federal Computer Week, February 24, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• Multiple Award Schedule Contracting, Xlibris Corporation, May 2002 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Effective Selling under GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule Program,” Insight, May 2002 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “The Baby and the Bathwater - Procurement Policy Gone Wrong,” Government Contract Audit Report, Spring 2002 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie, Abram J. Pafford)
• “A Section 508 Survival Guide,” Off The Shelf, Vol.26, No.8, (Special Section), September 2001 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Section 508 Accessibility: The ‘Undue Burden’ Exception,” Contract Management, August 2001 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie, Abram J. Pafford)
• “The New Section 508 Accessibility Rules: Threshold Compliance Issues for Both Federal Agencies and Contractors,” Federal Contracts Report, Vol. 75, No. 21 , May 22, 2001 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie, Abram J. Pafford)
• “Feature Article: Final FAR Rules Governing EIT Accessibility Answer Some Questions, Raise Others,” Government Contracts Alert, April 30, 2001 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Unwary Rabbits Beware: IDIQ Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry,” Government Contract Audit Report, February 2001 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• Developments in Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice 1999-2000, ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, (Public Contracts and Procurement), February 2001 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• Domestic & Foreign Product Preferences, Briefing Papers, Second Series, December 2000 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie, Andrew Skowronek)
• “When is Information Confidential? The Government and Courts’ Ongoing Tug-of-War over FOIA’s Exemption 4 Leaves Contracts Professionals in a Bind,” Contract Management, November 2000 (Jonathan S. Aronie, John W. Chierichella, James J. McCullough)
• “The Government’s Assault of FOIA Exemption 4: Do You Know Where Your Data Are?,” Off The Shelf, October 2000 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie, James J. McCullough)
• Feature Comment: Understanding DSCA’s New FMF Guidelines,” The Government Contractor, August 30, 2000 (William H. Taft IV, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Access Board Issues Draft Regulations Implementing Section 508,” Government Contracts Alert, April 30, 2000 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Check or Checkmate? OFPP’s Recent Decision Affirming the Legality of GSA’s Post-Award Audit Clause,” Contract Management, December 1999 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “GSA Multiple Award Schedule at the Crossroads: OFPP Affirms Legality of Examination of Records and Price Adjustment Clauses,” Government Contracts Alert, October 29, 1999 (James J. McCullough, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Multiple-Award Schedule Contracts: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,” Washington Technology, August 30, 1999 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Open Market, Insert Foot,” Federal Computer Week, August 30, 1999 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “The Dark Side Revisited: A Few Thoughts on GEIA's Petition to the OFPP,” Off the Shelf, July 1999 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Disputing a Commercial KO,” Legal Times, April 26, 1999 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Ethics/Compliance Programs for Government Contractors: An Idea of Biblical Proportions,” Off the Shelf, December 1998 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “GSA's MAS Program: Look Before You Leap,” Federal Computer Week, August 10, 1998 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “GSA IG Audits—You Can't Afford to Be Unprepared,” Off the Shelf, August 1998 (John W. Chierichella, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “GSA's Revised MAS IT Solicitation—It's Not Quite Commercial,” National Contract Management Association On Line Magazine, May 15, 1998 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Solid Footing for D.C. Real Estate,” The Washington Lawyer, November/December 1997 (Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Alaska's Medical Malpractice Expert Advisory Panel: Assessing the Prognosis,” Alaska Law Review, December 1992 (Jonathan S. Aronie)

Speeches

• "GSA Schedule Contracting: How to Keep More of the Money That You Make", GSA Expo 2010, Orlando, May 2010 (co-taught with Larry Allen)
• "Contractor Mandatory Disclosure," Federal Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) Roundtable, Arlington, Virginia, November 13, 2009
• "REWARD How Do You Keep More of What You Make?," 2009 Coalition for Government Procurement Conference, November 4, 2009
• "To Disclose or Not Disclose - That is the Question," Greater Southwest Acquisition Center’s Alliance for Quality Business Solutions Training Conference & Partnership Meeting, October 28, 2009
• "Federal Publications, Inc. Advanced Issues in Schedule Contracting: Compliance, Audits and Risk Avoidance", Huntsville, AL (October 2009) and Washington, DC (October 2009)
• "The FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule: What Have We Learned Since Dec 12th?," 48th Annual National Seminar on Government Contracts, September 16, 2009
• "Good Governance," 2009 Public Procurement Conference of the Americas, April 27, 2009
• "Contractor Business Ethics," Compliance Program Workshop, December 16, 2008
• "Understanding Your Obligations Under The New FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule," ThompsonReuters Webcast, December 8, 2008
• "I Owe The Government How Much?!?," Coalition for Government Procurement Fall Conference, Arlington, VA, October 22, 2008
• "Legal Forecast: How Will The New Regs Affect Your Business," Coalition for Government Procurement Spring Conference, McLean, Virginia, May 28, 2008
• "Growing Your Government Business Without Losing Your Legal Shirt," GSA Expo, Anaheim, California, April 2008
• "E-mail - Life and Liability with an Unforgiving Send Key," The Coalition For Government Procurement Premier Partner Luncheon, December 13, 2007
• "Teaming Agreements and Advanced Subcontracting," Washington, DC, December 12, 2007
• "E-mail - Life and Liability with an Unforgiving Send Key," NCMA, November 12, 2007
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Award Schedule Contracting," NCMA 26th Annual Government Contract Management Conference, Bethesda, Maryland, November 8, 2007
• "Five Key Areas of GSA Schedule Contracting," NCMA Rio Grande Annual "Nuts, Bolts, and Beyond" Conference, Kirtland Air Force Base, October 24, 2007
• Moderator: "Kickbacks, Bribes, OCIs & Other Procurement Integrity Violations: Staying in Line with the Government's Ethical Requirements," ACI National Forum on Government Contracts Litigation and Investigations, Washington, DC, October 23, 2007
• "Negotiating With Your Contracting Officer," Coalition for Government Procurement Premier Partner Quarterly Conference, Washington, DC, October 2, 2007
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Awards Schedule Contracting," Federal Publications, Inc., September 17-18, 2007, Washington, D.C.
• "Teaming Agreements and Advanced Subcontracting," Las Vegas, September, 2007
• "Complying With The Ts & Cs of Your Contract," July 3, 2007, Dallas Texas
• "From The CGP Balcony: An Irreverent Procurement Update," Coalition For Government Procurement Spring Conference 2007, June 21, 2007
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Awards Schedule Contracting," June 12, 2007, Las Vegas
• "Government Contracts in M&A Due Diligence: Caveat Emptor et Vendor," ACC San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, May 9-10, 2007
• "The Trade Agreements Act (Why All The Fuss?)" Bearing Specialists Association 2007 Convention, May 4, 2007, Marco Island, TX
• "Advanced Issues In Multiple Award Schedule Contracting," NCMA's World Congress, April 24, 2007, Dallas, TX
• "GSA Schedule Contracting - The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same," NCMA's World Congress, April 24, 2007, Dallas, TX
• "Surviving a Government Audit," National Forum on Government Contracting Compliance for Commercial Companies, March 28th, Washington, D.C.
• "Foreign Contractors and the U.S. Federal Procurement System," June 20, 2006, Washington, D.C.
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Awards Schedule Contracting," June 6-7, 2006, Washington, D.C.
• "GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contracting: What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You," The Huntsville Chapter of National Contract Management Association, May 4, 2006
• "Tales from the Dark Side - Government Contractors Horror Stories and Lessons We Can Learn From Them," Security Institute program - The Government Security Market, April 25, 2006, Washington, D.C.
• "Government Contract Terms and Conditions: Comply or Die," GSA Facilities and Maintenance Center's 2006 Industry Day, March 28, 2006
• "Case Studies of What To Do & What Not To Do in Government Contracting," The Coalition for Government Procurement Fall Conference, November 9, 2005, Arlington, VA
• "The Inside Scoop on Selling to the Government Through the GSA Schedule: How to Drive Revenue While Minimizing Risk," Ingram Micro/GovEd Alliance Fall 2005 Invitational Conference, November 2-4, 2005, Santa Ana, CA
• "Government Procurement Conference of the Americas," November 2, 2005, Atlanta, GA
• "University of Minnesota 44th Annual National Seminar on Government Contracts," October 26-28, 2005, Saint Paul, MN
• "The False Claims Act: It's Not Just for Defense Contractors Anymore," Coalition for Government Procurement Premier Partner Quarterly Seminar, October 21, 2005, Washington, DC (Aronie and Perry).
• "The Federal False Claims Act: Bringing Your Competitors, Whistleblowers, and the Federal Government Together to Sue You" ACC-A San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, San Francisco, CA, September 29, 2005
• "Post-Award Audits, Scope Reviews, & Contract Compliance: Is This Anyway To Treat A Contractor?" Coalition for Government Procurement, Crystal City, VA, June 2005
• "The Fun is Just Beginning," NCMA, Fairfax, VA, June 2005
• "I May Have My MAS- Now What?," GSA Expo 2005, May 24, 2005
• "GSA Scehdule T&Cs: Comply or Die," NCMA World Congress 2005, Phoenix, AZ, April 2005
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Award Schedule Contracting," Federal Publications, Las Vegas, December 1-2, 2004
• Ingram Micro 2004 GovEd Alliance Conference Novermber 3-4, 2004
• "1st Annual Hemispheric Government Procurement Conference," Panel Moderator, Legal Issues in Cross Border Government Contracting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, November 16-17, 2004
• "Advanced Issues in Multiple Award Schedule Contracting," Federal Publications, Washington, DC, November 8-9, 2004
• "GSA Multiple Award Schedule – Realizing Benefits, Minimizing Risks," Ingram Micro 2004 GovEd Alliance Invitational, Las Vegas, November 2004
• “The Government Marketplace,” Keynote Speaker, Greensboro, NC, August 25, 2004
• “Riding the Homeland Security Bandwagon – Part II,” The Security Institute, Washington, DC, July 27, 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie, Louis D. Victorino, Bob Lindseth
• “Secrets of Schedules Success,” GSA Expo, Orlando, Florida, May 10, 2004
• “Government Contracting: Recognizing the Benefits While Avoiding the Pitfalls,” National Contract Management Association World Congress, Orlando, Florida, April 26, 2004
• “Riding the Homeland Security Bandwagon: A Look at the Benefits and Risks of Contracting with the Federal Government,” The Security Institute, Washington, DC, February 4, 2004
• “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Coalition for Government Procurement Spring Conference 2004 (Jonathan S. Aronie, Roscoe C. Howard, Jr.)
• “Understanding Bid Protests,” Coalition for Government Procurement Premier Partner Event, Washington, D.C., September 10, 2003 (Jonathan S. Aronie, Anne B. Perry)
• “Contract Compliance, Federal Audits, and the Civil False Claims Act,” National Contract Management Association, Washington, DC, June 14, 2003 (Louis D. Victorino, Jonathan S. Aronie)
• “Secrets of Schedules Success,” GSA Expo, San Antonio, TX, May 6, 2003
• “Contract Compliance: A View from Private Practice Attorneys,” Coalition for Government Procurement's Winter Seminar, Arlington, VA, January 30, 2003
• “Suspensions, Audits, Contract Compliance, and More,” Coalition for Government Procurement's Fall Procurement Conference, Washington, D.C., October 23, 2002
• “Multiple Award Schedule Contracting,” National Contract Management Association, World Congress, Long Beach, CA, July 24, 2002
• “Government Contracts for the Non-Government Contracts Lawyer,” Santa Clara County Bar Association, Santa Clara, CA, June 13, 2002
• “Teaming Agreements: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” National Contract Management Association South Bay Chapter, Los Angeles, CA, November 14, 2000 (John W. Chierichella, John T. Boese, Louis D. Victorino, Anne Bluth Perry, Jonathan S. Aronie)

Events

• Government Contracting 101: The Risks of Having Uncle Sam as a Customer, August 19, 2010, Third Thursday Emerging Company Webinars
• Advanced Issues in Multiple Award Schedule Contracting Conference, June 16, 2009
• Federal Publications One Day Seminar, March 10, 2009, Contractor Business Ethics Compliance Program and Disclosure Requirements
• Advanced Issues in Multiple Award Schedule Contracting: Compliance, Audits, and Risk Avoidance, 2008