Keith R. Szeliga

Keith R. Szeliga is a partner in the Government Contracts, Investigations & International Trade practice group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office.

Mr. Szeliga has broad experience in Government contracts matters, including bid protests, claims and appeals, compliance reviews, and internal investigations. He has advised clients ranging from small businesses to some of the nation's largest defense contractors regarding the full spectrum of statutes and regulations applicable to Government contractors, including, for example, matters relating to personal and organizational conflicts of interest, revolving door restrictions, rights in technical data and computer software, cost and pricing issues (including compliance with the Cost Principles and Cost Accounting Standards), GSA Schedule contracting, bribery, gratuities, kickbacks, fraud, and procurement integrity issues. Mr. Szeliga publishes frequently on these and other topics of interest to the government contracts community.

Mr. Szeliga holds a Secret national security clearance and a high level intelligence clearance.

Education

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 2002, cum laude, Legal Aid Bureau, Law and Philosophy Society
• B.A., Wake Forest University, 1999, summa cum laude
• Currently pursuing Master of Laws degree in Government Procurement Law from The George Washington University Law School.

Admissions

• Maryland
• District of Columbia

Mr. Szeliga has represented protestors and intervenors in numerous protests filed at the Government Accountability Office and the Court of Federal Claims, including:

• Successful defense of the Army's award of a multibillion dollar contract for an improved vehicle intercommunication system (Telephonics Corp., B-401647, B-401647.2, Oct. 16, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 215)
• Successful defense of the Social Security Administration’s award of a GSA Schedule blanket purchase agreement for computer equipment (Dell Marketing LP, B-400784, Jan. 27, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 35)
• Successful defense of the Navy’s award of a $1.16 billion contract for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (Lockheed Martin MS2 Tactical Sys., B-400135, B-400135.2, Aug. 8, 2008, 2008 CPD ¶ 157)
• Successful protest challenging the Air Force’s award of, and subsequent corrective action in connection with, a $15 billion contract for the next generation of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR-X) helicopters (Sikorsky Aircraft Co, B‑299145 et al., Feb. 26, 2007, 2007 CPD ¶ 45; Lockheed Martin Sys. Integration-Owego, B‑299145.5 et al., Aug. 30, 2007, 2007 CPD ¶ 155)
• Successful defense of a classified agency’s award of a contract for terrorism watch-listing services (unpublished)
• Successful defense of the Department of Defense Education Activity’s award of a contract for Remote Location Home School Program services (Idea Int’l v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 129 (Dec. 1, 2006)
• Successful protest challenging the Army’s failure to award a client one of several contracts in a nine-year, $20 billion program for worldwide information technology services (Multimax, Inc. et al., B-298249.6 et al., Oct. 24, 2006, 2006 CPD ¶ 165)
•  Successful protest of the Army’s award of a contract for inlet barrier filtration devices for the UH-60 helicopter (Filtration Dev. Co. v. United States, 60 Fed. Cl. 371 (2004)

In addition, Mr. Szeliga has counseled clients regarding compliance with the full spectrum of regulations applicable to Government contractors, including:

• Organizational conflicts of interest
• Revolving door restrictions
• Trade Agreements Act compliance
• Gratuities, bribery, and kickbacks
• Mandatory disclosure obligations
• Procurement Integrity Act issues
• Ethics policies and procedures
• Defective pricing and price reductions clause violations
• Compliance with the FAR Cost Principles and Cost Accounting Standards

Mr. Szeliga also has substantial experience advising clients regarding patent and data rights issues, including:

•  FAR, DFARS and DEAR data and patent rights clauses
• Negotiation of intellectual property rights under Other Transactions
• Authorization and consent pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1498
•  Implementation of policies and procedures to protect data and patent rights

Articles

• "This Time, It's Personal: PCIs in Government Contracting," Contract Management, February 2012
• "Identifying Viable Preaward Bid Protest Allegations At The GAO," Briefing Papers, No. 10-6, May 2010
• "How to Avoid Giving Away Your Proprietary Technical Data and Computer Software Under Contracts with the Department of Defense," The Clause, September 2009
• "Protecting Your Proprietary Rights", Contract Management, July 1, 2009
• "Identifying Viable Postaward Bid Protest Allegations At The GAO," Briefing Papers, No. 09-4, March 1, 2009
• "Trade Agreements Act of 1979," in Chapter 14, Terms and Conditions, GSA Schedule Handbook, Thomson West, 2008
• "So You Lost - Now What? A Vacationer's Guide To GAO Bid Protests," Contract Management, November 1, 2008
• "Conquering Uncertainty in an Indefinite World: A Survey of Disputes Arising Under IDIQ  Contracts," Public Contract Law Journal, Spring, 2008
• "Watch Your Step: A Contractors Guide to Revolving-Door Restrictions," Public Contract Law Journal, Summer 2007
• "Conflict and Intrigue in Government Contracts: A Guide to Identifying and Mitigating Organizational Conflicts of Interest," Public Contract Law Journal, Summer 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

Government Contracts Law Blog Articles

• "Preventing Personal Conflicts Of Interest Among Contractor Employees Performing Acquisition Support Services," April 16, 2012
• "New Personal Conflict Of Interest Rules For Contractors," November 16, 2011
• "Proposed FAR Rule: A New Regulatory Framework For Organizational Conflicts Of Interest And Unequal Access To Nonpublic Information," May 12, 2011
• "The Transparency Monster Strikes Again: New Reporting Requirements For Executive Compensation And First-Tier Subcontract Awards," August 17, 2010
• "The Dangers Of Courtship: Organizational Conflicts Of Interest Arising From Contemplated Corporate Transactions," May 12, 2010
• "Ten Tips for a Successful Debriefing," April 9, 2010
• "But You Promised! Ten Simple Steps for Avoiding the "Apparent Authority" Trap," February 17, 2010
• "GAO's Bid Protest Annual Report to the Congress for Fiscal Year 2009 - Another Busy Year for GAO, Another Good Year for Protestors," February 17, 2010
• "Render Unto Caesar What Is Caesar's ... Or Else: The Expansion of False Claims Act Liability to the Retention of Overpayments," June 11, 2009
• "Use of Government Personnel, Uniforms and Insignia in Promotional or Advertising Materials," May 12, 2009
• "When "Generosity" Becomes a Vice: Eighth Circuit Affirms Gratuities Conviction Based on Email Correspondence Between Contractor and Government Employee," April 9, 2009
• "DoD Issues Interim Rule Requiring Contractors to Ensure That Former DoD Procurement Officials Have Obtained a Pre-Hire Ethics Opinion," February 17, 2009
• "So You Lost - Now What? A Vacationer's Guide to GAO Bid Protests," January 7, 2009
• "Appearance of an OCI Standing Alone Is Insufficient to Disqualify Offeror," October 6, 2008 
• "Conquering Uncertainty in an Indefinite World: A Survey of Disputes Arising Under IDIQ Contracts," June 30, 2008
• "Administration of Organizational conflict of Interest Mitigations Plans -- Are Special Masters on the Horizon?" March 13, 2008
• "Revolving Door," November 30, 2007
• "Axiom Resource Management v. United States: Judicial Scrutiny of Organizational Conflicts of Interest Intensifies," October 30, 2007

Speeches

• “Personal and Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Government Contracts,” National Contract Management Association, Battlefield-Dulles Chapter, March 2, 2012
• "New Government Contractor Rules on Personal Conflicts of Interest and Revolving Door Restrictions," Strafford Seminars, Washington, DC, February 1, 2012
• "New Developments in Contract Compliance," Federal Publications Seminars, Washington, DC, October 21, 2009
• "Protecting Your Proprietary Rights Under Department of Defense Contracts," National Contract Management Association, Cape Canaveral Chapter, October 14, 2009
• "Contract Services: Personal Conflicts of Interest, Organizational Conflicts of Interest & Inherently Governmental Functions," NDIA Procurement Division, Annual Educational Seminar, March 16, 2009
• "The New Contractor Business Ethics Compliance Program and Disclosure Requirements," Federal Publications Seminars, Washington, DC, February 26, 2009
• "Revolving Door Restrictions," Las Vegas, Nevada, November 3, 2007