VIDEOCAST Key Elements of the Proposed DOD Rule on Organizational Conflicts of Interest

On April 20, 2010, the US Department of Defense published a proposed rule on organizational conflicts of interest (OCIs). These conflicts of interest arise when a contractor has opportunities or interests that compete with government objectives such as equal competition or objective advice. OCIs have caused acute concern in government circles, in part because, as contractors have played a bigger role in government, the potential conflicts have multiplied. The proposed rule (the first major rewrite in decades) marks an important milestone in this rapidly evolving area of the law. In a webcast, Mark Colley, who heads the government contracts practice group at Arnold & Porter LLP, and Chris Yukins, an associate professor of government contracts law at George Washington University Law School and of counsel at the firm, discuss the proposed rule and its implications for the contracting community.