Federal, state and local government agencies are increasingly seeking to contract with financial services companies and support service providers to help agencies take advantage of developments in financial technology. This includes traditional financial services programs, such as providing payment cards and payment services to agency personnel, as well as transit and other programs that can leverage payment card technology to make the use and operation of such systems more efficient. Our lawyers are well situated to assist companies that participate in the government market, with decades of experience representing both financial services companies and government contractors.
Our team includes lawyers whose practice actively involves representing both traditional government contractors and financial service providers, and who thus have a unique ability to address the particular issues that financial service providers face when doing business with the government. Our lawyers advise financial services companies on all aspects of government procurement, from the highly regulated process for obtaining a contract to the myriad regulatory requirements that apply to government contractors (such as affirmative action obligations, unique accounting requirements and restrictions on pricing), to the rules that apply when disputes arise between a government contract and a Federal or state agency. We provide practical guidance that helps our clients determine the benefits and pitfalls of participating in public sector procurements, so that they can make informed decisions. We also have extensive litigation experience representing clients in bid protests involving public procurements and in claims against agencies relating to contract performance.
Representative Matters
- Advised Fortune 500 financial service providers on requirements for participating in federal programs under which agencies may obtain payment cards for use by agency personnel.
- Negotiated subcontracts and other support agreements between card issuers and service providers in support of federal and state procurements.
- Advised a financial service provider on affirmative action and other HR-related obligations that apply to government contractors and provided practical guidance on methods for complying with such obligations.
- Advised a large credit card issuer with respect to restrictions on assigning government contracts to third parties and related liabilities that arise from such assignments.
- Represented several companies in negotiating financial agency agreements with the Department of Treasury.
- Drafted the operating rules for the leading national system for electronic distribution of government benefits.
