Profile
Richard Moorhouse has nearly 40 years of experience litigating procurement award and contract disputes at the federal, state, and local level. He has prosecuted and defended complex bid protest and claim matters before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, and has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
His practice also frequently involves the conduct of internal investigations, the preparation of comprehensive submissions to clients detailing the results of those investigations, and disclosures to the Government in a variety of matters including those giving rise to potential debarments, suspensions, and other determinations of ineligibility to receive contract awards. Mr. Moorhouse has also been retained as an expert witness in complex civil litigation involving federal government contract issues.
Concentrations
- Departments of Defense, Army, Navy (USMC), and Air Force procurements
- Department of Homeland Security/ICE procurements
- FAR Part 22 labor law compliance (Service Contract Act, Davis-Bacon, etc.)
- General Services Administration (GSA/FSS) schedule contracting
- Biotechnology, biodefense, and health care government contracting
- Information technology, cybersecurity, and communications technology
- CDI/CUI
- NIST SP 800-171
- CMMC
- Runway Extension Act
- Limitations on Subcontracting
- Facilities operations and management contracting
- Vehicle up-armoring and armored glass procurements
- Federal real property leasing (GSA and VA)
- Defective pricing/TINA issues
- Defense of qui tam "whistle blower" suits
- Criminal and Civil False Claims Act
- Small business/ Special status small business (Economically and socially disadvantaged, (8(a), SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB, EDWOSB, HUBZone, Buy Indian Act) set–aside contracting/subcontracting
- Procurement and health care fraud defense
- Agency-level, GAO and COFC bid protest litigation
- Private/public partnerships
- Privatization, outsourcing and BRAC
- Cost contracting
- Best value (cost/technical tradeoff) source selection
- Contract Disputes Act litigation (ASBCA, CBCA, and COFC)
- Security clearances and DOHA/DHS appeals
- A/E services selection
- Homeland security
- SAFETY Act
- Patriot Act
Capabilities
Experience
- Won multi-party litigation on behalf of Fortune 500 information technology client before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims involving potential $50 billion GWAC contract awards.
- Defended Fortune 100 company on conflict of interest charges and saved over $200 million in client's Army contract awards.
- Settled longest-running voluntary disclosure case before VA Office of Inspector General.
- Prosecuted General Accounting Office bid protest challenging $100 million-plus NASA contract award.
- Won precedential case for agency of the federal government of Canada before Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals establishing that Canadian contractor to U.S. Government is not bound by U.S. cost principles.
- Won first bid protest filed under new OMB Circular A-76 procedures.
- Authored brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit arguing that Department of Energy management and operating contractor was not a federal agency.
- Defended client from potential False Claim Act charges in contract claim matter and achieved multimillion-dollar settlement.
- Won first case challenging Medicare's use of statistical sampling to project refund due resulting in reduction of Government's $2.3 million claim against client by 98%.
- Challenged four recent adjusted GSA lease award decisions on behalf of major real estate developer in federal market.
- Won bid protest challenging agency: failure to reconcile labor price discrepancies in multiple award procurement.
- Challenged $700,000,000 DoD contract award on the basis of awardee's Organizational Conflicts of Interest.
- Defense of VA Butler, PA Medical Center Lease award.
Recognition & Leadership
- Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, General's Honor Guard, 2015
- Listed, Chambers & Partners USA Guide, an annual listing of the leading business lawyers and law firms in the world, 2008
- Listed, District of Columbia Super Lawyers, 2007
- Listed, Virginia Super Lawyers, 2006
- Rated, AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5
Credentials
- J.D., Suffolk University Law School
- M.A., Secondary Education, Suffolk University
- B.A., University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims