Contractor Government Shutdown Prep Resources

The spectre of a federal government shutdown has been pushed back from Mar. 4, to no earlier than Mar. 18. Still, as the political wrangling continues, the threat of a shutdown remains.

To help government contractors prepare for a possible shutdown, on Mar. 4, GovWin hosted a Webinar, Survive a Government Shutdown, featuring expert insights on the background and likelihood of a shutdown, plus a vital checklist of must-do tasks to make sure contractors weather the crisis. (See the event recap and full, archived webinar video.)

In addition to analysis from INPUT’s Deniece Peterson and Jennifer McKinney, the webinar also featured shutdown-preparation tactics by Aronson LLC’s Thomas Marcinko, author of the free whitepaper, A Contractor’s Guide to Surviving the Government Shutdown.

No matter what happens with the current crisis, all government contractors should have a contingency plan to help them deal with a government shutdown. In addition to our whitepaper and webinar above, we’ve compiled a list of other shutdown-related webinars, questions and answers, to-do lists and other resources for contractors to consider as they develop their shutdown plans:

• Implications of a Government Shutdown for Government Contracts [McKenna Long & Aldridge, Feb. 22, 2011] – A description of government shutdown and preparations to consider.
• Highlights from Tuesday’s ‘Capital Insider’ [TBD TV, Feb. 23, 2011] – Video segment from the Professional Services Council’s Alan Chvotkin on how a government shutdown could impact the government contractor community.
• Government shutdown: What about contractors? [Washington Post, Feb. 23, 2011] – A series of shutdown preparation questions and answers, featuring advice from Venable’s John F. Cooney.
• Surviving a government shutdown [Husch Blackwell, Feb. 24, 2011] – Questions and answers on a government shutdown.
• Contractors need to do homework before shutdown [Federal News Radio, Feb. 24, 2011] – Thoughts from Barry Anderson, a former acting director of the Congressional Budget Office who also served at the Office of Management and Budget and John Cooney, who served as OMB’s general counsel during the 1995 shutdown.
• Five Steps to Prepare for a Government “Shutdown” [Wiley Rein LLP, Feb. 25, 2011] – The law firm gives five issue areas of focus to prepare for a shutdown.
• Government shutdown basics for contractors [National Association of Government Contractors, Feb. 25, 2011] – Questions and answers about how a shutdown affects government contractors.
• What a shutdown would mean for you [Federal Times, Feb. 28, 2011] – Questions and answers about how a shutdown would affect government operations and government contracts.
• Government Shutdown: A Contractor’s Guide [Mayer Brown, Feb. 2011] – The law firm reviews federal regulations concerning contractor payments and gives contractors five tips for dealing with a shutdown.

• Budget, CR, shutdown effects on feds [Amtower Off-Center, Mar. 1, 2011] – The impact of a potential shutdown on both federal employees and contractors is discussed by Kevin Plexico, senior vice president for research and analysis at INPUT, during an interview with Mark Amtower.
• Preparing For a Federal Government Shutdown (PDF) [Associated General Contractor of America, Mar. 4, 2011] – A guide to shutdown preparation geared toward construction contractors.
• Preparing for a Government Shutdown (PDF) [Dickstein Shapiro, March 15, 2011] – The law firm gives a six-step action plan to help contractors prepare for a shutdown.
• Preparing for a Federal Government Shutdown [ReedSmith, Mar. 15, 2011] – Another six recommendations to help contractors prepare for a shutdown, including a look at two P’s: proposals and protests.
• What You Can Do Now to Prepare for a Possible Government Shutdown [Cherry, Bekaert & Holland GovCon Blog, Mar. 29, 2011] – A certified public accountant group updates its advice on contracts and operations and cash flow planning.
• In the Event of a Government Shutdown: Preparation Pointers for Federal Contractors (PDF) [Pillsbury Law, Mar. 31, 2011] – A client preparation guide from Pillsbury government contracting lawyer Daniel S. Herzfeld.
• Government shutdown: Frequently Asked Questions [Washington Post, Apr. 1, 2011] – An updated list of shutdown questions and answers, including ones geared toward government contractors and contracting firms.
• Government Contractors Brace for Shutdown [Wall Street Journal, Apr. 4, 2011] – A summary of contractor shutdown preparation advice — including from construction contractors, Business Roundtable and contractor advisors.
• The Potential Impact of a Lapse in Appropriations on Federal Employees [Office of Personnel Management April 7, 2011] – The Office of Personnel Management provides questions and answers on how a shutdown would impact federal employees.