Description
A government contractor cannot perform a contract requiring access to classified information unless the contractor is free of Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) or implements appropriate safeguards to protect national security. Additionally, contractors may be subject to a FOCI review for certain contracts without security clearance requirements as part of the Contracting Officer’s responsibility assessment.
In this webinar, Govology Legal Analyst Steven Koprince provides an overview of the FOCI rules for government contractors. Topics will include:
- Which federal contracts are subject to FOCI rules?
- How does the government evaluate whether a contractor is operating under foreign ownership, influence, or control?
- What responsibilities does a contractor or potential contractor have to identify and report FOCI concerns?
- How can a contractor mitigate an actual or potential FOCI problem?
- What are some common misconceptions about the FOCI rules?
- How do FOCI concepts apply to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs?
Target Audience: Federal contractors, APEX Accelerator counselors
Meet Your Instructor:
STEVEN KOPRINCE, Govology Legal Analyst
Steven J. Koprince is a Faculty Instructor and Legal Analyst at Govology. Before joining Govology, Steven founded and served as the Managing Partner of Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC, a law firm devoted exclusively to providing comprehensive legal services to federal government contractors.
Steven is the author of The Small-Business Guide to Government Contracts (AMACOM Books, 2012) and co-author three GovCon Handbooks providing in-depth information on discrete government contracting topics. Steven also founded the blog SmallGovCon (smallgovcon.com), where he has written more than 1,100 posts on government contracting legal issues. Steven has been quoted in several national news outlets and has appeared on numerous radio programs and podcasts. A frequent featured speaker at the national conferences of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Steven was honored as a “Friend of APTAC” at the Spring 2016 APTAC National Conference.
In addition to his work for Govology, Steven volunteers for and serves as a Director of a nonprofit organization providing wrap-around services to disadvantaged families. He is also a co-founder and Director of a nonprofit organization promoting the great sport of pickleball in Lawrence and the surrounding area.
Steven is a graduate of Duke University and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. Steven lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife, two children and two cuddly cats.
Steven welcomes APEX Accelerator counselors to contact him by email at skoprince@govology.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.
Joshua Wiggins (verified owner) –
Steven Koprince’s explanation of the concept of FOCI and its application both to facility clearances and small business research grants (SBIR/STTR) was thorough and engaging. I appreciated the in-depth look at both how this applies to contractors now as well as how it could apply in the future.
Kim Bourner (verified owner) –
Stephen Koprince is an excellent presenter with a bit of humor, reality about the government, and training about the ins and outs of whatever topic he tackles. This is a tough one for me because so few of our clients understand it applies to them. However, he explained it in a way that I feel I will now be able to share with clients why they need to view this webinar.
Mr. Koprince turns legal-ease into simple, plain English once again on this very confusing topic. Thank you, kind sir! And thank you Govology team for providing this much needed webinar.