Coffee & Contracting

Join the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and Dempsey Fontana, PLLC for Coffee & Contracting, an informal networking breakfast for government contractors with guest speakers Kevin Boshears of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Jim Fontana of Dempsey Fontana.

Kevin and Jim will discuss bid protests from both the government and industry perspectives to include:

• How the government views bid protests;
• How industry views bid protests;
• The value of post-award debriefings and how they may discourage or encourage a bid protest;
• The different bid protest forums for government contractors;
• When should a contractor file a bid protest, and when not to;
• Available protest remedies; and
• GAO’s automatic stay provisions and agency options to override.

About Our Guest Speakers

Kevin Boshears was named Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) in May 2003. He is responsible for the overall implementation of the department’s small business procurement program.

Mr. Boshears was Director of the Treasury Department’s OSDBU since February 1999. He served in the same office as a procurement analyst since June 1995 and was responsible for providing guidance to the small business specialists located in Treasury’s twelve bureaus.

Mr. Boshears brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the procurement field, having served as a contracting officer for the Justice Department prior to his duties with the Treasury Department. Mr. Boshears is a well known instructor in the federal small business procurement arena. He has conducted numerous training courses, presentations, and briefings on contracting with small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned small, HUBZone, and service disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Mr. Boshears served as the Vice-Chair of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Directors' Interagency Council from FY 2001 through FY 2004. His efforts have been widely recognized with various awards from small business trade associations, other federal agencies, and industry organizations. In 2006, he was presented with the Frances Perkins Vanguard Award for Exemplary Utilization of Women-Owned Small Businesses by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) – marking the fourth year that he received this award. In April 2005, he was presented with the Federal Gold Star Award of Excellence by SBA in recognition of the exemplary performance of the Department and its dedicated personnel who carry out the aggressive goals and strategic initiatives that help ensure a role for small business in the federal marketplace.

James C. Fontana is the co-founder and managing partner of Dempsey Fontana, PLLC.  He has over 30 years of experience as an attorney specializing in government and commercial contracts, with an emphasis on technology and related technical services, as well as ethics compliance and corporate governance issues.  He also specializes in mergers and acquisitions in both the government technology and commercial sectors.   In 2006, the Association of Corporate Counsel named Mr. Fontana Outstanding Chief Legal Officer in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.  In both 2005 and 2006, the Washington Business Journal named Mr. Fontana a Top Attorney in the Washington, DC area in the General Counsel category.  In 2014 Mr. Fontana received the Power Players Awardfrom Washington SmartCEO in recognition of his “leadership, accomplishments, innovation and success” as a Washington, DC-area attorney.

Mr. Fontana is a frequent seminar speaker and author on issues relating to government contracts, ethics compliance, international law and technology-related issues.  He had previously been a regular contributor to Washington Technology's Infotech and the Law column, and has published articles in numerous other publications, including the American Bar Association's Public Contract Law Journal, the National Contract Management Journal, BNA Bloomberg, the National Defense Industrial Association, and Federal Publications.  In addition, Mr. Fontana has been interviewed by Federal News Radio and was prominently featured on the WJLA news television program Government Matters. He has also been interviewed by and featured in the Legal Times, Washington Technology, Federal Computer Week, the Washington Business Journal, and the General Counsel Weekly, among other publications.

Mr. Fontana also has testified before Congress to include the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee on issues related to the federal government procurement process.

Registration fees are $10 for Members and $20 for Future Members.

If questions, please contact Ashleigh Dorfman, Events & Development Director, at 703.707.9045 or ashleighd@restonchamber.org.