The US Department of Defense recently announced a new proposed rule addressing the issue of counterfeit electronic parts in government contractor supply chains.  The proposed rule would require contractors to utilize trusted suppliers to obtain electronic parts and maintain traceability of the electronic parts back to the original manufacturer.  The objective of the proposed rule is to mitigate supply chain risks and protect the government.  The proposed rule also highlights the increasing importance of supply chain traceability.

Our colleagues from the Northern Virginia office have published a notice for government contractors entitled, Security Developments for Government Contractors: Electronic Parts, Systems and Embedded Software and Firmware. The notice is a helpful guide of the substantive points of the proposed rule and identifies important actions government contractors must undertake in order to comply.