Alexander O. Canizares
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 500 West
Washington, D.C. 20037
Companies contracting with the government face unique compliance obligations and risks of disputes, investigations, and enforcement actions. I help clients adopt effective responses to these challenges, drawing on my DOJ experience and procurement law background to advance their business objectives. Alexander Canizares is a Partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and Co-head of the firm’s Government Contracts Practice Group. Alex draws on almost two decades of experience in the government and private practice to assist clients in high-stakes litigation, internal and government investigations, enforcement actions, and counseling spanning all phases of federal procurement. A former trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Alex represents clients in False Claims Act (FCA)/qui tam whistleblower actions and investigations involving fraud allegations. He also helps clients navigate mandatory and voluntary disclosures to federal agencies and mitigate risks involving the FCA and misconduct.
Alex serves as lead counsel in litigation related to bid protests, contract claims, and prime-subcontractor disputes. He has first-chaired dozens of cases at both the trial and appellate levels involving federal agencies. His experience includes litigating in U.S. district courts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and arbitral tribunals. Alex conducts internal investigations involving government contracts compliance matters. He represents clients of all sizes in the aerospace and defense, information technology, healthcare, professional services, and other industries.
In his counsel to clients, Alex advises on a wide range of government contracting matters with a focus on mitigating compliance risks and avoiding disputes. He helps contractors address cybersecurity and supply chain security requirements, including those related to safeguarding controlled government data involving Department of Defense and civilian agencies. He provides practical guidance to contractors across a variety of industries on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency FAR supplements, and federal procurement laws. Additionally, Alex’s counseling practice extends to commercial products/services contracting including related to software, procurement integrity/ethics issues, the Anti-Kickback Act, subcontracting, suspension and debarment issues, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), intellectual property/data rights, domestic sourcing requirements in procurements, and diligence in corporate transactions.
Alex writes and speaks frequently regarding government contracting issues. He is a co-chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Public Contract Law Section Procurement Fraud and False Claims Committee. He is also a contributing editor of the second edition of The False Claims Act and Government Contracts published by the ABA Public Contract Law Section.
Government Investigations and False Claims Act Matters
Represent a defense contractor in a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation regarding FCA issues
Represent a healthcare company in a government FCA investigation and qui tam lawsuit related to federal insurance programs
Represent a government contractor in an investigation conducted by an agency Office of Inspector General
Represent a healthcare device manufacturer in a government FCA investigation
Advise an aerospace/defense contractor regarding FCA matters and related contract and disclosure obligations
First-chaired a five-day trial involving FCA and other fraud-related claims in a case arising out of a contract case concerning an Army Corps of Engineers construction project
Represent a government services contractor in a prime-subcontractor dispute before U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and AAA arbitration
Represent company in a breach of contract action against the United States (Silver State Land LLC v. United States, Court of Federal Claims No. 19-688)
Successfully defended the Coast Guard’s $3 billion award to a contractor for construction of Offshore Patrol Cutters (Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. v. United States, No. 22-1571C (Court of Federal Claims, December 14, 2023))
Represented intervenor-awardee in a bid protest before GAO arising out of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) small business contract for mechanical engineering and other services (ATA Aerospace, LLC, B-419962.2, B-419962.3)
Successfully represented a defense contractor’s award of a $558 million contract to provide base support services to the U.S. Air Force in Africa and Europe. Defended against back-to-back protests before GAO and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (Vectrus Sys. Corp. v. United States, Fed. Cl. 20-2053 C, Vectrus Sys. Corp., B-419143, Dec. 23, 2020)
Defended defense contractor in successive bid protests arising out of the U.S. Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) V before the GAO and U.S. Court of Federal Claims (DynCorp International, LLC, B-417506.10, DynCorp International, LLC v. United States, Case No. 19-1133C, et al.)
Represented a company in a bid protest defense before GAO with respect to a Naval Air Warfare Center contract for cyber warfighting support services
Successfully defended the United States before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a post-award bid protest contesting a Navy contract for moving and storage services for personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Successfully defended the Navy’s $160 million contract to modify and operate a vessel to be used by the U.S. Special Operations Command to support national security missions in a bid protest concerning cost realism analysis and adequacy of corrective action
Lead counsel on behalf of the United States in a bid protest reviewing agency’s corrective action and justification for a $3.6 million sole-source bridge contract award to obtain information technology services
Served as lead counsel in successful defense of the United States against alleged breaches of contract in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims related to a government criminal investigation and prosecution
Successfully defended the government in a class action lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims brought by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) police officers
Counsel defense contractors with respect to cybersecurity requirements under FAR Supplement 252.204-7012 and other FAR/Defense Federal Acquisition Supplement (DFARS) clauses, as well as emerging regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity/government contracting (e.g., Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC))
Advise technology company with respect to FedRAMP cloud computing security requirements and risk mitigation
Advise contractors with respect to protection of company information against disclosure under FOIA
Advise contractors with respect to Buy American Act (BAA)/Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliance issues
Advise companies with respect to protection of IP and data rights related to government contracts
Counsel companies with respect to compliance with Section 889 of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act related to telecommunications equipment and services
Counsel a government contractor with respect to intellectual property and data rights licensing issues in connection with AI/machine learning technology
Represent companies in connection with eligibility issues and enforcement risk mitigation in relation to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) small business loans
Advise companies with respect to suspension and debarment matters
Represent a Fortune 100 company in acquisition diligence of government contracts
Conduct diligence on government contracts matters related to a potential transaction involving a defense contractor, including with respect to government data rights related to software
Represent a public company in government contracts-related matters in connection with the sale of the company
Credentials
- The George Washington University Law School, J.D. (with high honors), 2006
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A. (with honors in Political Science), 1999
- The George Washington University Law School, Performance of Government Contracts, Adjunct Professor, 2018–2024
- U.S. Department of Justice – Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, National Courts Section, 2013–2019
- Law Clerk to the Hon. Robert G. Doumar, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2006–2007
- Legal500 – Recognized for his work on disputes, bid protests, as well as internal, government, and FCA investigations.
- American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section, Public Contract Law Section
- Council, Past Member;
- Procurement Fraud & False Claims Committee, Co-Chair;
- Contracts Claims & Disputes Resolution Committee, Vice Chair;
- Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Data Protection Committee, Vice Chair
- Federal Bar Association, Qui Tam Section, Member; Education Committee, Member
- The Procurement Lawyer (ABA Public Contract Law Section), Executive Editor, August 2021–present; Associate Editor, 2019–2021
- Federal Circuit Bar Association, Vice Chair, Government Contracts Committee
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association, Member
- D.C. Bar Association Government Contracts Community, Steering Committee Co-Chair, 2019–2021
- District of Columbia
- New York
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- CLE EventApril 24, 2025Webcast
- Press ReleaseApril 14, 2025