Who We Serve — Northern Virginia & DC Metro

Legal Counsel for Government Contractors, Defense Primes, and Subcontractors

Counsel for Federal Contracting Matters Informed by 25 Years Inside the Industry.

Defense contractors, systems integrators, subcontractors, and government-focused businesses in Northern Virginia benefit from legal counsel grounded in the federal contracting system. Before founding The Heidt Law Firm, Alex Heidt spent 25 years in senior executive roles at Lockheed Martin, Harris Corporation, Alion Science and Technology, and Orbital Sciences — including $15B+ in M&A experience and business development operations across the defense and intelligence sectors. That experience now informs the firm’s legal work.

$15B+

M&A Experience as Senior Executive

25 Years

Senior Executive Experience — Lockheed Martin, Harris, Alion, Orbital Sciences

Cleared

Attorney — can engage directly on classified program matters

Both

Law firm & strategic advisory for legal and business needs

Why This Counsel Is Different

Legal Counsel Informed by Direct Operational Experience

Government contracts law involves the FAR, case law, and legal frameworks. Direct operational experience adds knowledge of how contracting officers make decisions, what source selection boards evaluate, how program offices respond to contractors in distress, and how major federal negotiations function from inside a defense prime. Alex Heidt brings that direct operating experience to the firm’s legal work.

The Cleared Attorney Advantage

The Heidt Law Firm is a cleared attorney practice. The firm can engage directly on classified program matters — classified contract issues, cleared facility compliance, national security-adjacent disputes, and the legal questions that arise in programs requiring clearance to discuss. For defense primes and cleared subcontractors, this means the factual context does not need to be sanitized before legal advice is provided.

Legal Services for Government Contractors

What The Heidt Law Firm Handles for Defense Contractors and Government-Focused Businesses

FAR & DFARS Compliance

Prime and subcontractor compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement — flow-down clause analysis, compliance program structure, and regulatory risk assessment across the full contract lifecycle.

Bid Protests

Bid protest representation at the GAO, the Court of Federal Claims, and at the agency level — challenging defective solicitations, improper evaluations, flawed source selections, and other procurement irregularities that cost contractors contract awards.

Contract Disputes Act Claims & REAs

Requests for equitable adjustment and Contract Disputes Act claims for additional compensation, schedule relief, and termination settlements — drafted, certified, and litigated through the boards of contract appeals and the Court of Federal Claims.

Terminations for Default & Convenience

Defense of terminations for default — converting default terminations to terminations for convenience, challenging the government’s basis for termination, and protecting contractor rights when the government moves to terminate. Termination for convenience settlement negotiations.

Teaming Agreements & Subcontractor Disputes

Teaming agreement drafting and enforcement, subcontract flow-down disputes, scope-of-work conflicts between primes and subs, and the work-share disputes that arise after award when the teaming relationship breaks down.

Defense Sector M&A Due Diligence

Legal due diligence for defense contractor acquisitions — contract portfolio review, backlog analysis, compliance risk assessment, cleared facility and personnel issues, and the government consent requirements that govern change-of-ownership in defense sector transactions.

Representative Results

What Government Contractor Representation Looks Like in Practice

Case Study — Federal Contract Termination

Termination Resolved on a Government Contract in Afghanistan

A U.S. defense contractor faced imminent termination on a government contract in Afghanistan. Alex Heidt — at the time serving as Senior Vice President — intervened directly, restructured the contractor’s performance approach, and engaged the contracting officer and program office on the basis of operational realities. The termination was resolved and program work continued. That experience informs every government contracts matter the firm now handles: legal position and operational reality must be addressed simultaneously.

Case Study — Post-Acquisition Value Recovery

Hidden Contract Value Identified — NASA IDIQ Restructured Within 30 Days

Following Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of OAO Corporation, Alex Heidt identified hidden contract value the acquisition team had not surfaced. He then restructured the NASA IDIQ contract that had been underperforming at the time of acquisition, with restructuring completed within 30 days of taking operational control. The same analytical discipline informs legal due diligence, contract analysis, and REA development in the firm’s government contracts practice.

Cleared Attorney Practice

Classified Program Legal Representation

The Heidt Law Firm Is a Cleared Attorney Practice

For defense contractors with classified programs, the inability to share the full factual context with legal counsel is a meaningful limitation. The Heidt Law Firm’s cleared status addresses that limitation. The firm can engage directly on the classified dimensions of a legal matter — classified contract disputes, cleared facility compliance issues, personnel security matters, and national security-adjacent legal questions — without requiring the client to sanitize the conversation or omit the facts that drive the legal analysis. For primes and subcontractors working on classified programs, the cleared attorney capability supports legal advice that accounts for the full situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Government Contractors — Common Questions

What is the basis for The Heidt Law Firm's government contracts practice?

The foundational element is direct operational experience. Alex Heidt spent 25 years as a Senior Vice President in defense contracting roles at Lockheed Martin, Harris Corporation, and Alion Science and Technology before becoming an attorney. He participated in $15B+ in M&A experience, ran business development operations, managed program performance, and made the decisions that contractors now bring to The Heidt Law Firm as legal questions. The advice draws on that direct executive experience.

Yes. The Heidt Law Firm represents both prime contractors and subcontractors, including in disputes between primes and subs. The legal issues facing subcontractors — flow-down clause interpretation, scope disputes with primes, payment disputes, work-share conflicts after award, and the enforcement of teaming agreements — are a significant part of the government contracts practice. In matters involving prime-subcontractor disputes, the firm does not represent both parties simultaneously and evaluates conflicts of interest before engagement.

Yes. The Heidt Law Firm has specific experience with 8(a) certification, Native Hawaiian Organization contracting under FAR 19.14, Alaska Native Corporation structures, and the full range of small business set-aside programs. When a client’s NHO 8(a) application had been denied repeatedly, Alex identified the structural defects, redrafted the application package, and obtained SBA approval in 45 days. See the firm’s dedicated 8(a), Native American & NHO Law page for more.

Yes — through a separate practice. Heidt Strategic Advisors is a business consulting practice (not a law firm) that provides BD pipeline development, capture planning, government contracting growth strategy, M&A targeting, and executive coaching for defense contractors and government-focused companies. Many clients engage both the law firm for legal matters and the advisory practice for strategic business questions. See the Strategic Advisory overview page for details.

Legal Counsel for Government Contractors and Defense Primes.

Schedule a consultation with The Heidt Law Firm to discuss FAR compliance, bid protests, contract disputes, terminations, teaming and subcontractor matters, or defense sector M&A due diligence.