We use the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), the vendor registration system created for the entire Federal Government. A SAM.gov registration is required for creating a contract with the office. Please register for SAM.gov HERE (hotlink to https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration). If you have any questions about the registration process please contact the SAM.gov Federal Helpdesk at 1-866-606-8220.

Before entering into a contract, a member of the legal staff will make contact for a consultation regarding the services necessary to complete a current case. This consultation cannot be billed for, as a valid contract is required prior to billable services. Once your consultation is complete, the office’s Contracting Officer will contact you with further details. The office is prohibited from signing contracts that do not use or include Form AO 380. The AO 380 supersedes any other contractual agreement made with the office.

The Contracting Officer is the only staff member who can engage in contractual agreements. Any contract not signed by the Contracting Officer is not valid and no verbal agreements with anyone other than the Contracting Officer will be considered valid. The office is not responsible for services performed without a signed contract from the Contracting Officer.

You must be registered for SAM.gov to contract with the office. Please see the New Vendors section above for more information.

When contracting with the office, you are agreeing to act as our agent and employee for the purposes of the attorney-client privilege. In connection with your employment, all communications between you and our client, as well as communications between you and any attorney, agent, expert, or other employee acting on the behalf of the office be confidential and made solely for the purpose of assisting counsel and giving legal advice to the client.

All information about a case is considered confidential and written permission from the Federal Public Defender must be granted before sharing any such information with any third party, for any reason.

Send all invoices to NCW_Invoice@FD.org. All payments are made via Electronic Funds Transfers (ETF). We no longer issue payments via a U.S. Treasury check. All invoices must adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Invoices cannot contain line items dated before your contract’s signature date.
  • If you provide medical or mental health services, please do not use the client’s name or any other personally identifying information on invoices. Reference the contract number.
  • The office is prohibited from paying for any item or service that has not yet been received.
  • Your contract is for an hourly rate and completed work must be invoiced in this manner. Flat fees for services, or certain aspects of services, cannot be reimbursed.
  • Contract language pertaining to the Not to Exceed amount, “which includes daily fees and expenses,” means that the office assumes that daily fees and expenses are already calculated within your hourly rate.
  • Please mark invoices that complete your contractual services with “Final.” If the office receives an invoice that indicates it is the final invoice for this particular contract, the contract, and funding will be terminated.
  • The office will not pay invoices that are greater than the contract "Not to Exceed" amount. If additional services are requested by the office, then your contract will be modified, upon approval. If you have not received a contract modification – amounts exceeding the contractual agreement will not be paid.

See the Service Related Travel section for details on travel and how it must be invoiced.

There is a four level approval process for invoice payments and while most payments are made and received in 10 business days from the time of receipt, payment should be expected within 30 calendar days of receipt. After 30 days have passed, please contact the financial administrator for further information.

If you are having an issue receiving payment, please contact William Moormann William_moormann@fd.org 704-374-0720

In some cases, travel is necessary to perform the office’s requested expert services. All billable travel must adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Lodging, transportation, and food are not covered, under any circumstance, unless there is prior approval and explicit approval in the contact.
  • Food items cannot be reimbursed unless there is an authorized overnight stay needed to complete your requested work.
  • Mileage reimbursement can only be authorized for trips with one-way travel greater than 30.00 miles from your place of business, using Google Maps, taking the shortest distance. This is at the discretion of the Federal Public Defender and is not automatically included in funding or a contract, unless explicitly stated.
  • Travel reimbursement costs are included in the “Not to Exceed” amount in the contract, and the office is not obligated to pay any amount in excess of the “Not to Exceed” ceiling stated in the contract.
  • Mileage reimbursement cannot exceed the current government rate, found HERE (hotlink to https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/transportation-airfare-pov-etc/privately-owned-vehicle-pov-mileage-reimbursement-rates)
  • Reimbursement for travel is for costs incurred, capped at the government rate, and receipts must be provided for all travel related items included on your invoice. The government rates for food and lodging vary depending on location, rates for specific locations can be found HERE (hotlink to https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates?gsaredirect=portalcategory)
  • Receipts for food are required to be separate from lodging receipts and must be itemized.

To ensure that your travel will be reimbursed, please consult with William Moormann William_moormann@fd.org 704 237 0720 prior to making any travel arrangements.