Our Blog
To help clients avoid risks and perform successfully in the hyper-competitive environment of government contracting, The Federal Government Contracts & Procurement Blog addresses current and future issues affecting federal contractors and procurement professionals in both the Washington, D.C., area and throughout the United States. It provides insight on the complex web of rules and regulations that govern the procurement process.
Recent Blog Posts
Federal Circuit’s Decision Provides Clear Warning for Non-Intervening Awardees to Protect Their Rights
A recent decision by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit provides clear guidance for contract awardees: violations of redaction requirements by protesters or other parties will not save a non-intervening awardee from its failure to protect its contract award. An awardee that chooses not to intervene in a bid protest needs to carefully... Continue Reading…More
No Harm, No Foul: GAO Reminds Protesters that Competitive Prejudice Must Be Shown When the Agency Waives a Material Solicitation Requirement
In J&J Maintenance, Inc., B-423821.2; B-423821.3 (April 20, 2026), the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) issued a decision that provides a helpful reminder for government contractors pursuing bid protests. In particular, the decision reinforces the principle that mere identification of a waived or relaxed material solicitation requirement is insufficient for GAO to sustain a protest. The... Continue Reading…More
CIRCIA Is Coming: What Government Contractors Need to Know About the Upcoming Cyber Incident Reporting Rules
The federal government’s most sweeping cyber incident reporting mandate is approaching its final stages, and government contractors across a wide range of industries should be paying close attention. The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022, known as CIRCIA, will require hundreds of thousands of organizations to report significant cyber incidents and ransomware... Continue Reading…More
History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Often Rhymes—The Administration Again Tries To Reshape Federal Contracting by Mandating Prioritization of Fixed-Price Contracts
President Trump’s administration has brought, and continues to bring, sweeping changes to the government contracting landscape. From the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul to promoting commercial purchasing and use of non-traditional contracting vehicles such as Other Transaction Agreements and Commercial Solutions Openings, contractors have been required to rapidly make changes and adjust to a significantly changing environment.... Continue Reading…More
Challenging a CICA Stay Override? The Federal Circuit Confirms You Don’t Need to Prove Irreparable Harm
In Life Science Logistics, LLC v. United States,[1] the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”) affirmed that a disappointed bidder challenging an agency’s override of a Competition in Contracting Act (“CICA”) stay must only show the override was arbitrary and capricious. The court rejected the government’s argument that the plaintiff must... Continue Reading…More
SBIR/STTR Program Reauthorized Through 2031: What Small Business Contractors Need to Know
On April 13th, 2026, President Trump signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, which amends the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 14A). The Act reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) and Small Business Technology Transfer (“STTR”) programs through September 30, 2031, while also creating new funding opportunities and enhancing applicant screening... Continue Reading…More
First DEI Settlement Under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Targets Conduct Pre-Dating the Current Administration
On April 10, 2026, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $17 million civil False Claims Act (“FCA”) settlement with IBM Corporation. This is the first FCA settlement reached under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which was created in May of 2025 and tasked with using the FCA as a tool to prosecute federal contractors... Continue Reading…More
FCA 101: Materiality
This is the fourth blog in a series on the False Claims Act (FCA), 31 USC §§ 3729, et seq., which targets any person that knowingly submits false claims for payment or false statements material to false claims to the US government. You can check out our previous posts here: part 1, part 2, and part... Continue Reading…More
Protecting Protest Rights When a Procurement Scandal Is Unfolding
New revelations are emerging almost daily regarding procurement irregularities during the last 14 months at the highest levels of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among other things, former Secretary Noem was featured in a $220 million advertising campaign that reportedly involved a large government contract with a Delaware company created only days before the... Continue Reading…More
Has GSA Adopted DOD’s CMMC Requirements?
If your organization handles Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) for the federal government, take note: the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has just raised the bar on compliance. On January 5, 2026, GSA published new requirements for contractors and other nonfederal entities that work with CUI, and unlike the Department of Defense’s (DOD) phased rollout of... Continue Reading…More
