Back in October and November 2025, with the Department of Defense putting some finishing touches on the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) Program, we explored the contours of that program and what it means for contractors like you. During this same timeframe, we were not the only ones reviewing the CMMC Program. The GAO also has been in the process of conducting a review of the CMMC Program and recently released its findings. In a report titled, “Defense Contractor Cybersecurity: DOD Should Address External Factors That Could Impede Program Implementation,” GAO’s position on the CMMC Program is pretty clear: Good but needs tweaking. Today, we’ll take a look at those findings and how they might affect the CMMC Program going forward.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 16-20, 2026
Happy Friday! Well, March Madness is off to an exciting start! Here at SmallGovCon, we have our brackets locked in and are having a lot of fun talking basketball. If you have a dog in the hunt, we hope you are enjoying the hopeful journey to the championship along with us. There’s nothing quite like this time of year—the buzzer-beaters, the unexpected upsets, and the camaraderie of cheering on your favorite picks. Whether you’re tracking every game or just in it for the fun, we hope you have a wonderful weekend and an absolutely “mad” March!
Turning to recent federal government contracting news, the NCAA tournament teams are clearly not the only ones applying some full court press right now. As you can see from this week’s articles, the federal government also continues to apply pressure in implementing its recent efficiency and consolidation-based initiatives. This includes: new HR services sharing from the OPM, seeking to streamline agencies’ back-office capabilities; new GSA goals to use acquisition as “a primary lever for Section 508 compliance”; the Army’s consolidation of its 120 Anduril contracts together into a single (potentially $20 billion) enterprise agreement; AI’s continued journey into various aspects of our federal procurement system; even some insight into DOGE itself, as well as its early days of pressure campaigns; and so much more. So, buckle up for some March Madness both on and off the basketball court!
Continue reading…GovCon FAQs: My Contract Was Terminated For Convenience, What Do I Do?
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” is an adage that many of us repeat in our conversations, but we never expect the worst to actually happen. For federal contractors, one of the worst things that could happen is having a contract terminated–even if the termination is for convenience. Even if you prepare for the worst, the question inevitably becomes, what do I do now? In this GovCon FAQ, we will discuss terminations for convenience and what steps to take after receiving the dreaded termination notice.
Continue reading…Webinar Announcement: Protests in Federal Contracting: What Contractors Need to Know
Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC partner Nicole Pottroff will be joining the GovCon Roundup Crew to discuss bid protests tomorrow at March 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Be sure to join them to learn when a bid protest might be a strategic choice for federal contractors to make, and how to respond to bid protests.
Do you know your rights when the government gets procurement wrong? Join Nicole Pottroff, Carroll Bernard, and Steven Koprince on the next GovCon Roundup Live for a 90-minute deep dive into bid protests — one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) tools in federal contracting.
Continue reading…Back to Basics: GSA CTAs
A “GSA CTA” is a special type of Contractor-Teaming Arrangement (CTA) used only for performing Government Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts. As detailed in FAR subpart 8.4, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), GSA CTAs provide a unique teaming opportunity solely for MAS contract-holders and a unique teaming structure somewhere in between FAR subpart 9.6‘s two standard federal contract teaming options: subcontracting and joint venturing. Let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: March 9-13, 2026
Happy Friday the 13th…again! This time of year, that Friday feeling hits even better because March Madness is right around the corner. Around these parts, with the original rules of basketball down the road (!), we are looking forward to the onset of March Madness. Even if you don’t have a favorite team, you can always root for your favorite mascot. Enjoy the weekend and here’s hoping your favorite team makes a run for the championship title.
And now, this week in federal government contracting, updates including increased use of AI and getting more technology experts into the government.
Continue reading…OHA: NAICS Code Should be Diagnostic Imaging, Not Physicians Office
In the world of government contracting, most contractors consider protests in the context of bid, size, or status protests. As we’ve discussed before, however, there is another highly useful tool in the toolbox for contractors: the NAICS code appeal. When leveraged correctly, the NAICS code appeal can be quite effective for small businesses in securing a favorable outcome. That said, a recent SBA OHA decision shows that the burden of proof on a NAICS code protester requires some potentially heavy lifting. Today we’re diving into that decision to help clarify what it takes to successfully appeal the NAICS code designation in a federal solicitation, and thereby help determine whether this particular approach is the right one for your business.
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