SmallGovCon Week in Review: December 8-12, 2025

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Shane McCall

It’s time for another edition of the SmallGovCon week in review. We hope that all of our readers had a productive week. For many (myself included), this week is the time for holiday concerts and performances, including the fabled Nutcracker performance. The Lawrence Arts Center does a Kansas-themed performance that is well-loved by all who watch. There is a grand holiday party and then a dream sequence that takes up the latter part of the ballet. I imagine some 8(a) contractors are wishing the current actions taken against them were also part of a dream sequence. Alas, they are not and those businesses should do their best to respond to all 8(a) inquiries as much as they can.

This week saw some big updates on the 8(a) front, with both SBA and Congress putting pressure on 8(a) contractors, as well as additional calls for centralization and shared services.

Back to Basics: Covenant Against Contingent Fees

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Annie Birney

Federal contractors are generally familiar with the many FAR provisions listed in a solicitation or contract. So, it can be tempting to simply gloss over these pages of the solicitation, absentmindedly checking off the right box or signing off on the required representations without familiarizing yourself with each provision–or the consequences that come if each is violated. But naturally, we don’t recommend a cursory review. And one important FAR provision contractors should definitely familiarize themselves with is the Covenant Against Contingent Fees (FAR 52.203-5)–as the consequences of violating that one can be rather grave.

BREAKING: SBA Launches an End of Year 8(a) Program Audit

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Gregory Weber

8(a) Program participants received an early holiday surprise from the SBA’s 8(a) Program this past week. A mass request was sent out to 8(a) Program participants and some graduates requesting extensive (mostly financial) internal documentation so that the SBA could audit the program for any potential fraud, waste, or abuse. While the need to protect taxpayer funds and the 8(a) Program are fundamentally important, such a sudden wide ranging document request came as a surprise to many across federal contracting. The SBA’s explanation provided some insight for this broad request.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: December 1-5, 2025

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday and happy December! We hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with friends and family. We all enjoyed our Thanksgiving break and it left us energized for winter and the holiday season. The holiday lights are up here in downtown Lawrence, Kansas and everything is looking very festive. As we start the final month of the year we hope you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. Have a great weekend!

This week in federal government contracting news included updates on the federal workforce and IT and technology specific procurement actions and rules.

FAR 2.0 Update: Part 15 – Contracting By Negotiation

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Shane McCall

As most federal contractors have heard, the Federal Acquisition Regulation is undergoing a major overhaul. FAR 2.0, commonly referred to as the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (or just the “RFO”), is the responsibility of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council). Initiated by Executive Order 14275, the new FAR 2.0 process has been going quickly, with lots of proposed revisions.

Our earlier posts regarding the RFO can be found here: Executive Order, Overview of FAR 2.0, FAR Part 6, FAR Part 19, FAR Part 12.

Work continues over at the OFPP and FAR Council, and today we’re covering some of their most substantial changes yet: Part 15 – Contracting by Negotiation.

Happy Thanksgiving from SmallGovCon!

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Shane McCall

As we dive into another Thanksgiving season, we wanted to say thank you to all of our wonderful readers who make SmallGovCon such a nice place to write for. We love receiving your comments and questions. Whether you’ve been here for years or just stumbled in recently, we appreciate you. We hope your day is filled with good food, good company, and good cheer. Happy Thanksgiving!

GovCon FAQs: How Can I Maximize My Teammates’ Participation in Performing Larger Government Contracts?

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Nicole Pottroff

Most federal contractors are well-aware of the potential benefits of using one of the FAR-prescribed teaming options to perform government contracts. But one question we get a lot from small business federal contractors is how to most effectively utilize those teaming options (i.e., how to maximize team participation) on larger government contracts within the bounds and limitations of the law. And luckily, we’ve got a formula for that.