For better or for worse, these federal procurement “times they are a-changin’.” One obvious source of recent change is the shiny new FAR 2.0, a.k.a. the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). With the government’s widespread implementation of the RFO and its many procurement rule and procedure updates, we at SmallGovCon have tried to cover as much as possible. But we’re talking about an essential rewrite of the decades-longstanding procurement playbook here. So unsurprisingly, there’s still a lot to go. One recent change well-worth some deeper discussion is the RFO’s updated “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)” Rule–which I’ve aptly deemed the “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)–or HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB” Rule. As the SBA’s “Once 8(a), Always 8(a)” Rule remains unchanged, this RFO update has the potential for significant impacts on small business federal contracting, as well as some implementation conflicts–or confusion at the least.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Nicole Pottroff
RES 2026 Conference: Rising Together, Las Vegas, NV, March 23-26, 2026
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) is Rising Together for the 2026 Reservation Economic Summit. The event features tribal leaders, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, state and local officials, and top CEOs on a national platform.
Our very own federal government contracts attorney and SmallGovCon contributor, Nicole Pottroff, is scheduled to be a panelist on the topic of Navigating the New Regulatory Landscape for Native-Owned Federal Contractors, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. – Milano Ballroom II, Caesars Palace. This panel will discuss ways organizations can navigate the changing regulatory rules in federal government contracting. If you are planning on attending this conference, please stop by and say hello to Nicole. Please use this link for more information about the conference and registration.
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 readingBack 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 readingBREAKING: SBA’s Newly-Released 8(a) Program Mandate with “Clarifying Guidance” Regarding Social Disadvantage Criteria Brings Far More Confusion Than “Clarity”
On January 22, 2026, SBA issued brand new “SBA Guidance” to its Office of Government Contracting and Business Development and its Office of Field Operations via a highly confusing 8(a) Program Mandate. On its Website, SBA labels it “Clarifying Guidance That Race-Based Discrimination is Not Tolerated in the 8(a) Program[,]” and further labels it the “Latest Action” in our Federal Government’s “Year-Long Effort to Dismantle DEI Discrimination, Expose Fraud, and Restore Fairness in Federal Contracting[.]” But no matter SBA’s intent behind it, this guidance does everything but clarify even a single aspect of SBA’s 8(a) Program eligibility rules and social disadvantage requirement.
Continue readingFive Tips for Surviving the End-of-Year 8(a) Program Audit
If you got an aggressive email from the SBA earlier this month requesting an awful lot of documentation and information in relation to your 8(a) Program participation—you are far from alone. SBA actually sent this December 5th email to about 4300 current and past 8(a) Program participants. And if you too found yourself reading and rereading SBA’s specific requests trying to determine exactly what the SBA is looking for—but to no avail—you are again far from alone. Now, we at SmallGovCon don’t have all the answers or any insider knowledge. But we offer you these five tips for surviving the 8(a) audit—based on our vast experience with the fundamentals of legal language interpretation and our expertise with the 8(a) Program regulations and standard operating procedures.
Continue readingGovCon FAQs: How Can I Maximize My Teammates’ Participation in Performing Larger Government Contracts?
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.
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