Author Archives: Shane McCall

FAR 2.0 Update: Part 6 – Competition

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Many federal contractors have heard about the revamping of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Variously called FAR 2.0, the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, or simply RFO, this project has been undertaken by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council). An executive order got the ball rolling, setting forth the mandate to create FAR 2.0 by October 12, 2025. We wrote about it in our earlier post, and described it as two parallel tracks. Track 1 involves a rewrite into “plain language” and removing non-statutory and unnecessary content. Track 2 involves the development of the non-mandatory guidelines to guide procurement officials.

The revision of the FAR sections has continued over the past few months, with the most recent proposed revisions being released on September 4, 2025. In this post, we’ll review a proposed revision that seems to make some significant changes to the language: Part 6 – Competition Requirements.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 1-5, 2025

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Happy Friday and happy September! We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. It’s that time of year when everything starts to shift. The chill in the air and the marketing of pumpkin spice fills your social media feeds. My kids are back in school and football is back in session as well. Hope you had a great first week of September.

Speaking of shifting, federal government contracting news included a fall target for FAR updates, potential changes to SBIR rules, as well as the unwanted specter of a government shutdown.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 25-29, 2025

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Happy Friday and happy Labor Day weekend! Labor Day was established to honor the hard work and achievements of American workers. It originated in the late 19th century during a time of growing labor movements advocating for fair wages, safe working conditions, and reasonable hours. Today, it not only pays tribute to those efforts but also marks the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of the fall season. We hope you enjoy a day of rest, barbecues, and time with family!

This week in federal government contracting, take a look at stories highlighting the FAR overhaul, reduced peer review for Army procurements, and increasing use of AI.

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Check out SmallGovCon’s own Nicole Pottroff on the T.W.I.G. Podcast Discussing 8(a) Program Updates

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Partner Nicole Pottroff recently appeared on the GovGenie This Week in Government Contracting (T.W.I.G.) Podcast. The topic was Navigating New SBA 8(a) Rules: What You Need to Know. It was a great time speaking with the hosts of that podcast, including Abraham Xiong. Check out this important information for those who are interested or currently in the SBA’s 8(a) Program, including a rundown of recent changes to the 8(a) Program.

Here is the link so you can check out the full recording.

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Govology Webinar: Avoiding Common Bid Protest Mistakes, September 11, 2025

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Bid protests are an unavoidable part of federal contracting—and they seem to be happening more often as competition grows. What many contractors don’t realize is that the outcome of a protest is often determined before it’s even filed. Understanding the rules, timelines, and procedures is critical to protecting your company’s chances.

In this focused course, federal government contracting attorneys John Holtz and Gregory Weber will break down the most common mistakes contractors make during the protest process—and how to avoid them.

Key topics include:

  • The difference between bid protests and size/status protests
  • What pre-bid protests are and why they matter
  • Critical deadlines and how debriefs affect them
  • How to get the most from a debrief
  • Frequent pitfalls that can hurt the protest success

Please join us for this informative Govology webinar by registering here.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 18-22, 2025

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Happy Friday! It’s beginning to look like the Fall season is upon us, with the kids going back to school and football season starting. Our college town is buzzing with activities as the students arrive to start the semester. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and can catch a game or two.

This week in federal government contracting, take a look at articles showing potential GSA acquisitions for an AI procurement system, increased use of best in class contracts, and new cybersecurity requirements.

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SBA Aims to Streamline SBIC Program, Make Investment Easier

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For years, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has run a program for Small Business Investment Companies (or SBICs) to, in part, allow for “low-cost, government-backed capital that you can use to increase private investments in U.S. small businesses.” For small business federal contractors, there is also an affiliation benefit that applies to SBICs. But, we have often heard from clients and others that it is not straightforward to work with an SBIC. Today, we look at a rule recently proposed by SBA that aims to make the SBIC program more flexible and easier to work with, entitled “Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Regulatory Amendments.”

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