Category Archives: Federal Government Contracting

SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 7-11, 2026

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Happy Friday! It’s sunflower season here in Kansas—our state flower—and the sunflowers were at peak bloom over Labor Day weekend. The hot weather didn’t seem to bother them, and it certainly didn’t keep people from coming out to enjoy the beautiful fields this year. It’s a great place to remember how beautiful the world can be. If you have a sunflower field near you, I encourage you to take some time to go see them.

As you head into the weekend, here is our roundup of the latest in federal contracting news.

This week in federal government contracting included stories about the savings from contract cancellations and a continued push for AI use by the federal government.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 31- September 4

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Happy September! We’ve kicked off the month with some very hot days here, but we know the seasons will soon change and cooler fall weather will be here before we know it. We hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend and have plenty of time to relax and spend time with friends and family. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and a great start to September!.

This week in federal government contracting included important stories related to a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown, and a report that purported saved costs from last year’s contract terminations may not be as large as touted.

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SBA Proposes Monumental Changes to Small Business Size Standards (Part 2)

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As we discussed last week, on August 19, 2026, SBA proposed what can only be described as a complete shift in the paradigm of the small business size standards. In the first part of our review of these changes, we looked at the actual planned size standards themselves and how massive of a jump they represent from the norm. In that post, we also mentioned that SBA is proposing to simplify and combine several NAICS codes, as well as move several NAICS codes from receipts-based to employee-based size standards. Today, we’re going to explore this latter observation.

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Free Webinar! SBA Mentor-Protégé Programs, September 16, hosted by El Paso APEX Accelerators

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Touted as a “game-changer” when it was first introduced in 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program isn’t new anymore. Known now as simply the “SBA Mentor-Protégé Program,” it is still extremely useful for large and small contractors alike.

Government contracts attorney and SmallGovCon contributor, Gregory Weber, will explain the ins and outs of the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program, covering the program’s eligibility requirements, its various benefits (including the ability to form special mentor-protégé joint ventures), the application process, and common misconceptions and pitfalls. Additionally, he will provide an introduction to the even older DoD Mentor-Protégé Program, which set the stage for the SBA’s program, and compare the two programs.

Register here.

Week in Review: August 24-28, 2026

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Happy Friday! Somehow, it’s already the end of August. The days are still warm, but we are looking forward to some fall weather and football games. Make sure to enjoy the last days of summer before Labor Day arrives. We hope you have a great weekend.

This week in federal government contracting included stories related to the monumental SBA size standard proposal (that we discussed here) and GSA highlighting procurement fraud.

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SBA Proposes Monumental Changes to Small Business Size Standards (Part 1)

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Every few years, SBA updates its size standards for small businesses. In most years, these updates, while notable, are not groundshaking, and usually just account for inflation. That cannot be said of the most recent proposed changes. We do not use hyperbole here, but, sometimes, emphatic language must be used. SBA is proposing what can only be described as absolutely massive changes to its size standards for small business contracting. On August 19, 2026, SBA released its proposal for what can only be described as a new size standard paradigm. We explore these in greater detail here, and plan on one or more follow-up posts as there are multiple aspects of the system that would be changed if the proposal is finalized.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 17-21, 2026

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Happy Friday! I recently returned from the 2026 National APEX Accelerator Alliance – NAPEX conference in Orlando. It’s always a great event and this year was no exception. The venue was wonderful and a great space for interacting with many enthusiastic NAPEX counselors and people in the procurement industry. I was able to say hi to a lot of the great NAPEX folks. And I presented on the complex topic of domestic preference rules. Thanks to the NAPEX team for a great event!

This week in federal contracting news included a proposed SBA rule to revamp size standards and some thoughts on a revised GSA AI clause.

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