Category Archives: Federal Government Contracting

SmallGovCon Week in Review: April 27-May 1, 2026

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Happy May Day! May Day, celebrated on May 1st, traces back to old European traditions marking the arrival of warmer weather, complete with dancing around the maypoles. In some places, people still leave little baskets of flowers (called “May baskets”) on neighbors’ doorsteps as a surprise. Here’s hoping someone surprises you today with a basket on your doorstep. It’s also Law Day, when we celebrate the rule of law in our country. While there are no baskets of flowers, feel free to appreciate a lawyer today. Have a great weekend!

And here’ s what’s happening in federal government contracting this week: problems with classified contracts, issues with following Buy American rules, and efforts to reduce fraud.

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OMB Continues Push for Commercial Products and Services

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In Spring 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14271, titled “Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions for Federal Contracts” which informed agencies that they should emphasize procuring commercially available products and services as much as possible. Fast forward a year later, and it would seem the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) is not seeing the push for utilizing commercially available products and services they expected among federal agencies. So a few weeks ago, almost a year to the day of President Trumps 2025 Executive Order, OMB issued a memo to federal agencies driving home the points of President Trump’s 2025 Executive Order and placing reporting requirements on agencies, which could effect the direction of future possible procurements across federal contracting.

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A Reversal in Course? SBA Rescinds Several 8(a) Suspension Notices

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As you may recall, this past December, SBA launched a massive audit of the 8(a) Program, in which 8(a) participants were required to submit a long list of financial documents for review. Many feared it was the beginning of the end of the 8(a) Program when several 8(a) Participants were hit with suspension notifications earlier this year. Most of these suspensions were a result of SBA’s review of the documents collected during the December data call. The basis was often a claimed failure of these participants to submit all the data asked for. However, as provided for in 13 C.F.R. § 124.305(c), these participants had the opportunity to appeal these suspensions, and many of them took that opportunity. In several cases, it turns out that SBA itself decided that its suspension was unnecessary, and rescinded those actions. Today, we’ll look at this development.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review; April 20-24, 2026

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Happy Friday! Everything seems a bit more in motion with the longer days of spring, including the feds. It’s been another active week in the federal government contracting world. We’ve included some articles below highlighting what’s been in the news this week. Key stories include a push for more commercial procurement from OMB, and reactions to the EOs barring DEI activities by contractors.

We hope you have a great weekend.

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SmallGovCon Week in Review: April 13-17, 2026

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Happy Friday! We’re keeping a close watch on the skies lately as we’ve some severe spring storms lately. This time of year can bring some intense weather across Kansas, so things can turn unpredictable quickly. Wherever you are, we hope the weather is kind and that you stay safe.

Things can sometime get unpredictable in federal contracting too. Now, here’s what’s happening this week in federal government contracting news: the continuing rumblings of AI and cybersecurity are big topics in procurement, along with the FY 2027 budget process.

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Back to Basics: The Two-Year Rule

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Something we get asked about a lot with regards to joint ventures is the two-year rule (not to be confused with the “Rule of Two,” which concerns contract set-asides).  We have explored this rule in the past on a few occasions, however, it has been a little while since the last such post and it’s been a perennial issue for contractors that we talk to. As such, it would be helpful to have a refresher on this rule, which may help clear up some of those questions.

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Event Announcement: GovCon Roundup Live, Teaming Agreements, April 15, 2026

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We’d like to invite you to a great interactive virtual event coming up — and it’s completely free. 

On April 15th, Carroll Bernard and Steven Koprince are hosting Episode 9 of GovCon Roundup Live, and the topic is one that trips up contractors at every stage: teaming. Our very own, federal government contracts attorney, Nicole Pottroff, will be contributing her thoughts to the discussion.

Whether you’ve never heard the term or you’ve been navigating teaming agreements for years, this session will give you something useful. 

Here’s what they will cover:

  • What teaming really means in the federal marketplace and why agencies love it
  • The most common teaming structures — prime/sub arrangements and joint ventures — and when each one makes sense
  • Why contractors are willing to take on the complexity of joint ventures (and what they get in return)
  • How teaming opens the door to larger contracts, stronger proposals, and new markets
  • The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program — including a little-known rule exemption that gives small businesses a real competitive edge

Bring your questions to the live Q&A at the end of the show. Register here.

GovCon Roundup Live Recordings: Streaming here.