I have just returned from Indian Country Business Summit in Norman, Oklahoma, where I enjoyed catching up some old friends and making some new ones.  This conference continues to grow every year–if you haven’t been yet, get it on your calendar for next year.  You won’t regret it.

Of course, like all of us, my thoughts this week have been with the citizens of Houston and elsewhere in Texas as they battle the horrible effects of Harvey. While Harvey dominated the news this week, there was still plenty happening in the world of government contracts.  This edition of SmallGovCon Week In Review brings articles on the end-of-the-year rush to nab contracting dollars, pending legislation to encourage agencies to “Buy American,” a look at the top 10 acquisition trends of FY 2017 and more.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend and stay safe, Houston.

• As the clock ticks down on FY 2017, an estimated $98 billion in federal agency contract obligations remains unspent. [Bloomberg Government]
• A family-owned paper manufacturer might have had the best government contract of all time that has lasted over 240 years, but could it be coming to an end? [Energy & Capital]
• A U.S. Senator has hopes of making it easier for domestic manufacturers to find out when federal agencies pick a foreign company to make a part that they say isn’t available domestically. [theday]
• The GAO has upheld a bid protest finding that the Labor Department had given an unfair advantage to one of the companies bidding on their nearly $100 million contract. [Federal News Radio]
• Federal Times takes a step back and assesses the contracting environmental trends that have emerged over the past year. [Federal Times]
• DHS is adding more rigor to vendor supply chains for a governmentwide cybersecurity initiative. [Federal News Radio]
• Bloomberg Government is reporting an 8% increase in total contract spending in FY2016 from FY2015. [Bloomberg Government]