March has arrived, and March Madness will be here soon. With the Kansas Jayhawks looking like a top seed and my Duke Blue Devils sitting at Number 14 in the Coaches Poll, I’m hoping to be watching my teams a lot this month.

While we await conference tournaments and Selection Sunday, it’s time for the SmallGovCon Week In Review.  This week’s edition is packed with the latest developments in government contracting, including guilty pleas from seven defendants accused of contract fraud, questions about the Trump administration’s position on category management, the Federal Times takes a look at which agencies will have the most follow-on work up for grabs in 2017, and much more.

• A recent report from Onvia predicts several factors will continue to drive growth in government spending including President Trump’s proposed $1 trillion, 10-year infrastructure initiative. [Federal Times]
• Linda McMahon is committed to keeping the SBA intact but will be taking a hard look at the loan programs it offers. [Forbes]
• Could total acquisition cost be the missing link in measuring, assessing, and ultimately, reforming the procurement system to deliver best value mission support for customer agencies and the American people? [Federal News Radio]
• An Air Force Master Sergeant has been sentenced to 23 months in prison and $126,300 in restitution after accepting a kickback in exchange for a contract award. [United States Department of Justice]
• The Departments of Education, State and the Army are among those with the most documented bids for contracts expiring in 2017, providing industry with actionable insight on just how competitive the procurement process will be. [Federal Times]
• Without knowing whether the Trump administration will support category management, the federal government continues to use its immense buying power to drive down acquisition costs. [Nextgov]
• The Office of Personnel Management’s National Background Investigations Bureau is almost five months old and is already embroiled in its first bid protest. [Federal News Radio]
• Seven defendants have pleaded guilty to obtaining money from the United States by making false representations and false claims to the Department of Defense for payment on items that were substituted with unauthorized products. [United States Department of Justice]
• Even though a  North Carolina-based defense contractor defrauded the U.S. government of more than $13.6 million dollars over the course of a decade, the government continues to do business with it. [The Virginian-Pilot]