March Madness is here!  I hope your brackets are doing well.  So far, mine haven’t been “busted,” but Notre Dame looked mighty shaky in that opening-round win over Princeton.

While I get ready for tomorrow’s games with my Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks, I’m keeping an eye on the latest and greatest (or not so great) in government contracting. In this week’s SmallGovCon Week In Review, the GAO releases a major report on the state of government contracting, an IT contractor will pay $45 million to resolve claims of overcharging the government, the SBA proposes to terminate a nonmanufacturer rule class waiver, and more.

• A revised National Institute of Standards and Technology guideline raises the risk profile of merger and acquisition deals and presents challenges. [Signal]
• Because the statute of limitations had expired, a federal judge threw out charges against two men accused of falsely claiming a construction company they operated was headed by a service-disabled veteran. [ArkansasOnline]
• The Federal Acquisition Service closed Schedule 75 for what it claimed would be just 24 months, but over six years later Schedule 75 remains closed to new offers. [Federal News Radio]
• The Government Accountability Office released a 66-page report that dives into the state of federal contracting and where those federal dollars are being spent. [Government Executive]
• An IT contractor will pay $45 million to resolve allegations of overcharging the GSA for software licenses and maintenance. [FCW]
• A proposed rule by the VA will amend and update various aspects of the VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR). [Federal Register]
• A retired Navy admiral is among nine people indicted in a major bribery scandal. [Federal News Radio]
• The SBA is proposing to terminate the nonmanufacturer rule class waiver for rubber gloves. [Federal Register]