SAM.gov is something every federal government contractor has to deal with for actions like searching solicitations and registering to be a federal contractor. As every federal contractor wanting to do business with the federal government has to register on SAM, the questionnaires on SAM must cover a wide array of different possible businesses and business structures. As much as SAM tries to make sure to cover all the possibilities, inevitably, there are some questions that could have so many answers that contractors will often have their own questions about how to answer them properly. One of the most common questions that come up from contractors during SAM registration is “what do I put for Immediate Owner on SAM?” or “what does Highest-Level Owner mean?”
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Formal Revolution: FAR Council Releases Proposed Formal Rules to Start RFO Rulemaking Process
The FAR Council has released its first batch of proposed rules to amend the Federal Register to implement the changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the executive order on Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. In this post, we will provide an overview of how the RFO is being implemented as part of the formal rulemaking process. Overall, the proposed regulation seems to follow the vast majority of the proposed language that was already issued under the RFO. We’ve discussed some of those changes in past blog posts. For background, our earlier posts regarding various aspects of the RFO can be found here: Executive Order, Overview of FAR 2.0, FAR Part 6, FAR Part 19 and the Once 8(a) Rule under Part 19, FAR Part 12, FAR Part 15, FAR Part 33, . But this post notes some changes as compared to the original version of the RFO.
Continue readingGAO Recommends Practicing Mindfulness When Solicitation Terms Cover Multiple Evaluation Factors
Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all simply click “accept” on all those different terms and conditions for software, despite not actually reading the actual terms. GAO in a recent decision reminded agencies and contractors to not let that habit happen when you read the terms of a procurement. In that recent GAO decision, there was a long history of protests, which resulted in an amendment to the solicitation. At first glance, the amendment and proposal revision restrictions tied to it may have made sense, but upon protest, GAO found the limitations on proposal revisions were improper, due to the amendment impacting more than the one factor which was open for revisions.
Continue readingBack to Basics: Requests for Equitable Adjustment
As any contractor knows, there is no amount of preparation that can ensure a project goes exactly as planned. And unfortunately, when the unexpected happens, contractors may face increased costs, schedule delays, and other obstacles outside of their control. A request for equitable adjustment (or REA) affords contractors the opportunity to seek compensation or additional time for unforeseen conditions. This post will explore REAs and when to consider using such an approach.
Continue readingGovCon FAQs: My Contract Was Terminated For Convenience, What Do I Do?
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” is an adage that many of us repeat in our conversations, but we never expect the worst to actually happen. For federal contractors, one of the worst things that could happen is having a contract terminated–even if the termination is for convenience. Even if you prepare for the worst, the question inevitably becomes, what do I do now? In this GovCon FAQ, we will discuss terminations for convenience and what steps to take after receiving the dreaded termination notice.
Continue readingFAR 2.0 Update: Deviations and FAR Companion Guide
SmallGovCon readers may have read up on recent posts regarding the the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, or simply RFO. For background, our earlier posts regarding various aspects of the RFO can be found here: Executive Order, Overview of FAR 2.0, FAR Part 6, FAR Part 19, FAR Part 12, FAR Part 15, FAR Part 33.
While the drumbeat of new FAR part revisions ended in October 2025, the RFO has not gone away. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite. The RFO revisions have now been adopted by many federal agencies as deviations, including the Department of Defense/War (DoW). Here is an update on the deviations and the FAR Companion guide.
Continue readingYear in Review: Top SmallGovCon Posts of 2025
Hello, SmallGovCon readers! As we do each year, this post revisits the most popular SmallGovCon articles that were posted in 2025, as well as the most popular all-time posts in 2025. As we move deeper into 2026, I look to reflect on these important and well-liked posts from 2025.
Below, we summarize the blogs written in 2025 that were the most visited as well as the perennial favorites from years past that were the most read in 2025. It’s a good chance to look back on the important articles from 2025, and those topics of continuing interest to federal contractors. While there are exceptions, chances are that those topics that were of high interest in 2025 will carry on into 2026.
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