As I drove into work today, the redbuds are in full bloom. The purple flowers are the first to appear, after a long, cold winter and it’s a pretty sight and a sure sign that spring is here. Hope you are able to enjoy some nice spring weather this weekend and immerse yourself in the beauty in your part of the world.

But before you start the weekend, catch up on some key news in the federal contracting world. This included contractors anticipating the next big spending bill, new picks for leaders at DoD acquisition and GSA, and DoD seeing increased interest in its Defense Innovation Unit.

Hard to believe it, but March has come and gone and now we’re one quarter of the way through 2021! As you try and figure out where the year has gone this weekend, peruse these government contracting updates that reflect on what has occurred and what could happen during the rest of 2021.

Some of the key stories this week included a DOD review of CMMC, the PPP Extension Act, and an extension on for expiring SAM.gov registrations.

Our hometown Jayhawks basketball team didn’t fare so well in the NCAA tournament. That’s alright; spring is right around the corner. And with it some nice weather across the country. Hope you are able to enjoy the outdoors this weekend.

But before the weekend arrives, this week brought some interesting updates in government contracting, including the details on the regulatory freeze from the Biden administration, IT modernization developments, and preparing for a CMMC assessment.

March Madness begins today and as residents of a city where basketball reigns supreme (Lawrence, Kansas) I can tell you that we are all beyond excited about the NCAA tournament. We have our brackets completed and locked in so let the games begin!

We are also seeing signs of Spring as the temperatures are warming, the rain is falling and the plants are starting to look green and bright after a long, cold winter. It’s a season of change which is also true in the world of government contracting with the announcement of a new SBA Administrator. Here are some highlights from this week.

Happy Friday, SmallGovCon readers. The new movie Yes Day comes out today: a day where parents let kids be in charge for a day. And yes, we may be doing a similar thing at our house. For federal contractors, it may feel like it is always Yes Day when responding to government requests. But it can help to know just when you have to say yes to the government, and when you don’t have to.

Staying up to date with the latest in federal contracting can help when responding to the government. The updates this week included extension of leave reimbursement for contractors and other benefits for contractors in the latest COVID relief package, a DoD audit report about overpayments to contractors, and list of scams targeting SAM users.

Next week is spring break in these parts. The weather should be great and I hope all of our readers are able to enjoy it! It’s also getting down to the finals of the college basketball season. It won’t be the same as last year for the KU Jayhawks, but they should still have a good showing in the tournament.

This week saw some important updates in federal contracting, such as a prediction on defense spending under the Biden administration, a delay of independent contractor status rules under FLSA, and DoD employee ethics reminders.

This weekend will get into the 60s, so I’ll be spending some time outdoors soaking up the nice weather. Hope everyone is able to enjoy some nice weather too. As you prepare for your weekend, stay up to date with some of these key government contracting updates.

This week’s stories include continued use of LPTA, increased enforcement of wage regulations, and SBA’s audit plans.