Happy Fall Ya’ll! We’ve finally been getting a welcome taste of fall weather, after what seemed like a very long summer season. Hope you are enjoying the season change as much as we are.

But for now, it’s time for another dose of government contracting news. This week, stories about increased use of AI in government contracting, the role of small business in the next moon mission, and a guilty plea for rigging bids at government auctions.

It’s Friday the 13th and a harvest moon. That isn’t going to happen again until 2049. So be safe out there, don’t let any black cats cross your path as you look at the moon, and enjoy this rare event.

You can also enjoy some updates from the world of federal government contracting news, as there are some interesting tidbits this week. For instance, we’ve been hearing about the bribery charges for FEMA officials, examples of malicious actors targeting government contractors, and details about DOD’s use of pilot programs for software-only appropriations.

College football is back. In Lawrence, that means we got to see what the Mad Hatter could do his first time on the field coaching at KU. As one writer put it, having a new coach makes “people pay at least temporary attention to Kansas football.” I hope the attention lasts a while.

For those needing a break from football, or who always take a break from football, there are some interesting stories from the government contracting gridiron the past week. These include a former U.S. Army colonel sentenced to five years in federal prison for accepting bribes from a a business fraudulently claiming small business status, the ever-growing demand for federal cloud services, and a contractor owning up to overbilling the government for $2.6 million.