Military Moves, Measured: Why GAO’s Review of DOD’s Relocation Reforms Matters to Federal Contractors
GAO’s Sept. 2025 report on DOD’s military moves program explains why the Global Household Goods Contract failed: unreliable capacity data, blind spots in performance metrics, and unclear costs. Federal contractors should note the implications for pricing, telemetry, subcontractor incentives, and SCA compliance in future, large-scale service transitions.
The FAR Part 7 Line-Out: Why It Matters for Contractors
The FAR Overhaul’s line-out for Part 7 streamlines acquisition planning by reserving FAR 7.105 and shifting “how-to” detail to non-regulatory Practitioner materials, elevating agency procedures and class deviations. Contractors should monitor local policy, validate planning assumptions early, and track ongoing feedback windows to manage risk.
DFARS Final Rule on CMMC: What It Means for Federal Contractors
DoD’s final DFARS rule makes CMMC a condition of award, tying eligibility to current SPRS-posted status, UIDs, and annual affirmations. It adds a 180-day conditional window, clarifies phased implementation, tightens subcontractor flowdown, and formalizes program-office level determinations—raising high-stakes, ongoing compliance for primes and subs across the defense supply chain.
GAO Clarifies Small-Business Participation Must Cover Surge When Measured Against Total Estimated Task-Order Amount
GAO’s Sept. 2, 2025 decision in Resource Management Concepts clarifies that when solicitations measure small-business participation against the total estimated task-order amount, agencies must include surge. Contractors must narratively allocate surge to small businesses—pricing formulas alone won’t suffice—under SeaPort-NxG and similar DoD task orders.
Why GAO’s Review of NNSA’s Fusion-Facility Recapitalization Matters to Federal Contractors
GAO’s 2025 review of NNSA’s fusion-facility recapitalization outlines a $492M near-term sustainment plan, a billion-dollar-scale NIF upgrade, and evolving options for Z. For federal contractors, the report foreshadows capital projects, long-lead procurements, and tighter baseline-driven performance management—key signals for capture strategy and execution.
Federal Debriefings: Timelines, Questions, and Protest Pitfalls
An academic, plain-English guide to federal debriefings that explains the three-day request rule, GAO’s ten-day filing deadline, CICA’s five-day stay clock, the DoD enhanced Q&A timeline, common traps under FAR 8.4 and IDIQ orders, and the specific questions that turn debriefings into durable competitive advantage.
OTAs at Scale, Accountability in Flux: Why GAO’s 2025 Findings Matter to Federal Contractors
GAO’s 2025 report on DOD OTAs finds rising use but inadequate tracking of prototype-to-production transitions—especially when production shifts to FAR contracts. With new recommendations DOD accepts, contractors should expect tighter data reporting, greater transparency in consortia awards, and a continued need to make prototypes “FAR-ready” for production.
Pre-Award Boundaries Reaffirmed: GAO’s PSEI v. DCSA and What It Teaches Contractors
GAO’s August 25, 2025 decision in PSEI v. DCSA reaffirms three pre-award baselines: agencies need not restrict non-VA buys to SDVOSB set-asides, firm-fixed-price unit rates are permissible with adequate history despite variable demand, and phase-in may be funded via the first task order with specific prerequisites. Key guidance for capture, pricing, and transition.
GAO to VA: Make Category Management Real — Why Contractors Should Care
GAO’s September 2025 review of VA acquisitions finds leadership accountability gaps, low best-in-class usage, and missing category-level savings goals—changes that will reshape how VA buys. For contractors, expect tougher proof of savings, more data-driven decisions, and new vendor-risk requirements. Learn what to do now to stay competitive.
Aviation Meteorologists Are in Short Supply—And That Matters for Federal Contractors
GAO warns that staffing of NWS aviation meteorologists embedded with FAA has fallen to 69, increasing risk to safety and efficiency in the National Airspace System. With the interagency agreement expiring and new models coming, federal contractors should update risk plans and position solutions for hybrid, locally aware weather decision support.
Interpreting the August 2025 FAR Overhaul: Implications for Federal Contractors
August 2025 FAR changes elevate best-in-class vehicles, embed shared-services preferences, streamline GSA Schedule ordering via GSAM 538, and expand simplified commercial acquisition (including $7.5M procedures). Contractors should prioritize BIC access, optimize catalogs for GSA’s emerging ecosystem, and recalibrate BPA and capture strategies to align with the new policy default.
Raising the Bar: FAR Council Finalizes 2025 Inflation Adjustments to Acquisition Thresholds
The FAR Council finalized FAC 2025-06, updating micro-purchase to $15k and simplified acquisition to $350k, raising key competition, reporting, and pricing thresholds, and adopting April 2025 CPI for accuracy. Most changes take effect October 1, 2025, preserving streamlined buying power against inflation.
Pentagon Moves to Replace JCIDS with a Leaner, Problem-Driven Pipeline
The Pentagon has ordered the disestablishment of JCIDS and launched a new problem-driven model that links requirements to funding via a Requirements and Resourcing Alignment Board, a Mission Engineering and Integration Activity, and a Joint Acceleration Reserve—aimed at accelerating fielding and closing the “valley of death” between prototypes and programs.
“No Longer”: DOJ Guidance to Federally Funded Entities on Unlawful Discrimination
DOJ’s Attorney General issues guidance warning federally funded entities that DEI-style preferences, demographic quotas, or proxy criteria using protected traits risk violating Titles VI, VII, IX, and Equal Protection. Memo outlines unlawful practices, hostile-environment risks, third-party funding scrutiny, and non-binding best practices to ensure neutral, lawful compliance.
Centralizing Federal Buying: Promise, Pressure, and the Path Through GSA
OMB’s new directive to centralize federal procurement would make GSA vehicles the default, accelerate FAR updates, and require strong business cases to consolidate operational contracting. Emily Murphy explains implications for small businesses, category management, and agency autonomy—and why measured optimism is warranted for faster, cleaner buying.
Behind the Gate: What GAO Found About Airport Service Workers in 2025
GAO’s August 2025 report profiles airport service workers—the cleaners, handlers, concessions crews, security, wheelchair attendants, and agents who keep U.S. aviation running. It details their safety and security roles, how they help generate nearly half of airport operating revenue, and what data show on wages, benefits, poverty, rent burden, and demographics.
The 2025 GAO/CIGIE Financial Audit Manual, Volume 3: What’s New and Why It Matters
GAO and CIGIE’s 2025 Financial Audit Manual, Volume 3 updates the Federal Financial Reporting Checklist for FY 2025, incorporating FASAB standards and OMB A-136. Highlights include SFFAS 64-ready MD&A, single-year reporting, enhanced inventory and liabilities disclosures, streamlined leases, and revised payment integrity and trading-partner guidance
GAO to OMB: TBM Needs a Go/No-Go Decision Now
GAO’s July 2025 report says OMB must make a “go/no-go” decision on Technology Business Management. After eight years, guidance is incomplete, most agencies lack plans or reliable cost allocation, and costs range up to $28.9M with no documented savings—only transparency gains. GAO urges OMB to either prioritize and finish TBM or terminate it.
FEMA Redefining the Mission for a Resilient Future
Former FEMA administrator Brock Long argues that FEMA’s survival depends on redefining its mission, curbing mission creep, and restoring focus on community lifelines, local-state-federal partnerships, and citizen preparedness. His call for a holistic, time-phased reform highlights the urgent need to rethink disaster management in the United States.
Mining Local Priorities: What German County Websites Reveal
This study mines German local government websites with modern NLP to map priorities across 205 topics and highlight spatial patterns in urban development, climate action, and business support. It shows how counties frame similar issues differently and releases an aggregated dataset for reproducible regional research.