Big Contract Compliance Burdens Aren’t Just a Problem for Contractors
The Federal News Network interview “Big contract compliance burdens…aren’t just a problem for contractors” makes clear that compliance costs are now a coupled burden shared across government and industry. As agencies layer new or revised requirements into solicitations and awards, they assume oversight, documentation, and enforcement obligations just as contractors shoulder systems, auditability, and supply-chain controls. For federal vendors, the most durable competitive edge lies in operationalizing compliance so it reduces the government’s monitoring load—and, in turn, accelerates evaluation and stabilizes post-award performance. (Federal News Network)
A central theme is the expansion of FAR-based work into research institutions historically oriented to grants and Uniform Guidance. As Aron Beezley notes, universities are increasingly participating in traditional procurements, bringing them squarely under FAR and agency supplements like DFARS; with that shift comes heightened scrutiny from IGs and DOJ and greater exposure to False Claims Act theories, especially around cybersecurity obligations. The Georgia Tech case illustrates the real costs—administrative, financial, and reputational—when controls lag evolving expectations. For contractors, the lesson generalizes: build evidence pipelines that make compliance verifiable, not reconstructive. (Federal News Network)
The interview also underlines how fragmented, clause-by-clause responses create brittle programs. By contrast, “compliance by design”—centralized frameworks, crosswalks from clauses to internal controls, and standardized artifacts (logs, attestations, data lineage)—creates economies of scope and simplifies the government’s oversight. This is where contractors can tangibly help program offices: convert diffuse mandates into measurable outputs and clean data, so oversight becomes verification rather than investigation. That alignment not only shortens evaluation cycles but also reduces corrective-action churn during performance. (Federal News Network)
Finally, the conversation encourages sustained participation in policy feedback loops—public comments, industry days, and RFIs—to surface duplications and ambiguous reporting burdens that weigh on both sides of the table. For industry, such engagement is practical self-interest: a more harmonized regime yields predictable costs and sharper risk allocation. In a period marked by the FAR overhaul and intensified enforcement toolkits, vendors that document early, standardize artifacts, and design for audit will best protect margins while improving the buyer’s experience. (Federal News Network)
Credit: Interview by Terry Gerton for The Federal Drive at Federal News Network; transcript includes questions from Jared Serbu. Guest: Aron Beezley, Head, Government Contracts Practice, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Published October 31, 2025 under the title “Big contract compliance burdens…aren’t just a problem for contractors.” (Federal News Network)
Disclaimer: This summary is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult the original interview and qualified counsel for guidance tailored to your contracts and compliance posture. (Federal News Network)