For companies selling innovative technology to the federal government, a Commercial Solutions Opening (“CSO”) can provide a path to government business that looks quite different from a conventional FAR-based solicitation. CSOs are designed to give agencies—particularly the Department of Defense (“DoD”)—greater flexibility to acquire innovative commercial products, services, and capabilities while reducing some of the
In Strategi Consulting, LLC v. United States, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims recently held that a prior Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II awardee can bring a bid protest when an agency declines to award it Phase III work and instead routes that work to other contractors through existing task orders —
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision offers an important reminder that agencies cannot apply evaluation criteria that differ from the language of the solicitation. In Veterans Management Services, Inc., B-424182.2; B-424182.3 (June 22, 2026), GAO sustained a bid protest after finding that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) improperly limited its review of
A government contractor submitted an email bid on time — and still lost the contract before anyone at the agency ever saw the proposal. That is the painful reality at the center of Rick Aviation, Inc. v. United States, a June 2026 decision from the United States Court of Federal Claims that carries significant
The U.S. Small Business Administration published a significant proposed rule on June 11, 2026, that would fundamentally reshape how individuals qualify for the Section 8(a) Business Development Program. The rule, appearing at 91 Fed. Reg. 35433, proposes to eliminate the race-based rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage that has governed 8(a) eligibility for nearly four
Federal contractors should be paying close attention to a growing issue in government procurement: the use of shadow AI and generative artificial intelligence by agency evaluators during proposal evaluations.
As federal agencies increasingly experiment with AI tools in procurement and acquisition processes, evaluators may be using generative AI platforms to summarize proposals, identify strengths and
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued a significant proposal that could reshape how federal agencies address confidentiality obligations across the federal workforce. In a notice seeking public comment, OPM released a draft governmentwide nondisclosure agreement (NDA) intended for use with both new and existing federal employees. Comments are due by June 26, 2026.
The Defense Acquisition Regulations System has issued a significant proposed rule that would dramatically expand disclosure and compliance obligations for defense contractors and subcontractors regarding beneficial ownership and foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI). The proposed amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) implement key provisions of the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs)
Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements have become one of the most important — and most misunderstood — vehicles for doing business with the federal government. Once limited to niche research programs, OTAs are now widely used across the Department of Defense and civilian agencies to accelerate acquisition of emerging technologies, prototypes, and innovative capabilities.
For
The Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) has proposed a significant overhaul to CAS applicability thresholds — one that is clearly aimed at reducing compliance burdens, simplifying CAS administration, and expanding competition in the federal marketplace. If implemented, these changes would represent one of the most meaningful deregulatory CAS reforms in decades, particularly for growing mid-size