Contracting
Federal acquisition rewrite leaves cybersecurity confusion unresolved
COMMENTARY | As the government overhauls its procurement rulebook, contractors are still grappling with a persistent problem that shapes how they price, plan, and perform work: what information must be protected and who is responsible for identifying it.
Federal acquisition overhaul moves from plan to proposed rules
The long-awaited rewrite effort is entering its next phase, with changes affecting everything from contract protests to security requirements.
Legislative proposal would eliminate contracting preferences for minority, women-owned businesses
The bill would codify and expand on Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal contracting.
OMB seeks details from agencies on their commercial buying, or lack thereof
A new White House budget office memo also outlines what agencies have to do if they want to go down the non-commercial contracting route and who has the approval power over it.
Contractors sue to block Trump’s federal DEI executive order
The lawsuit alleges minority-owned businesses are being forced to trade their First Amendment rights for federal contracts.
IBM agrees to pay $17.1M in first big test of new federal contractor DEI rules
The settlement marks an early signal of how the Justice Department plans to interpret and enforce recently reshaped contractor requirements, with implications for companies doing business with the federal government.
Federal contractor DEI initiatives singled out in latest Trump executive order
Trump’s anti-diversity directives already impacted contractors, but the new order imposes additional requirements.
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Justice Department alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
Kristi Noem misled Congress about top aide’s role in DHS contracts
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Noem denied that Corey Lewandowski had any role in approving contracts. But internal DHS records and interviews with current and former agency staffers contradict her testimony.
Why federal acquisition must adapt to survive
COMMENTARY | In a world where the only constant is change, failure to adapt equals extinction.
The revolutionary new weapon in the Pentagon’s pocket — and why it matters now more than ever
COMMENTARY | The launch of comprehensive acquisition transformation will lift the burdens keeping U.S. companies from being as agile and responsive as possible.
Featured eBooks
DOGE was government contracting's biggest story of 2025 — and it's not close
COMMENTARY | Contract cancellations, exaggerated savings claims and consulting contract reviews dominated our most-read stories of the year.
Pentagon preps to enforce ban on companies with ‘indirect’ ties to China
Defense firms will be notified of potential links to blacklisted Chinese-military companies a year before the contracting ban goes into effect, the assistant defense secretary for industrial policy said.
Lawmaker looks to shake up VA’s software management
Legislation from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., prioritizes waste reduction when it comes to the roughly $1 billion that VA spends annually on software assets.
Agencies will have to contend with tight budgets even after Trump, contracting association predicts
While agencies are currently facing reduced budgets, the Professional Services Council expects that trend will continue due to the potential exhaustion of Medicare and Social Security funding.
Civilian agency spending cratered during shutdown
October spending during the shutdown dropped by as much as 80% for some agencies compared to October 2024.
Agencies could still be digging out from shutdown when funding deal ends, association says
The Congressional Budget Office and an industry group for federal contractors both predict the government won’t return to pre-shutdown operational levels until 2026. A partial funding lapse could start at the end of January without congressional action.
Shutdown compounds a year of pain for federal contractors, employees
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., says the closure amplifies the billions in contract cancellations and workforce cuts.
Contractors fear retaliation if they try to recover shutdown costs
Legal rights do exist for companies to recoup their losses, but attorneys say fears of Trump administration reprisal loom over industry.
As agencies shed staff, industry execs predict AI agents' rise
Amid the White House’s ongoing push to reduce the federal workforce, “government will be the largest users of agentic technologies of any industry,” predicted one Salesforce exec.
