Contracting
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.
Proposed FAR changes remove contractor diversity requirements, keep disability rules
COMMENTARY | The new language follows one of President Trump’s first executive orders to eliminate diversity requirements in federal contracts.
Senate confirms Rhodes to lead White House procurement office
Kevin Rhodes has been a senior adviser to the Office of Management and Budget since February and focused his efforts on the Federal Acquisition Regulation overhaul.
Shutdown’s ripple effect: Contractors, small businesses face devastating economic hit
At least 1 million contractor employees face lost paychecks as the funding lapse disrupts their companies' services to agencies and freezes federal operations.
Tech under OneGov remains ‘fully available’ during shutdown — but agencies may lack funds and personnel to access it
Some of the advanced software tools made available to federal agencies as part of the OneGov initiative are available for a limited time with impending expirations.
Reductions in force could make bad situation worse for federal contractors during government shutdown
Some federal contractors have already reported problems connecting with their contracting officers.
Has Space Force cracked the code on faster acquisition?
Leaders say the service is “disrupting” the Valley of Death, among other innovations.
Pentagon bans tech vendors from using China-based personnel following a ProPublica investigation
The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive government
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Why GovCon should care about Trump’s disdain for oversight and accountability
COMMENTARY | The administration's push to undermine watchdog agencies may bring short-term gains, but will more likely damage the market and good government over the long haul.
Treasury, GSA partner to reward fed employees who ID wasteful contract spending
Parts of the program could eventually expand beyond the Treasury Department.
Centralization might not be the best model for delivering common government services
COMMENTARY | The second Trump administration's approach to shared services may offer agencies less flexibility and potentially lower performance by centralizing acquisition. It's a shift from the president's first term.
GSA deputy Stephen Ehikian to depart post
Ehikian — who, until recently, served as GSA’s acting administrator — is the latest day one Trump appointee to leave the government.
FAR Council releases changes to 6 sections of acquisition regulation
The White House celebrated the changes as a milestone in its effort to overhaul and simplify the rules surrounding federal buying.
Updated
Layoffs canceled at federal contractor oversight office, but questions remain about employee reassignments
Employees at the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs received a notice that they will get new job assignments rather than be removed from the civil service.
GSA adds global AI providers to the schedule
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are now available to agencies through a single source for buying artificial intelligence capabilities.
Whistleblower bill for contractors gains bipartisan support with Grassley’s backing
Supporters say the legislation would close “loopholes” in existing whistleblower protections for federal contractors.
Trump administration narrows effort to nix project labor agreements for federal construction contracts
The move to narrow the rollback of a Biden-era order mandating contractors negotiate with unions before major construction projects came after a federal judge blocked the White House’s first attempt.
