Here is a scenario that should keep every proposal manager up at night. You hit “send” on a corrected quote 29 minutes before the contracting officer’s deadline. The agency’s own email security software holds it for 42 minutes and drops
Government Contracts Law
Developments in Government Contracts & Export Controls Law
The Government Contracts Law blog published by McCarter & English, LLP focuses on legal issues related to government procurement and contracting. It covers topics such as Department of Defense acquisition reforms, General Services Administration contract modifications, compliance with Cost Accounting Standards and GAAP, federal shutdown impacts on contractors, and regulatory changes affecting government contracts. The blog addresses contract administration, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and evolving policies in federal acquisition processes. It also discusses strategic considerations for contractors navigating government procurement, including contract funding, protest procedures, and acquisition workforce reforms.
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Modified Behavior: The CAS Off-Ramp Almost Nobody Is Talking About
Every driver knows the sound a missed exit makes. Silence, then 14 minutes of profane commentary. It is worse in October, when the ridgeline is on fire with color and the next turnaround is 11 miles out.
On September 1,…
Small Is About to Get a Lot Bigger: SBA Proposes to Rewrite the Size Standards for Nearly Every Industry That Sells to the Government
Labor Day has a way of sneaking up on the federal market. The fiscal year is closing, the fourth-quarter obligation sprint is in full swing, and most of us are also trying to squeeze one more week out of summer…
Prove the Policy, Not the Story: SBA’s Final Rule Rewrites the 8(a) Social Disadvantage Test
The proposed rule is now history. On August 11, 2026, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published its final rule, Reforms to 13 CFR 124.103 To Remove SBA’s 8(a) Program’s Rebuttable Presumption of Social Disadvantage for Individually Owned Firms Only, 91…
Meet George Jetson’s Government Contractor: 3D Printing, CUI, and Who Owns the Recipe
I’m totally aging myself (due to reruns) but The Jetsons (created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (1962-63)), promised us a future where you pushed a button and the “Food-a-Rac-a-Cycle,” a machine, made whatever you wanted. Dinner. Clothes. Maybe an…
Credit Where Credit Isn’t Due: GAO Sustains Protest Where VA Credited the Awardee for the Government’s Own Work
Two proposals rated Exceptional. Two past performance ratings of Substantial Confidence. A price gap of nearly $15 million between the two offerors. On that record, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) did what source selection authorities routinely do. It declared…
DoD Suspends CMMC Phase 2. What Happened, What It Means, and What Nobody Is Telling You
By Alex Major
On July 13, 2026, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the immediate suspension of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Phase 2, which had been scheduled to take effect on November 10, 2026. Phase 2 would have made third-party…
Grounded Before Takeoff: A Cautionary Tale on the “Late-Is-Late” Rule
Peak summer travel season has jet fuel moving by the millions of gallons, so there is a certain irony in a fuel-supply dispute that turned on an email no one at the agency ever opened. A contractor sent its proposal…
Here Comes the Boom: SBA Proposes New 8(a) “Social Disadvantage” Test
On June 11, 2026, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a much-anticipated proposed rule aimed at overhauling the 8(a) Business Development Program. More specifically, the proposed rule, entitled “Reforms To Remove SBA’s 8(a) Program’s Rebuttable Presumption of Social Disadvantage” and…
A Field Guide To NDC Status: Identifying The Defense Industry’s Newest (And Oldest) Protected Species
In December 2025, Section 1826 of the FY 2026 NDAA created one of the most valuable classifications in defense contracting and most companies that qualify don’t know it yet. Qualify as a “nontraditional defense contractor” and you’re exempt from certified…