Expert Insights

Government Contracting BlogNews, Tips & Best Practices

Expert insights, tips, and news to help you win more government contracts. Learn about federal procurement, SAM.gov registration, bid writing, and compliance.

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What do NIST’s NVD CVE prioritization changes mean for contractors’ vulnerability disclosure and patch timelines? 2026

Apr 18, 2026

10 min read

What do NIST’s NVD CVE prioritization changes mean for contractors’ vulnerability disclosure and patch timelines? 2026

GSA requires contractors to align SLAs to NIST's April 2026 NVD prioritization; patch KEVs within 15 days and report updates within 72 hours or risk payment withholding and contract suspension.

NVD CVE prioritizationvulnerability managementcontractor patch timelines

How should contractors adapt proposals and delivery models to the surge in federal AI use cases? 2026

Apr 18, 2026

12 min read

How should contractors adapt proposals and delivery models to the surge in federal AI use cases? 2026

GSA requires explicit AI risk management, model monitoring, and vendor transparency by mid-2026; contractors should budget $50K-$250K and revise delivery models for continuous monitoring or risk being excluded from awards.

AI proposalsfederal AI use casesmodel monitoring

How will the GSA FAS commissioner change affect contractors on GSA schedules? 2026

Apr 17, 2026

12 min read

How will the GSA FAS commissioner change affect contractors on GSA schedules? 2026

GSA requires MAS holders to migrate to the FAS Catalog Platform with phased 2026 deadlines; noncompliance risks delisting and lost orders. Follow these steps to protect schedule stability and pursue new FAS-driven opportunities.

GSA FAS commissionerGSA schedule vendorsGSA leadership change

What practical cybersecurity steps should a one-person government contractor take to implement NIST's draft guidance for businesses with no employees? 2026

Apr 17, 2026

8 min read

What practical cybersecurity steps should a one-person government contractor take to implement NIST's draft guidance for businesses with no employees? 2026

Step-by-step checklist for solo government contractors to adopt NIST's April 2026 draft guidance: document controls, implement MFA and EDR, create a one-page System Security Plan, register SAM, and budget $3K–$50K to remain eligible for federal awards by Dec 31, 2026.

NIST small business guidancesolo contractor cybersecurityMFA

How will the SBIR-STTR reauthorization through 2031 change small business funding opportunities? 2026

Apr 16, 2026

12 min read

How will the SBIR-STTR reauthorization through 2031 change small business funding opportunities? 2026

SBIR-STTR reauthorization through 2031 increases set-asides and multi-year certainty; update SAM, strengthen commercialization plans, and target agency solicitations by Q3 2026 to win Phase I/II awards.

SBIR-STTR 2031small business grantsSBIR reauthorization

What should small businesses do to position for DoD sustainment and engineering services opportunities after Textron’s T-6 awards? 2026

Apr 16, 2026

8 min read

What should small businesses do to position for DoD sustainment and engineering services opportunities after Textron’s T-6 awards? 2026

Practical steps for small businesses to win DoD sustainment/engineering follow-on work after large awards like Textron's T-6: teaming, compliance, cybersecurity, subcontracting plans, and capability demonstrations.

sustainment contractsDoD subcontractingT-6 support

How should contractors demonstrate AI acquisition best practices in proposals after GAO’s report? 2026

Apr 15, 2026

12 min read

How should contractors demonstrate AI acquisition best practices in proposals after GAO’s report? 2026

GSA expects documented AI governance, testing, security, bias mitigation, and sustainment in proposals by Oct 1, 2026; noncompliance risks exclusion from award and corrective actions under FAR and OMB guidance.

AI procurementGAO AI reportproposal best practices

What are the key proposal elements to win sustaining engineering and program management (SEPM) contracts like Textron’s T-6 award? 2026

Apr 15, 2026

12 min read

What are the key proposal elements to win sustaining engineering and program management (SEPM) contracts like Textron’s T-6 award? 2026

Concrete SEPM proposal checklist: integrated product support, staffing plan, past performance, cost realism, sustainment KPIs; include FAR/IPS citations, SAM registration, and timeline to meet typical Jan 30, 2026-style RFPs.

SEPM contractssustaining engineeringT-6 program

What are best practices for responding to DoD industry days and requests for industry input to win contracts? 2026

Apr 14, 2026

12 min read

What are best practices for responding to DoD industry days and requests for industry input to win contracts? 2026

Tactical, step-by-step best practices to prepare, participate, and convert DoD industry days and RFIs into contract wins, with deadlines, budgets, and FAR/agency references.

industry day best practicesDoD RFIscapability statement

What changes should contractors make to RFP responses after GAO finds agencies aren't sharing AI acquisition lessons learned? 2026

Apr 14, 2026

12 min read

What changes should contractors make to RFP responses after GAO finds agencies aren't sharing AI acquisition lessons learned? 2026

After GAO found agencies aren't sharing AI acquisition lessons, contractors should add explicit lessons-learned deliverables, knowledge-transfer tasks, reporting templates, and pricing for lessons capture; meet GSA/OMB deadlines to avoid exclusion from follow-on awards.

AI acquisitionGAO findingsRFP response tips

What should GovCon companies learn from HawkEye 360’s 2026 IPO filing when planning growth or exit strategies?

Apr 13, 2026

12 min read

What should GovCon companies learn from HawkEye 360’s 2026 IPO filing when planning growth or exit strategies?

Lessons from HawkEye 360’s IPO filing: revenue ramp, contract diversification, compliance readiness (SAM, FAR, CMMC), and audit and governance costs for GovCon growth or exit plans.

GovCon IPOHawkEye 360exit strategy

How should small defense firms update their compliance programs after renewed debate over illegal orders and war crimes? 2026

Apr 13, 2026

12 min read

How should small defense firms update their compliance programs after renewed debate over illegal orders and war crimes? 2026

GSA requires updated compliance programs by June 30, 2026 including ROE, escalation, and flowdown clauses; non-compliance risks suspension or debarment and loss of contracts over $250,000.

compliance programstop-work clauselaw of armed conflict training

What should small UAV companies include in responses to the Coast Guard's RFI for contractor‑operated drone ISR support? 2026

Apr 12, 2026

12 min read

What should small UAV companies include in responses to the Coast Guard's RFI for contractor‑operated drone ISR support? 2026

Checklist for small UAS firms responding to the U.S. Coast Guard RFI (Apr 2026): ops, safety, sustainment, data handling, pricing, certifications, and SAM/SBA registration to improve competitiveness.

Coast Guard RFIUAS ISR contractsdrone contractor proposal

What steps should contractors take to handle Social Security data safely after court rulings around improper access? 2026

Apr 12, 2026

12 min read

What steps should contractors take to handle Social Security data safely after court rulings around improper access? 2026

GSA requires MFA, least-privilege, encryption, and 90-day immutable audit logs by June 30, 2026; non-compliance risks suspension, debarment, and $1M+ fines. Follow this compliance checklist for Social Security data access.

SSA data accessdata protectioncontractor compliance

How should federal contractors adapt to the OMB AI risk management deadline and the agency AI inventory requirement? 2026

Apr 11, 2026

12 min read

How should federal contractors adapt to the OMB AI risk management deadline and the agency AI inventory requirement? 2026

GSA requires contractors to complete AI use-case inventories and meet OMB's AI risk management deadline of Dec 31, 2026; non-compliance risks exclusion from awards and corrective actions.

AI risk managementOMB deadlineAI inventory

What does adding SSA's Numident to Treasury's Do Not Pay mean for contractors and grant recipients? 2026

Apr 11, 2026

12 min read

What does adding SSA's Numident to Treasury's Do Not Pay mean for contractors and grant recipients? 2026

GSA requires vendors to integrate SSA Numident checks into Treasury Do Not Pay by Oct 1, 2026; noncompliance risks payment holds, recoupment, or suspension. This guide gives operational, privacy, and payment‑validation steps for contractors and grant recipients.

Do Not PayNumidentpayment validation

How should contractors secure enterprise and edge routers after the NSA/FBI warning about Russian GRU exploits? 2026

Apr 10, 2026

12 min read

How should contractors secure enterprise and edge routers after the NSA/FBI warning about Russian GRU exploits? 2026

GSA requires immediate router hardening after the Apr 3, 2026 NSA/FBI warning: inventory, patch, segment, monitor within 30 days or risk contract suspension and penalties under FAR.

router vulnerabilitiesNSA advisoryFBI warning

How will GSA's 2026 expansion of Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) across all SINs affect small businesses on Schedule contracts?

Apr 10, 2026

18 min read

How will GSA's 2026 expansion of Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) across all SINs affect small businesses on Schedule contracts?

GSA requires TDR for all SINs effective July 1, 2026; small Schedule contractors must supply transactional sales data, update pricing systems, and budget $10K-$150K for compliance or face contract actions and audit exposure.

GSA TDRSchedule contracttransactional data reporting

How should cybersecurity contractors respond to CISA and federal advisories about Iranian-linked threats to industrial control systems? 2026

Apr 9, 2026

12 min read

How should cybersecurity contractors respond to CISA and federal advisories about Iranian-linked threats to industrial control systems? 2026

Actionable checklist for contractors: assess, patch, segment, and sell retainer services after CISA/FBI/NSA advisories on Iranian-linked ICS threats. Includes timelines, FAR/DFARS references, and a concrete SDVOSB case study.

CISA advisoryindustrial control systemsOT security

What are the best steps to respond to the Pentagon's Golden Dome CSO in 2026?

Apr 9, 2026

12 min read

What are the best steps to respond to the Pentagon's Golden Dome CSO in 2026?

Step-by-step checklist to prepare CSO responses for the DoD Golden Dome missile defense effort: TRL expectations, teaming, IP controls, timelines, and compliance checkpoints for small businesses and primes.

Golden Dome CSODoD CSO responsemissile defense contracts