Federal contractors are likely familiar with the numerous rules and policies they must follow to receive a contract award and throughout a contract’s period of performance. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) regulates the rules for agencies’ procurement of products and services and is managed by the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In November of 2022, these agencies, or the “FAR Council,” proposed an amendment to the FAR requiring mandatory climate disclosures for federal contractors, such as reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions publicly. However, this proposal was recently withdrawn mid-January.

Crafting a proposal for the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) involves drafting and collecting numerous documents. Many of the items needed for a successful proposal can be easily found in a company’s records, but others are less familiar. One document that can be a stumbling point for many new contractors is a small business subcontracting plan. All large (Other than Small) businesses are required to draft a subcontracting plan, but for offerors who have never created a subcontracting plan, this document can seem daunting. In this blog, we’ll go over tips and tricks for drafting a subcontracting plan.

The Trump Administration recently released Executive Order (EO) “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit Based Opportunity” which aims to remove all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and programs within the federal government. In response to the EO, the General Services Administration (GSA) released a memo saying they intend to take immediate action eliminating the enforcement of all contract clauses, provisions, and terms and conditions related to DEI.

Whether you’ve been a GSA Schedule contractor for a few months or a few years, you’ve probably noticed that GSA regularly makes changes to the Multiple Award Schedule program, from Solicitation refreshes to system updates. One major change from the last few years is the launch of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Catalog Platform, more commonly known as FCP. GSA has rolled out FCP gradually since 2023, releasing periodic updates on the timeline for onboarding contractors and sharing information on the platform’s functions. Let’s go over GSA’s recent FCP updates, so you can be well prepared to transition your contract to the new platform.

In his first day as President of the U.S., Trump wasted no time—he signed 12 Executive Orders (EOs), one of them placing a hiring freeze on the federal civilian workforce. This is not a first time a hiring freeze has been instituted, and not the first under Trump either. Many federal employees as well as federal contractors are wondering what this means for the future of the federal workforce. In this blog, we’ll discuss the current freeze, what we’ve seen in past hiring freezes, and ways this could impact the world of government contracting.

When we use the word DOGE, we aren’t talking about the cryptocurrency named after a meme. We’re talking about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is going to take the place of the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), a team of tech and design consultants in the White House. Led by Elon Musk, the purpose of DOGE is to streamline federal government by reducing inefficiencies, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies. Since this initiative will affect spending, it’ll inevitably affect the public sector world. President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) his first day in office establishing DOGE as part of the Executive Office, so let’s talk about DOGE and what changes it could bring to government contractors.