Government Contracting Blog

Today marks the inauguration of President Trump, bringing a new party and new administration with it. Many federal contractors, especially those in the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program, are wondering how this will impact government spending. We published a blog recently on how we think the new Trump administration will impact federal spending overall, and in this blog, we’ll cover what changes we may see in the MAS program specifically.

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), a presidential advisory commission that President-elect Trump will make a reality when he gets into office. Led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, 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 will take office next Monday on January 20, so let’s talk about DOGE and what changes it could bring to government contractors.

Late last month, President Biden signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The FY 2025 NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in funding for the Department of Defense (DoD), about a 1 percent increase from 2024. The bill, which sets pentagon policy for the year, is now in its 64th consecutive year. In this blog, we’ll review some key highlights of the NDAA that will be most relevant for government contractors.

More changes are coming for GSA Schedule contractors—GSA published a final rule amending the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to simplify clauses for Economic Price Adjustments (EPAs). This means GSA plans to consolidate all the EPA clauses into one main clause to create more flexibility and less confusion for contractors and Contracting Officers. While we will not see this rule take full effect until it’s added into the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation by way of a Mass Modification, it’s still a significant update we should be keeping an eye on. Here’s what we know about this new rule so far.

The day has arrived—after over 5 years of development and delays, the Department of Defense (DoD) has released the final rule for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). It was released for public comment in October, and went into effect on December 16, 2024, establishing the CMMC program and process into law. No updates were made during the public comment period. Let’s dive into what this rule entails and the timeline for implementation so you can be prepared for this new requirement.

As the U.S. is preparing for a change in presidency in January, GSA Schedule contractors, businesses, and citizens alike may be wondering how this shift in the nation’s leadership could impact government spending trends. With the incumbent party leaving office and a new party entering, agencies might experience potential increases or decreases in their budgets and a different emphasis on future initiatives than the previous four years. While current government Fiscal Year (FY) budgets for agencies have been set, a new president can influence the type of contract opportunities emerging from agencies and how their funds will be directed depending on the polices the Trump administration plans to enforce.