In order to safeguard national security, and protect sensitive information, the federal government has procurement restrictions regarding Information Technology (IT) services and products. Any company that sells IT goods or services to the federal government must abide by these requirements, including GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract holders. These procurement regulations are fast-evolving compared to other facets of government acquisition because of the shifting nature of technology and cyber threats. There are some buzzwords floating around that you may have heard of, such as “covered telecommunications” and “C-SCRM.”

With any new Presidential administration comes many changes, and the new administration is no exception. We’ve already written several blogs on the policy changes set in motion by the new administration, including the impacts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and numerous executive orders. Another area where the Trump Administration diverges greatly from the Biden administration is in their approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this blog, we’ll discuss the differences between their approaches and how the Trump Administration could shape the future of AI in the federal government.

Contractors need to keep a lookout for new cybersecurity regulations or requirements when completing work for federally funded contracts. If you’ve heard of the newly proposed CUI rule submitted by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council earlier this year, it’s aimed at standardizing the handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). This proposed rule was created to enhance the integrity and security of federal contracting processes by establishing uniform requirements across agencies for safeguarding CUI.

As we are making our way into 2025, the landscape of U.S. trade policy has seen numerous shifts with the Trump Administration. One of the first major actions taken by President Trump was signing the America First Trade Policy Executive Order in January 2025. This executive order aims to prioritize American interests in global trade. This order also explicitly addresses the Buy American Act (BAA) and will most likely have an impact on the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). These executive actions mark a new era in trade policy. Let’s dive in and provide a bit of a refresher on the differences between BAA and TAA and how they tie together with the previous and new administration.

DOGE has become a staple term in the news lately—the Trump Administration recently released an Executive Order (EO) implementing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Cost Efficiency Initiative. The order seeks to transform federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans to ensure there’s transparency and accountability. This EO further establishes and adds structure to the first order published for DOGE, “Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency”, as well as proposes significant changes to the federal grant and contracting processes.

You probably clicked on this article because you’re worried about the future of your GSA Schedule contract, or maybe you’re looking to get a contract soon but aren’t sure if you should. We know the last month or so has been full of changes within the federal government, and you may have heard about contract terminations and federal workforce cuts. These things can’t be completely avoided, but what we need to focus on is the fact that the government is still and will always be buying. Priorities and spending habits will change, but the government can’t source the pens to sign those Executive Orders (EOs) from just anywhere. There are rules and regulations in place before agencies can acquire essential goods and services.