Government Contracting Blog

It’s almost that time of year again when contractors begin preparing for the fourth quarter of the federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. For many agencies, FY Q4 continues to represent the busiest spending period of the year, which accounts for a significant portion of annual federal procurement activity. As a reminder, the federal government’s Q4 begins on July 1 and runs through September 30. With such a large surge in purchasing activity, agencies are working to obligate their remaining fiscal-year funds before budgets expire. As a result, there is increased demand for activity, which creates greater opportunities for GSA Schedule contract holders.

While searching for a contracting opportunity, you may have glossed over opportunities that are marked as Sources Sought Notices (SSNs). Maybe it's because it's not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and may seem like it's not worth your time because it doesn't directly end in contract award, but we suggest you reconsider. Sources Sought Notices play a key role in federal procurement process and can increase your odds of winning the opportunity.

Another week, another change in the world of federal procurement. Contractors shouldn’t let their eyes glaze over on this one though, even if it contains a lot of legal jargon. Last week, the White House released an Executive Order (EO) making fixed-price contracts the default method for federal procurement. The Executive Order, “Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting,” moves away from cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, labor-hour and other non-fixed price contracts under Part 16 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) unless there is a special need for them.

It’s no surprise that the FY2027 White House Budget Request is heavy on defense spending, but one of the other major themes in next year’s request is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Since the Trump Administration took office last year, AI has been a large part of the federal government’s strategy. The White House wants to become and maintain the global leadership position in AI which has been outlined in several Executive Orders and documents such as “Amercia’s AI Action Plan.”

In early April, the Army released the long-awaited Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services (MAPS) solicitation. This solicitation has been in the works for years and has gone through several iterations before reaching its final form. Shortly before the solicitation was released, the Army published several changes to the draft solicitation, which are critical for prospective contractors to understand. In this blog, we’ll cover what the MAPS Solicitation is, what the recent changes were, and what’s happening with the solicitation now.

With the release of GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refresh #31, Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) is now mandatory for all contractors under MAS. If your contract was not previously eligible for TDR, you will continue to report your sales as usual until you accept the Mass Modification and the next quarter begins. In this blog, we’ll explain what TDR is, how sales must be reported, what data is required, and how to remit payment for the Industrial Funding Fee (IFF).