The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on June 27, 2025, announced a comprehensive, full-scale audit of its 8(a) Business Development Program (8(a) Program), marking a significant escalation in federal oversight of...more
7/2/2025
/ 8(a) Program ,
Audits ,
Bribery ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Contractors ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Joint Venture ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
Whistleblowers
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) recently addressed the scope of its jurisdiction over Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements in the case of Telesto Group, LLC v. United States, No. 1:24-cv-01784. The case...more
6/9/2025
/ Army ,
Bid Protests ,
COFC ,
Contract Disputes ,
Court of Federal Claims ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Jurisdiction ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Tucker Act
Contractors Should Seek to Distinguish Themselves in More Competitive Environment -
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on May 27, 2025, issued a memorandum implementing Executive Order (EO) 14222. As Holland & Knight...more
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on May 27, 2025, issued a memorandum implementing Executive Order (EO) 14222. As our team previously summarized, EO 14222 implemented the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) "cost...more
5/30/2025
/ Consultants ,
Contract Amendments ,
Contract Termination ,
Contract Terms ,
Defense Contracts ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Information Technology ,
New Guidance ,
Policy Memorandums ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Service Contracts ,
Trump Administration
A significant number of government contracts and grants have been terminated recently by federal agencies pursuant to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) "cost efficiency initiative" and review of "covered...more
5/8/2025
/ Contract Disputes ,
Contract Termination ,
Corporate Liability ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Grants ,
Fraud ,
Risk Management ,
Settlement ,
Trump Administration ,
Whistleblowers
In contrast to the recent influx of terminations in the broader government contracting and federal grants space, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has not yet started to issue wide-ranging programmatic or sweeping...more
5/5/2025
/ Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Projects ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Grants ,
Government Agencies ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
Pending Litigation ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trump Administration
The Trump Administration's policies on artificial intelligence (AI) have been shaped by an executive order (EO) and two memoranda aimed at promoting the use of AI in government operations while ensuring safety, security and...more
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on federal procurement titled "Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement" on April 15, 2025 (the April 15 EO), directing that the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) be...more
4/21/2025
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Government Agencies ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
OMB ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
President Donald Trump on April 9, 2025, signed three executive orders (EOs) focused on accelerating defense procurement, improving foreign defense sales between the U.S. and its allies and revitalizing American maritime...more
4/14/2025
/ Defense Contracts ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
National Security ,
OMB ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
Federal grantees facing the termination of their grants by the new administration have challenged those terminations by filing suits under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in federal district courts. In about a half a...more
4/10/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Contract Disputes ,
Court of Federal Claims ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Grants ,
Government Agencies ,
Grants ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Jurisdiction ,
Pending Litigation ,
SCOTUS ,
TRO ,
Tucker Act
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced plans to develop the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) 20x – a new approach to the government-wide program for the security...more
4/8/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Cloud Computing ,
Cybersecurity ,
Federal Contractors ,
FedRAMP ,
Government Agencies ,
Information Technology ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
As Holland & Knight previously discussed, the Trump Administration issued an executive order (EO) on Feb. 26, 2025, implementing the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) "cost efficiency initiative" that (among...more
4/4/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Contract Termination ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Grants ,
Grants ,
Mitigation ,
Popular ,
Strategic Planning ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced a new initiative on March 24, 2025, that put its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors on notice that it is making "major changes" to "improve the effectiveness of...more
The Trump Administration on March 20, 2025, issued an executive order titled "Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement" (the EO), which will result in a major change in the landscape of...more
The first months of the Trump Administration have seen a flurry of executive orders related to government contracts. Many of these executive orders – as well as public statements by heads of federal agencies or the Department...more
3/19/2025
/ Contract Termination ,
Contract Terms ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Public Contracts ,
Settlement ,
Subcontractors ,
Termination for Convenience ,
Trump Administration
The Trump Administration issued an executive order (EO) on Feb. 26, 2025, implementing the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) "cost efficiency initiative" that seeks to transform federal spending on contracts,...more
3/5/2025
/ Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Grants ,
Federal Loans ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Government Agencies ,
Grants ,
OMB ,
Policy Updates
The Trump Administration is in the midst of reviewing prior administrations' spending priorities and federal government contracts and has begun announcing a variety of actions to suspend and/or terminate pending and awarded...more
2/6/2025
/ Bid Protests ,
Breach of Contract ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Terms ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Popular ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Prompt Payment ,
Risk Management ,
Stop Work Orders
The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Final Rule, which takes effect on Jan. 16, 2025, makes a range of substantive changes to the regulatory regime for small business contractors. Holland & Knight previously...more
1/16/2025
/ 8(a) Program ,
Acquisitions ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
HUBZone ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Minority Shareholders ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Small Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Dec. 17, 2024, issued a Final Rule that substantially changes the effect of recertifications of size and socioeconomic status under set-aside contracts following the merger or...more
1/14/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Compliance ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
Government Agencies ,
Mergers ,
Multiple Award Contracts ,
Recertification ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SBA ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Small Business
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) 2024 Annual Report (Report) on bid protests provides a comprehensive overview of the trends, statistics and key issues in government procurement challenges over fiscal year (FY)...more
The Biden Administration on Oct. 24, 2024, issued a memorandum, "Advancing the United States' Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives; and Fostering...more
10/31/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Compliance ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Infrastructure ,
Intelligence Services ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
OMB ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US State Departments
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Oct. 25, 2024, issued a proposed rule aimed at increasing small business participation in multiple award contracts (MACs) by expanding the application of the Rule of Two to...more
10/28/2024
/ COFC ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) ,
GAO ,
MACs ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
SBA ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Small Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Aug. 23, 2024, issued a Proposed Rule that significantly changes the effect of recertifications of size and socioeconomic status under set-aside contracts following a merger or...more
9/25/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Certification Requirements ,
Certifications ,
Comment Period ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) ,
MACs ,
Mentor-Protege Program ,
Mergers ,
NPRM ,
Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
SAM ,
SBA ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Small Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Aug. 1, 2024, is beginning a system upgrade to its certification portal that will impact the following socioeconomic set-aside program certification programs ...more
7/1/2024
/ Certification Requirements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EDWOSB ,
Federal Contractors ,
HUBZone ,
Mentor-Protege Program ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Small Business ,
VOSB ,
WOSB
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on June 6, 2024, published a Final Rule (the Rule) to eliminate self-certification for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) whose federal government contracts...more