SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 20-24, 2026

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday! It’s that time of year when many in our office, and in the federal contracting world, are finding some time for a vacation to reconnect with family and friends. We hope our readers are able to take a break and get some R&R this summer. This weekend, try and find some time to rest, relax, and perhaps enjoy some summer activities.

This week in federal government contracting saw interesting stories including Congress working on some important procurement-related legislation, increased focus on supply chain safety, and steps to enhance whistleblower protections.

Back to Basics: Trade Agreements Act

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Shane McCall

The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) and its companion, the Buy American Act (BAA), both set policies for a preference for increased domestic purchases by the federal government and its contractors. However, the TAA is designed as kind of a counterweight to the BAA. The BAA (passed in 1933), “the first of the major domestic content restriction laws, requires federal agencies to apply a price preference for ‘domestic end products’ and use ‘domestic construction materials’ for covered contracts performed in the United States.” So, the BAA encourages use of US-produced goods.

The TAA, on the other hand, waives some of those BAA requirements for goods coming out of certain favored countries that have trade agreements with the US. In other words, the TAA puts items from those favored countries on an even playing field with the US items. The TAA has some other unique aspects, including a “substantial transformation” test to determine if something is an end product.

In this post, we discuss the basics of the TAA.

BREAKING: Department of War Suspends Introduction of Phase Two of CMMC

Posted on July 21, 2026 by John Holtz

Last year, we noted in a couple posts that the federal government had finally began implementation of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program. Apparently, however, the government has concluded that a pause is needed on further implementation due to what it describes as structural issues with the program. On July 13, 2026, the Department of War (DoW)[1] announced that it is suspending the introduction of Phase Two of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program. We explore that decision in this post.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 13-17, 2026

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday! It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through July! We hope your summer has been filled with meaningful hangouts with family and friends, vacation adventures, and a little extra time to enjoy the season. As we head into the second half of summer, we’re grateful for your continued support of SmallGovCon and look forward to sharing more tips, updates, and resources to help your contracting business thrive. Have a great weekend.

This week in federal government contracting saw articles on pausing parts of CMMC and the role of AI in federal procurement.

When Today Becomes the Next Business Day: GAO’s Strict Rules for the Timely Submission of Bid Protests to Solicitation Terms

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Jordan Akins

What time does the day end? Most people would answer that a day ends at midnight. However, a recent GAO decision highlights that, for purposes of filing a pre-award bid protest with the GAO, the business day ends at 5:30 p.m. ET when the GAO closes its doors for the day. Confusingly, this can result in a protest that was technically filed on a Friday after 5:30 p.m. ET, not actually being filed until Monday, the next business day. A recent GAO decision explores this phenomenon and clarifies filing deadlines for pre-award bid protests challenging solicitation terms, especially in the case where an offer deadline is after GAO’s close of business.

GovConFAQ: How Do I Count My Joint Venture’s Receipts When Determining My Size?

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Nicole Pottroff

Joint ventures are an increasingly common teaming structure in small business federal government contracting. They offer small businesses (and even some SBA-approved large business mentors) the opportunity to perform set-aside contracts as part of a team allowed to leverage the size and status(es) of its managing venturer. But with their growing popularity and obvious appeal amongst the small business community comes the often-asked question of how to calculate a joint venture’s receipts towards its venturers’ sizes. This GovConFAQ provides the answer.

SmallGovCon Week in Review: July 6-10, 2026

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Shane McCall

Happy Friday! The 4th of July weekend was a great chance to slow down, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy some good food and fireworks (or drones, in our case). The only downside? The weather has been incredibly hot and humid but that’s typical for summer here in Kansas.

We hope you had a great week and are staying cool. Here’s what is happening in federal government contracting this week. Key stories include GSA AI proposed rules, and Congress having a lot to do this summer.