Evergreen explainers on how federal contracting actually works — certifications, contract types, protests, and compliance.
FAR 42.1204 requires a novation agreement only when a merger or asset sale changes which entity performs a federal contract — stock purchases do not qualify, and the documentation package required is extensive.
Read the story →FAR 33.104's automatic stay of contract performance turns on two filing clocks tied to postaward debriefings under FAR 15.505 and 15.506 — miss both windows and GAO cannot freeze a contract award while a protest is pending.
Federal contracting looks impenetrable from the outside, but the actual on-ramp is a short, well-documented list of steps. Here's what a small business needs first, in order, with the real government links.
FAR 52.222-54 requires contractors awarded federal contracts over $150,000 to enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of award and initiate employee verification within set deadlines, with exceptions for COTS items, short-term and overseas work, and a separate $3,500 flow-down trigger for subcontracts.
FAR 15.306 splits post-proposal exchanges into clarifications, communications, and discussions -- only one lets contractors revise their proposal, and missing the difference can mean elimination from the competitive range with no path back.
CMMC Phase 2 begins November 10, 2026, requiring C3PAO third-party certification instead of self-assessment for many Level 2 contracts. This guide breaks down the two-rule timeline, how long Conditional and Final CMMC statuses stay current, and subcontractor flow-down requirements.
FAR 2.101 splits contract cost disputes into informal Requests for Equitable Adjustment and certified claims under the Contract Disputes Act. Only a certified claim triggers interest under FAR 33.208, starts the CDA appeal clock, and creates personal certification liability for contractors.
FAR Subpart 32.8 lets contractors assign contract payments (not the contract itself) to a bank for financing. Here's the $1,000 threshold, notice rules, and how it differs from a novation.
A single FAR Part 12 determination decides which clauses, contract type, and cost-accounting rules apply to a federal award — and getting it wrong can mean CAS exposure years into performance.
DFARS 252.204-7021 sets four CMMC statuses, hard expiration clocks on assessments, and pre-award subcontractor verification duties — here's how contractors track compliance before certification lapses.
A missed 3-day debriefing request or a misjudged delayed-debriefing date can cost a contractor the automatic stay that freezes award performance during a bid protest — here is how FAR 15.506 and FAR 33.104 actually run the clock.
FAR 52.203-13's mandatory disclosure rule requires written notice to the agency IG of credible fraud or False Claims Act evidence, and FAR 9.406-2 makes silence its own debarment cause for three years past final payment.
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