Policy
FAR and DFARS rulemaking, executive orders, and acquisition policy shifts — explained in plain English.
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Policy
OMB raises Buy American domestic content threshold to 75% — phase-in complete for most product categories
The final phase of the Biden-era Buy American rule is now in effect, raising the domestic content threshold for manufactured products on federal contracts to 75%. Contractors must demonstrate that 75 cents of every dollar in product cost originates from U.S. manufacturing, up from the prior 65% threshold.
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Policy
Federal 1-for-4 hiring rule — and the OMB push to reduce 'shadow workforce' of consultants
1-for-4 hiring ratio: agencies can only hire 1 person back for every 4 who depart. RIF moratorium expired Jan 30, 2026. OMB's 'Continued Accountability' push aims to reduce expensive consulting contracts — agencies are insourcing roles previously contracted out.
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Policy
Department of Education's FSA modernization — and the planned Treasury transfer for $1.7T loan portfolio
FSA $100M middleware contract supports cloud and core systems. March 2026: Education announces transfer of FSA core responsibilities to Treasury for the $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio. Coordination with FAFSA system continues.
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Policy
Department of Interior FY26 IT — $1.98B for IT and cybersecurity, AI roadmap a priority
DOI's FY26 budget includes $1.98B for IT and cybersecurity (2.9% of overall discretionary). Priorities: AI roadmap pilots, infrastructure centralization per the Secretary's April directive, $33.2M for cyber operations and incident remediation.
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Policy
FTC + DOJ joint focus on cybersecurity — and what that means for federal contractors in 2026
Cybersecurity enforcement now spans FTC (consumer protection / Made-in-America claims), DOJ (False Claims Act on DFARS 7012), and DoD (CMMC). Federal contractors face overlapping enforcement reach. Compliance investments now defend against multiple enforcement vectors simultaneously.
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Policy
CHIPS Act status: $30.9B awarded to 19 firms, but the tax credit expires December 2026
As of mid-2025, Commerce has awarded $30.9B direct + $5.5B loans across 19 semiconductor companies and 40 projects. The Advanced Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit (Section 48D) sunsets for construction starts after December 31, 2026.
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Policy
Expanded counterfeit-parts rule: 60-day GIDEP reporting, supply-chain flowdown, FCA exposure
A final rule effective November 22 dramatically expanded mandatory GIDEP reporting for counterfeit or suspect-counterfeit parts. 60-day reporting window, supply-chain flowdown to all tiers, False Claims Act exposure for non-compliance.
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Policy
Davis-Bacon's $217B federal construction world — first major overhaul in 40 years, penalties now $13,508
The Department of Labor finalized the first major Davis-Bacon regulatory overhaul in nearly 40 years. Updated WH-347 certified payroll form (January 2025), civil penalties increased to $13,508 per violation. $217B in annual federal construction and 12,000+ active projects now subject to the tightened framework.
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Policy
CISA retires 10 emergency directives — and what it signals about federal cyber norm-setting
On January 8, 2026, CISA announced the retirement of 10 emergency directives issued between 2019-2024. The retirement signals a shift toward targeted, threat-specific guidance over sweeping standing directives — with implications for how contractors respond to future cybersecurity requirements.
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Policy
OMB M-25-22 reshapes federal AI procurement — effective for solicitations after September 30, 2025
The Trump administration's OMB memorandum on federal AI procurement applies to any AI solicitation issued after September 30, 2025. Three big themes: a competitive American AI marketplace, taxpayer-dollar safeguards via AI performance tracking, and cross-functional procurement engagement.
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Policy
Federal workforce down 271,000 in 2025 — and contractors are absorbing the displaced work
The federal civilian workforce declined by 249,000-271,000 (9%) between January and November 2025 — the largest peacetime reduction on record. RIF moratorium expired January 30; implementation plans due April 14. Contractors absorb workload by default.
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Policy
Trump's March 13 Made-in-America EO — FTC enforcement + contract-level origin verification
The March 13, 2026 executive order directs the FTC to prioritize enforcement against false 'Made in America' claims and requires federal agencies to verify Made-in-USA and Buy American Act claims at the contract level. Online marketplace verification rule forthcoming.
