On February 17, 2026, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) released a Proposed Rule (Proposed Rule) to implement Section 5949(a) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 (Section 5949), following the FAR Council’s May 3, 2024 Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR). Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 20, 2026.
Continue Reading Section 5949 Proposed Rule Puts the FAR Council’s Chips on the Table
On February 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced upcoming virtual town hall meetings scheduled for March 2026 regarding the implementation of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA). The meetings will allow industry stakeholders to provide input to DHS to refine the “scope and burden” of the forthcoming CIRCIA final rule.
Continue Reading DHS Announces Virtual Town Halls on CIRCIA Final Rule
In this episode, Jason Crawford, Agustin Orozco, and Will Tucker discuss the latest developments in connection with constitutional challenges to the qui tam provisions since the district court ruling in U.S. ex. rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates LLC. “Let’s Talk FCA” is Crowell & Moring’s podcast covering the latest developments with the False Claims Act.
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PodBean | SoundCloud | iTunes
Last week, the Federal Circuit heard oral argument in Global K9 Protection Group, LLC v. United States, a bid protest appeal concerning, in part, whether an awardee who chose not to intervene at the outset of the protest should have been allowed to do so after its award was enjoined.
Continue Reading Worried Three’s a Crowd? Decline Intervention at Your Own Peril
This week’s episode covers developments regarding the Secure Software Development Attestation, GSA’s newly release CUI guidance, GSA’s RFI regarding resellers, and the Pentagon’s “patent holiday” pilot, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and Yuan Zhou. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory developments that no government contracts lawyer or executive should be without.
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Crowell & Moring’s “All Things Protest” podcast keeps you up to date on major trends in bid protest litigation, key developments in high-profile cases, and best practices in state and federal procurement. In this episode, Crowell’s Christian Curran, Zachary Schroeder, and Bryan Dewan cover two recent protests that both emphasize the continued importance of filing timely at GAO while highlighting significant rules and nuances that may trip up protestors.
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Congress has not passed funding bills to keep key parts of the government funded for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2026—including the Departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Homeland Security, as well as independent agencies, the judiciary, and national security and foreign operations functions. As Congress continues to negotiate a deal in advance of the expiration of funds on January 30, parts of the government may still face a short shutdown, given the time needed for both the Senate and the House to consider and approve legislation. In anticipation of that possibility, agencies whose funding is uncertain are preparing for a shutdown; contractors, grant recipients, and companies that work with those agencies should do the same. Our team is ready and available to advise through the shutdown process.
Continue Reading Reminders for a Potential Government Shutdown this Weekend
As we previously reported, on January 16, 2026, the Department of War (DoW) announced an audit of 8(a) sole source awards over $20 million, joining the previously-announced audits by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Treasury Department (discussed here and here). A DoW memorandum also dated January 16, 2026 but only recently made public reveals that this audit is much broader in than originally announced. Any active 8(a) sole source contract, 8(a) set-aside contract, or small business set-aside contract over $20 million is under scrutiny.
Continue Reading DoW’s Previously Announced 8(a) Audit Expanded to Include All Small Business Set-Aside Awards over $20 Million
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has rolled out changes to its 8(a) Program even as it suspends 8(a) participants for failure to respond to the SBA’s December 5, 2025 8(a) audit letters.
Continue Reading 8(a) Participants – and the 8(a) Program – Under the Microscope or on the Chopping Block
This week’s episode covers national fraud enforcement, an executive order focused on defense contracting, government investment strategies, GSA and transactional data reporting, and the Pentagon review of 8(a) awards, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and Yuan Zhou. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory developments that no government contracts lawyer or executive should be without.
Click below to listen or access from one of these links:
PodBean | SoundCloud | iTunes