On July 2, 2026, the Department of War (DoW) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) setting out a framework to implement the prohibition on acquisition of covered printed circuit boards (PCBs) from “covered nations”—North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran—enacted under sections 841 and 851 of the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) for Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022, respectively, and codified at 10 U.S.C. § 4873. DoW invites industry to respond to specific questions and provide comments on the ANPR by August 31, 2026.
Continue Reading At Long Last, DoW Signals Rule Implementing PCB Prohibition and Commercial Exemptions
Fastest 5 Minutes: Fixed Price Contracting EO, FCA, FOCI
This week’s episode covers a new Executive Order on fixed-price contracting, a new DOJ initiative targeting coordination with data-mining qui tam relators, and a proposed rule that would extend FOCI reviews to uncleared defense contractors, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and Yuan Zhou. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that
Fastest 5 Minutes: DEI EO, SBIR, Pentagon Budget
This week’s episode covers implementation of EO 14398 (Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors), the reauthorization of the SBIR program, and the Pentagon’s FY27 budget request, 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
FAR Council Issues Deviation Implementing EO 14398 With FAR 52.222-90 — DEI Restrictions on Federal Contractors
As discussed in our March 30, 2026, client alert, Déjà Vu: New Executive Order Outlines Restrictions on Contractor and Subcontractor DEI Activity, President Trump issued Executive Order 14398 (EO 14398), Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors, on March 26, 2026. The EO declared DEI activities “unethical and often illegal,” required a new mandatory contract clause for federal contracts and subcontracts, and directed the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to issue an implementing deviation. That deviation has now arrived. At the same time, a coalition of higher education and government contractor associations has filed suit seeking to block the underlying executive order.
Continue Reading FAR Council Issues Deviation Implementing EO 14398 With FAR 52.222-90 — DEI Restrictions on Federal ContractorsOMB Issues New Policy on Federal IT Transparency and Acquisition Oversight
On March 31, 2026, the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued Memorandum M-26-10 titled, “Reinforcing Transparency, Accountability, and Oversight of Federal Technology,” (Memorandum) containing a new policy designed to reinforce oversight, transparency, and accountability across federal technology programs, increase accountability for agency chief information officers (CIOs), and enhance information sharing among government agencies. OMB issued the policy in furtherance of several executive orders (EOs) issued by President Trump, including: EO 13833, “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Agency Chief Information Officers,” EO 14240, “Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement,” and EO 14243, “Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos.”
Continue Reading OMB Issues New Policy on Federal IT Transparency and Acquisition OversightFastest 5 Minutes: DEI EO & OMB Memo
This week’s episode covers the March 26 Executive Order titled “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors” and the March 31 OMB Memo titled “Reinforcing Transparency, Accountability, and Oversight of Federal Technology”, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and Yuan Zhou. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary
Déjà Vu? New Executive Order Outlines Restrictions on Contractor and Subcontractor DEI Activity
On March 26, 2026, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) titled Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. The EO declares diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “activities” “unethical and often illegal,” and imposes new obligations on federal contractors and subcontractors related to DEI programming. Contractors that do business with the federal government — or that work as subcontractors for companies that do — should review the EO closely to determine the extent to which they are compliant with the new requirements.
Continue Reading Déjà Vu? New Executive Order Outlines Restrictions on Contractor and Subcontractor DEI ActivityFastest 5 Minutes: Proposed GSA AI Clause
This week’s episode covers a significant proposed contract clause, GSAR 552.239-7001, Basic Safeguarding of Artificial Intelligence Systems, for inclusion in GSA Schedule solicitations and contracts involving AI, 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
AI for Government: 7 Days for Contractor Comments on GSA Proposed Contract Clause for AI Systems
On March 6, 2026, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued a significant proposed contract clause, GSAR 552.239-7001, Basic Safeguarding of Artificial Intelligence Systems (“Clause”), for inclusion in GSA Schedule solicitations and contracts for AI capabilities. The proposed clause would impose substantial new requirements related to AI sources, intellectual property rights, data use, change management, and performance standards. The Clause would also take precedence over any other contract terms (including commercial licensing terms) related to AI, including a Seller’s terms of sale and service to which the Government had previously agreed. GSA requests comments by March 20, 2026.
An analysis of the proposed clause follows below.
Continue Reading AI for Government: 7 Days for Contractor Comments on GSA Proposed Contract Clause for AI SystemsFastest 5 Minutes: Tariff Update
This week’s episode covers the Supreme Court decision regarding IEEPA tariffs, the subsequent actions by the White House, and implications for companies, and is hosted by Peter Eyre and Alex Schaefer. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory developments that