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Stephanie Crawford

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Stephanie Crawford is a trusted counselor to a broad range of industries facing reorganizations, transactions, national security issues, and questions of supply chain management. Stephanie provides related mergers and acquisitions, counseling, litigation, international arbitration, and investigations services to clients in the aerospace and defense, communications, energy, information technology, and consumer products sectors.

Stephanie has substantial experience with both buy-side and sell-side transactions. She has led government contracts diligence for numerous private equity entities and defense contractors. She assists clients with navigating post-closing government requirements, including unique license transfers and approvals; novation and change of name regulations; and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency communications and foreign ownership, control, and influence (FOCI) mitigation.

Stephanie counsels clients on supply chain, sourcing, and national security regulations and requirements. Such counseling includes compliance with the Defense Production Act, including priority orders, ratings and associated regulations; the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act; and National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) regulations. She is also known for her ability to solve immediate and business-threatening System for Award Management (SAM) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) CAGE Code problems.

Stephanie defends government contractors facing potential tort litigation with a nexus to their government contracts and facing supply chain and national security-related investigations, litigation, and arbitrations.

Stephanie's pro bono practice focuses on a broad range of veterans' issues, including disability ratings and discharge upgrades

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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 Systems

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

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently proposed an expanded role regulating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones.  On August 7, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and TSA published a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (proposed rule), titled Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations (BVLOS).  Through this landmark proposed rule, the FAA and TSA aim to provide industry with a clear path forward for streamlined UAS operations for a variety of purposes, including package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveying, civic interest (public safety), and flight testing.  Comments on the proposed rule are due October 6, 2025.Continue Reading Securing the Skies: Landmark Proposed Rule Contains New Security Requirements for Expanded Commercial Drone Deployments

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently proposed an expanded role regulating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones.  On August 7, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and TSA published a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (proposed rule), titled Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations (BVLOS).  Through this landmark proposed rule, the FAA and TSA aim to provide industry with a clear path forward for streamlined UAS operations for a variety of purposes, including package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveying, civic interest (public safety), and flight testing.  Comments on the proposed rule are due October 6, 2025.Continue Reading Securing the Skies: Landmark Proposed Rule Contains New Security Requirements for Expanded Commercial Drone Deployments

On September 18, 2025, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) issued the first order under the authority conferred by the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA), requiring exclusion and removal of products and services by an identified source.[1]
Continue Reading Off the (Supply) Chain: Director of National Intelligence Issues First Exclusion and Removal Order Under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act

The System for Award Management (SAM, available at sam.gov) is set to incorporate Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) changes as early as the first quarter of 2026. The RFO process, which began earlier this year, will trigger matching changes to representations and certifications in SAM.gov.Continue Reading Not Just the FAR, SAM.gov Gets Overhauled Too

On May 12, 2025, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) released a new SF-328[1] consisting of 9 questions and 6 pages of instructions that detail the types of supporting documentation requested and identify information required by different responding entities (e.g., corporate, non-profit, academic, etc.). With this SF-328, DCSA is seeking certain frequently requested information and documents with initial SF-328 submissions rather than obtaining these documents through communications or revised SF-328 submissions. Additionally, when completed, the new SF-328 is considered Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).Continue Reading New SF-328 Released and Embedded Guidance Seeks More Information Up Front

On May 7, 2025, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA or the “Agency”) announced the approval[1] of a revised and expanded Standard Form (SF) 328, Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests. Contractors and subcontractors engaged in work involving classified information use the SF-328 for disclosures relating to foreign ownership, control, or influence—and the form will soon be required for contractors and subcontractors in the unclassified space for certain covered contracts. Publication of the updated form has not yet occurred but is expected as soon as this weekend (May 10-11). New SF-328 forms will be required for initial and changed condition packages initiated on or after May 12 according to a National Industrial Security System (NISS) communication today.Continue Reading New SF-328 for Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence Assessments Approved, Publication Imminent

 On November 12, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will issue an interim rule amending FAR 52.204-7 to clarify that an offeror’s failure to maintain System for Award Management (SAM) registration during the period between proposal submission and contract award does not render the offeror ineligible for award.  Providing welcome relief to agencies and contractors alike, the interim rule requires only that an offeror be registered in SAM at the time of offer submission and at the time of contract award.Continue Reading A Common-Sense Change to the Continuous SAM Registration Requirement at FAR 52.204 7

Recently, there has been a significant increase in scams targeting users of the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).  Active SAM registrations are required for federal government contractors, including to receive contracts and payments.  The non-public portions of these registrations include bank account information, tax information, and other sensitive information about a company.  Recent phishing scams and efforts to gain access to registrations indicate sophisticated actors are attempting to manipulate SAM registrations, possibly for access to payments from the government, among other reasons.  Company SAM registration Administrators should protect the company’s SAM registration from unauthorized access to the greatest extent possible.Continue Reading SAM Scams: Protect Your Company