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 discuss challenges contractors face when protesting agency evaluations of proposals, along with
Zachary Schroeder
Zachary Schroeder is a counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office, where he practices in the Government Contracts Group.
Zach represents contractors in both litigation and counseling matters. His practice focuses on representing contractors in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition. His practice also includes federal regulatory and ethics compliance, as well as various aspects of state and local procurement law, including representing contractors in size protests and affiliation matters. In the transactional context, Zach has performed government contracts diligence for government contractors in a range of industries.
While in law school, Zach served as a judicial intern for Judge Mary Ellen Coster Williams at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He also served as the chair of the 2017 Government Contracts Moot Court Competition and as an editorial staff member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Quarterly Journal.
Fastest 5 Minutes: Audits of Federal Small Business Program Awards
This episode addresses efforts by various federal government agencies to audit and investigate purported ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ in small business set-aside awards, and is hosted by Yuan Zhou, Olivia Lynch and Zach Schroeder. Crowell & Moring’s “Fastest 5 Minutes” is a biweekly podcast that provides a brief summary of significant government contracts legal and regulatory…
All Things Protest: Corrective Action at the Court of Federal Claims
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 at the Court of Federal Claims— Advantaged Solutions…
Fastest 5 Minutes: Cybersecurity, Resellers, IP
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…
DoW’s Previously Announced 8(a) Audit Expanded to Include All Small Business Set-Aside Awards over $20 Million
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
8(a) Participants – and the 8(a) Program – Under the Microscope or on the Chopping Block
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
DoW Joins SBA’s Fight Against Alleged Pass-Through Fraud in the 8(a) Program
- First, the DoW will prioritize “a line-by-line
All Things Protest: NDAA, GAO’s Annual Bid Protest Report, and an OCI Sustain
In this episode, Crowell’s Christian Curran, Zachary Schroeder, and Bryan Dewan cover the latest NDAA protest provision, GAO’s Bid Protest Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2025, and GAO’s sustain of a bid protest related to an impaired objectivity organizational conflict of interest (OCI). Crowell & Moring’s “All Things Protest” podcast keeps you up…
SBA Office of General Counsel Audit of Participants in the 8(a) Program and Beyond
On December 5, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) sent letters to 4,300 current and recent participants in the 8(a) Business Development Program requiring production by January 5, 2026, of financial records, contracting and subcontracting agreements, and employee records. Below we discuss the genesis of the U.S. Government’s focus on fraud in small business programs, the new SBA request for documents, the coming Treasury audit of preference-based contracts, and more.Continue Reading SBA Office of General Counsel Audit of Participants in the 8(a) Program and Beyond
All Things Protest: Shutdown Impact, Heightened Pleading Standards, and AI Usage at GAO
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 attorneys cover impacts of the government shutdown on bid protests, GAO’s new pleading standards, and GAO’s dismissal of a…