GovCon Intelligence

Emily Reid, a lawyer with PilieroMazza, joined me to discuss the new direction of the 8(a) program. SBA has redefined social disadvantage, and companies are applying and resubmitting their prior applications under the new standard. Emily went through what SBA is looking for now, plus how companies can get their applications on a fast track. Before PilieroMazza, Emily worked at the SBA Office of He...

In a livestream, I answered the two questions I get most about SBA’s proposal on size standards: Why is SBA doing this? And when might it happen? I also broke down how SBA could leave just 360 small businesses left in Federal contracting. Links Proposed Rule: Small Business Size Standards https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/20/2026-17042/small-business-size-standards Regulations.gov...

David Timm is watching AI change Federal contracting, both at agencies and with contractors themselves, and he’s worried about where this will lead. The Burr & Forman lawyer specializes in bid protests, where AI has created huge problems for GAO and the Court of Federal Claims. He’s also tracked the undisclosed use of AI by the government to evaluate proposals. David and I talked about what steps...

I had a feeling this was coming: When the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul first came out, the process that the FAR Council used looked every bit as revolutionary—and ultimately even more so—than the FAR itself. Now, Marcos Gonzalez of GovSpring Legal, a small law firm in D.C., is suing on behalf of a contractor, arguing that that process is illegal. We talked about the basis for his case against the FA...

SBA published proposed size standards that raise small-business limits by 15x in some important industries. As I explained in my live stream earlier, the across-the-board increases flow from SBA’s interpretation of the “dominance” provision in the Small Business Act. SBA explains that, for $20 billion industries, a $500 million business “would not be dominant.” That’s why the proposed size standar...

Karri Palmetier is a legal expert on one of the fastest evolving subjects in government contracting: domestic-sourcing requirements. She joined me after her well-attended session at NCMA World Congress in Orlando, and we started our discussion with a new Executive Order. The Order prioritizes domestic sourcing in the military supply chain. Underlying that Order is a combination of complicated laws...

Meghan Leemon and I caught up after her excellent presentation on joint ventures at the National HUBZone Conference in Virginia. Meghan, who practices out of PilieroMazza’s Colorado office, was involved in one of the most important joint-venture cases in years. She also had a fascinating tip on how larger small businesses can use JVs to keep their status longer. We then talked through her recent w...

Erin Estevez has a warning for Defense contractors—if you think you’re in the clear because of the CMMC Phase 2 pause, you may not be ready for what’s next. A new compliance regime is right around the corner. And the soon-to-be-required disclosures on Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence (FOCI) are much broader than the name suggests. If you have a contract with a foreign company, an overseas...

David Mullis has been analyzing the FAR Overhaul from a small-business perspective for well over a year now. So when the FAR Council published its first batches of proposed rules last week, the former SBA Advocacy assistant chief counsel and current regulatory consultant at Gov Contract Pros was my first choice to break down how those rules affect small businesses. There are some surprises in ther...

Lizzie Sullivan has been pushing the Rule of Two through Congress for years now, and this year is the best shot to get that vital rule for small businesses into statutory law, she says. But opposition from an unexpected source has popped up. Sullivan, the president of Madison Services Group, joined me on GovCon Intelligence to discuss the prospect of Congress passing the Rule of Two—which would bo...

In this live stream, I analyzed the newly pre-published SBA’s proposed rule that changes the social-disadvantage eligibility criteria for the 8(a) program. Viewers had questions on the proposed rule. We also covered the little-discussed DoW Small Business Bill of Rights, a recent reorganization of staff at SBA, and a few cases involving the mentor-protégé program. Links follow. A transcript is ava...

Ahead of her presentation at this week’s VETS conference, former White House appointee and 8(a) associate administrator Jackie Robinson-Burnette joined me on GovCon Intelligence. Jackie and I worked together at SBA in the aftermath of the Ultima court decision to save the 8(a) program, and we talked at length about what the program will look like after this latest crisis. I also got her thoughts o...

"When we talk about small businesses being under a microscope, I do worry that the person looking through the lens isn't sure what they're looking for," PSC President Stephanie Kostro said. Fresh off the Professional Services Council annual conference, Stephanie joined Sam on the podcast to discuss the biggest policy issues for small businesses: fraud investigations and audits, the next stage of t...

I sat down last week with Scott Flesch , probably the most experienced bid-protest lawyer ever. Scott was the Chief Trial Attorney for the Army, where he worked on over 2,000 bid protests. He is now a member at Miller & Chevalier, a D.C. law firm. Our conversation started with the most recent Executive Order mandating fixed price contracting, and moved into the risks that contractors face from the...

Links discussed 8(a) participants in 2026 EO on Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting White House Budget Request FY27 Appropriations Committee Draft Report on FY27 Government Appropriation Bill SBA Office of Advocacy Leadership GAO decision in KriaaNet, Inc. , B-422717.4, B-422717.5, April 23, 2026 GAO decision in Threat Tec, LLC , B-424221 , April 23, 2026 P...

Jackson Moore and I recorded a GovCon Intelligence episode on location in Wilmington, North Carolina. We were on a panel there last week, moderated by Sue Kranes at the North Carolina Military Business Center Construction Summit. Jackson is a partner at Smith Anderson in Raleigh and recently has been writing about AI-related developments in GovCon. We talked about AI hallucinations and more broadl...

On a GovCon Intelligence live stream, I covered the current state of the 8(a) Business Development Program and the latest suspension numbers, significant OHA and Federal Court decisions, and SBA administrative changes. I also addressed the impact of the Washington District Office’s move to Herndon and previewed the OIG’s 2026 audit priorities. 00:00:00 Introduction & 8(a) Suspensions Update 00:03:...

Today on GovCon Intelligence, I’m joined by Jayna Rust, a partner at Thompson Coburn and an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School. We break down the long-term impact of the 2023 Supreme Court affirmative action ruling on government contracting, including a look at whether there is a flood of DEI-driven discrimination claims. Because she also works on wills and trusts, we...

Damien Specht, a partner at the Morrison Foerster law firm, joined me yesterday on GovCon Intelligence, just a few days after the Senate passed a bill to reauthorize the SBIR program. We got into the details of the reauthorization bill. Then we talked about his specialty—mergers and acquisitions of government contractors. After working on hundreds of M&A deals, Damien shared his tips for companies...

Jessica Tillipman is the dean of GW Law’s procurement law program and the leading expert on the use of AI in government contracting. I caught up with her about the Supreme Court’s tariffs decision, the potential for AI-enabled corruption, and the future of lawyering. Along the way, we discussed SBA’s recent wave of suspensions and proposed terminations of 8(a) firms. An auto-generated summary of t...

Robb Wong was the government’s top small-business advocate in the first Trump Administration, working closely with former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon. He joins Sam on GovCon Intelligence to discuss the Trump Administration’s posture toward small-businesss contractors, the 8(a) data call, and his outlook for 2026. An auto-generated summary of the conversation follows. Guest Background * Robb Wo...

Links mentioned: Dave Zvenyach: “ The 8(a) Dustup ” SBA: “ SBA Issues Clarifying Guidance That Race-Based Discrimination is Not Tolerated in the 8(a) Program ” SBA 8(a) Program Mandate SBA Small Business Search City Journal: “ They Systematically Discriminate Against One Group: White Men. ” Below is an auto-generated summary of a live video. This episode discusses recent developments and heightene...

On this episode of the GovCon Intelligence podcast, Sam and Christine Williams cover the current state of the SBA 8(a) program, focusing on recent administrative challenges, fraud allegations, and the specific role of Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs). The SBA 8(a) Data Call and Data Security. The discussion begins with Christine describing the recent SBA 8(a) data call as “awful” due to a portal...

Matt Schoonover and I got together this afternoon to discuss what SBA told the Office of Management and Budget about the 8(a) data call. Below is an auto-generated summary of our conversation. You can find the topic of our conversation, SBA’s submission to OMB, on reginfo.gov . In this episode of GovCon Intelligence, Sam sits down with Matt Schoonover, a leading attorney in government contracting,...

For a full summary, go to http://www.govconintelligence.com. Topics The 8(a) Fraud Debate and Senate Hearings Nuances of Limitations on Subcontracting (LOS) SBA Audit Updates and FAQs SBA Atlassian website . The FAR Overhaul Q&A Session Q: Can you “stack” the 40% rule for JVs on top of LOS? Q: Is the ultimate intent to do away with set-aside programs? Q: Is there rampant fraud in the 8(a) program?...