The Weekly Update recaps recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting
government contractors and commercial businesses.
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Strategi Consulting: A Jurisdictional Win for SBIR Contractors, PilieroMazza Blog, Lauren Brier, Adel Mansour
In Strategi Consulting LLC v. United States, the plaintiff alleged that the United States Air Force (“USAF” or “Agency”) improperly continued developing software derived from Strategi’s Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) work through an affiliated agency organization rather than awarding Strategi a Phase III SBIR contract. The Court of Federal Claims denied the Government’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, allowing the case to proceed. Although the court has not yet determined whether the USAF violated the SBIR statute, the decision underscores an important principle for SBIR participants and government contractors alike: the Court of Federal Claims possesses broad bid protest jurisdiction over agency actions connected to a procurement, enabling judicial review of a wide range of procurement-related decisions that agencies might otherwise contend are beyond the court’s reach. This blog analyzes the recent Court of Federal Claims decision confirming that certain Agency actions affecting Phase III SBIR opportunities may be subject to bid protest review. Read more here.
Competing at the Speed of Space: What Space Force’s Acquisition Shift Means for Government Contractors, PilieroMazza Blog, Lauren Brier, Josie Farinelli
Defense contracting is changing rapidly, and United States Space Force (USSF) procurements are no exception. In September 2025, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman emphasized that USSF cannot afford to maintain the status quo of “chasing perfection” and instead must shift toward building “minimum viable capability.” For contractors, that message is important: winning future USSF work may depend less on proposing a fully mature, long-duration solution and more on showing that the company can deliver a usable, mission-ready capability in an accelerated 18- to 24-month window. This blog examines how government contractors can align with USSF’s accelerated acquisition strategy while protecting against the legal, financial, and performance risks that often accompany rapid procurement. Read more here.
Not So Fast: Recent ASBCA Decision Highlights Government’s Burden Before Terminating a Contractor for Default, PilieroMazza Blog, Lauren Brier, Josie Farinelli
A recent decision from the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA or Board) offers a useful reminder that the government must do more than point to performance problems when terminating a contract for default before completion. Although Jaxon Construction, Inc., ASBCA No. 64432 (June 24, 2026) was issued under the ASBCA’s Small Claims/Expedited procedures and therefore lacks precedential value (previously explained in our blog series about how the Boards of Contract Appeals work), government contractors should still take note of the Board’s analysis. This blog explains the Board’s decision in Jaxon Construction and why contractors facing a potential pre-completion default termination should be mindful of the government’s burden of proof. Read more here.
Presidential Action: Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 101 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Recoverable Critical Minerals and Materials
On July 30, the President issued a memorandum adding recoverable critical minerals and materials to the list of items necessary to promote the national defense. Read more here.
DISA Seeks Industry Input on Combatant Command Migration After GDIT Protest, Federal News Network
The Defense Information Systems Agency is seeking industry input on its plan to migrate all combatant commands’ common-use IT services to the Defense Department Network after General Dynamics Information Technology challenged the agency’s decision to expand Leidos’ $11 billion Defense Enclave Services contract to perform the work. Read more here.
DoD Is Looking for New Ways to Bring Commercial Innovation into National Security, Federal News Network
Building military capability takes more than defense contractors alone. Increasingly, the Pentagon is looking to commercial manufacturers, technology firms and other nontraditional partners to expand the defense industrial base. That’s a topic drawing growing attention across the defense community, and my next guest says Michigan is becoming a focal point for that shift. Read more here.
The Trump Administration Continues to Champion Deregulation, Federal News Network
The Trump administration has released its latest Unified Agenda, offering the clearest picture yet of what federal agencies expect to work on in the coming months. While the White House continues to emphasize deregulation, the agenda shows a government that remains deeply engaged in writing and revising rules. Read more here.
AI’s Growing Role in Rulemaking Raises New Transparency Questions, Government Executive
As the Trump administration pursues an aggressive deregulatory agenda, concerns are mounting that artificial intelligence could make agency decisions harder to explain and defend. While lawmakers are debating what an appropriate regulatory framework for artificial intelligence should be, experts who spoke at a panel on Monday noted that federal employees have been using the technology for years to develop all sorts of regulations. Read more here.
Small Business Administration (SBA) News Release 26-78: SBA Celebrates 73rd Anniversary with New SBA.gov; Streamlines Capital and Resources for Small Businesses and Manufacturers
On July 30, SBA announced the official launch of its modernized website, SBA.gov, designed to streamline access to capital, counseling, and contracting. The transformation marks a strategic return to the agency’s founding mission: backing the small manufacturers, builders, and Main Street enterprises that are the backbone of American strength, production, job creation, and local communities. Read more here.
CONFERENCE: Mission Critical: Compliance and Preparing Contractors for SBA’s Latest Rules, August 18, 2026, Meghan F. Leemon
CONFERENCE: Work Stoppage: Maximize Recovery from Delays, Terminations in Federal Contracting, August 18, 2026, Lauren Brier
CONFERENCE: Warfighting at Warp Speed: Why Defense Contractors Must Track the DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul, August 19, 2026, Lauren Brier
TRAINING: Past Performance: How to Use Yours, Benefit from Others’, and Defend It from Attacks, August 26, 2026, Josie Farinelli, Abigail “Abby” Finan
Department of Labor (DOL) News Release:
- DOL Advances Partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries to Strengthen Skilled-Workforce Pipeline, Support Maritime Reindustrialization: DOL recently advanced a workforce-development partnership with military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries to expand pre-apprenticeship opportunities, strengthen the nation’s maritime workforce and support Trump administration efforts to rebuild America’s industrial base. “Strengthening our maritime talent pipeline has a two-fold benefit,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “It gives hope to young men and women enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs while helping restore America’s maritime workforce and reanimating critical domestic supply chains.” Read more here.
- DOL Files Amicus Brief Supporting Fiduciary Discretion in Use of Forfeited Funds Under ERISA: On July 24, DOL filed an amicus brief urging the Fourth Circuit to affirm a district court’s decision dismissing the claims in Stana v. SAS Institute Inc., No. 26-1305, that the employer breached its fiduciary obligations by not using forfeited funds for plan expenses. In the amicus brief, the department asserted that the district court appropriately determined the plan fiduciary did not violate its duty of loyalty to plan participants. The plaintiffs’ argument that forfeitures should be allocated to pay plan expenses does not allow for the fact that the plan at issue gave the fiduciary that allocated the forfeitures discretion over them under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Read more here.
- DOL Cites Maine Hardwood Pulp Mill More Than $700K for Exposing Workers to Chemical Hazards: A federal investigation into the release of a deadly gas at a Baileyville-based wood pulp mill found that the employer exposed workers to safety and health hazards that resulted in the death of two workers. DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 27, 2026, Woodland Pulp LLC workers were performing a cold weather shutdown causing exposure to high concentrations of deadly, uncontrolled, hydrogen sulfide gas. Two employees died from the exposure. Read more here.
- Federal Court Order Requires 4 Detroit-Metro Leo’s Coney Island Franchises, Owner to Pay $515K in Back Wages, Damages to 143 Workers: DOL has obtained a consent judgment requiring the owner of four Leo’s Coney Island franchises in Clarkston, Dearborn, Livonia, and Sterling Heights to pay more than $500,000 in owed overtime wages and damages to 143 employees. The consent judgment resolves the department’s case alleging that the four Leo’s Coney Island franchise locations and owner Kiriakos Vlahadamis paid workers straight-time rates for all hours worked when they were legally obligated to pay them time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours over 40 in a workweek as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Read more here.
Union Sues EEOC for Halting Work on Federal Class Action Complaints, Federal News Network
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is facing new legal action from a federal union that claims the commission has not been processing any federal employee class action cases since at least late last year. AFGE is calling on EEOC to resume processing federal class action complaints, arguing that the current and indefinite suspension violates federal law. Read more here.
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report: Equal Access to Justice Act: Use at Selected Labor and Employment Agencies (GAO-26-108644)
On July 27, GAO released a Q&A report looking at how many awards agencies have made under the Equal Access to Justice Act. Federal agencies paid over $116 million for about 15,000 awards on average each year from FY 2019-25. The Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board paid nearly $1 million for 22 awards, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission paid none in that same period. Some attorneys noted challenges with the law. Others cited benefits like being able to represent clients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford legal fees. The full report is available here.
WEBINAR: GovCon 101: Service Contract Act, August 24, 2026, Nichole D. Atallah
PM WEBINAR: AI, Privacy, and Employees: Understanding Legal Risks and Liabilities for Employers, August 26, 2026, Nichole D. Atallah, Corey Bohn
WEBINAR: Mergers & Acquisitions in Government Contracting: Novations and Recertification, August 11, 2026, Samuel S. Finnerty, Daniel Figuenick, III
CONFERENCE: Buying or Selling: Keys to Successful GovCon M&A Transactions, August 18, 2026, Abigail “Abby” L. Baker, Kristen Centre, Meghan F. Leemon
PM WEBINAR: Buying and Selling a Business: M&A Processes and Procedures, August 27, 2026, Kristen Centre
The Debate Over CUI Is Revealing a Larger Struggle Over How Government Buys Technology, Federal News Network
The government says it wants greater access to commercial technology and innovation. But cybersecurity requirements, data protections and agency-specific policies can make the federal marketplace difficult to navigate. Read more here.
NIST Unveils New AI Evaluation Platform, NextGov/FCW
The National Institute of Standards and Technology launched a new program on Monday granting researchers access to an isolated testbed environment to safely evaluate artificial intelligence models against various commands. Read more here.
General Services Administration (GSA) News Release: GSA Announces CORAS Partnership Through OneGov, Expanding Federal AI Access and Delivering Cost Savings of Up to 80%
On July 28, GSA announced a new OneGov offering with CORAS, a provider of secure agentic AI, to accelerate AI adoption across federal agencies and equip them to automate manual, repetitive tasks that tie up staff and delay mission goals. GSA is building on the momentum of OneGov by extending agreements, expanding access to AI services, and laying the groundwork for scalable AI infrastructure across the federal government in accordance with President Trump’s White House AI Action Plan. Read more here.
LITIGATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Judicial Conference Notice: Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, Criminal, and Evidence Rules; Hearings of the Judicial Conference
On July 31, the Judicial Conference published a notice amending the federal rules of practice and procedure. The proposed amendments to Appellate Rule 25, Civil Rules 5 and 6, and Criminal Rules 45 and 49 relate to the ability of self-represented litigants to use a federal court’s electronic filing system to file and serve documents. Other proposed amendments include: Civil Rule 55 (relating to the clerk’s entry of default); Evidence Rule 104 (relating to deciding preliminary issues of fact); and Evidence Rule 902(1) (relating to self-authentication of public records of federally recognized Indian tribes). The notice is available here. Comments close February 15, 2027, and requests to testify at public hearings close December 8, 2026. Unless cancelled for lack of requests for public testimony, virtual hearings for the Appellate Rules are on January 25 and February 1, 2027; for Civil Rules on January 13 and 26, 2027; for Evidence Rules on January 11 and 28, 2027. Requests to observe must be registered by 4 PM ET the day before the hearing.