Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – January 15, 2026
The Weekly Update recaps recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting government contractors and commercial businesses. If you have questions concerning this content, please email marketing@pilieromazza.com. _____________________________________________ GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Trump Signs Order Pressing Defense Firms to Cut Buybacks, Bloomberg Government President Donald Trump signed an executive order pressing defense contractors to spend less on stock buybacks and dividends while boosting investment in infrastructure and weapons production, according to a person familiar with the matter. Read more here (subscription required). Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Report: . . . Read More
Top 10 Killer Construction Contract Clauses, Part 3: Are the Indemnification Provisions in Your Construction Contract Enforceable?
Construction projects involve high risk. Multiple contractors and subcontractors working on a project site—often with heavy equipment and hazardous conditions—creates the potential for significant injuries, property damages, and delays. To allocate that risk, indemnification provisions are standard in construction contracts. Whether you are a project owner, general contractor, subcontractor, or supplier, chances are your contracts have indemnification provisions that require you, or the party with which you are contracting, to provide indemnification for and a duty to defend against claims . . . Read More
Warfighting at Warp Speed, Part 3: Tracking the 2026 NDAA and DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul
In December 2025, PilieroMazza explained some key highlights of the 3,000-page 2026 NDAA for defense contractors, tracking how these important updates will affect their ability to compete and how they align with DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul. In this blog, we dive deeper into one of these NDAA updates—Section 1826—which all small businesses, defense contractors, and prospective defense contractors need to understand, as it could significantly ease compliance burdens across the existing defense industrial base and invite new competitors into the space. . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – December 11, 2025
The Weekly Update recaps recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting government contractors and commercial businesses. If you have questions concerning this content, please email marketing@pilieromazza.com. _____________________________________________ Season’s Greetings from PilieroMazza! GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS / FALSE CLAIMS ACT / AUDITS & INVESTIGATIONS SBA’s 8(a) Program Audit Starts—PilieroMazza Launches “8(a) Audit Response Task Force” to Help Clients Handle the Holiday Gift No One Asked For, PilieroMazza Client Alert, Matthew E. Feinberg, Meghan F. Leemon On December 5, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued formal data and . . . Read More
Warfighting at Warp Speed, Part 2: Tracking the 2026 NDAA and DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul
In November, PilieroMazza explained the Department of War’s (DOW) Acquisition Overhaul and why defense contractors need to stay informed, as understanding how DOW plans to fast-track contract delivery will be key to thriving in this evolving landscape. Since DOW released its plans in a memo titled “Transforming the Warfighting Acquisition System to Accelerate Fielding of Capabilities,” the government took further action to reshape the defense acquisition process via the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released by Congress on December . . . Read More
SBA’s 8(a) Program Audit Starts—PilieroMazza Launches “8(a) Audit Response Task Force” to Help Clients Handle the Holiday Gift No One Asked For
On December 5, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued formal data and document requests (linked here) to certified 8(a) Business Development Program participants. This follows SBA’s June 2025 announcement that it would implement an “immediate and full-scale audit” of the 8(a) Program. The requests, issued by the SBA Office of General Counsel via email, justified the audit as follows: “Recent reports by journalists and independent investigators have raised questions about widespread misconduct within the 8(a) Businesses [sic] Development Program, . . . Read More
Warfighting at Warp Speed, Part 1: Why Defense Contractors Must Track the Department of War’s Acquisition Overhaul
The Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on November 7, 2025, that the U.S. Department of War (DOW) is dropping a game-changing memo: “Transforming the Warfighting Acquisition System to Accelerate Fielding of Capabilities.” This bold blueprint reimagines how defense capabilities are delivered—with speed, agility, and results at the forefront. But with rapid transformation comes turbulence. While the newly branded Warfighting Acquisition System promises thrilling opportunities, it also introduces uncertainty. Defense contractors should stay sharp and informed. Understanding how DOW plans . . . Read More
Update on the DBE Interim Final Rule: DOT Issues Key Guidance for DBE Program Stakeholders
As PilieroMazza previously reported, via an interim final rule (IFR) effective October 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) removed the use of race- and sex-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage for establishing eligibility for its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concessions DBE (ACDBE) Programs.[1] Given the lack of clarity with various aspects of the IFR, there is significant confusion among DBE Program stakeholders in terms of how the IFR is to be carried out. On October . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – October 23, 2025
The Weekly Update recaps recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting government contractors and commercial businesses. If you have questions concerning this content, please email marketing@pilieromazza.com. _____________________________________________ GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS / LABOR & EMPLOYMENT / REAs, CLAIMS, AND APPEALS Contracting Through the Long Haul: Maximizing Recovery During a Protracted Government Shutdown, PilieroMazza Client Alert, Sarah L. Nash, Lauren Brier, Abigail “Abby” Finan, Josie Farinelli As the federal government shutdown continues, contractors are left to grapple with growing uncertainty regarding whether certain costs are recoverable or whether certain work . . . Read More
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – October 9, 2025
The Weekly Update recaps recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting government contractors and commercial businesses. If you have questions concerning this content, please email marketing@pilieromazza.com. _____________________________________________ FAR OVERHAUL Long-Awaited Release of FAR Part 19: New Rule of Two and More, PilieroMazza Client Alert, Antonio R. Franco, Kristine “Krissy” Crallé On September 26, 2025, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council released the much-anticipated rewrite of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19, formerly titled Small Business Programs, as part of the broader Revolutionary FAR Overhaul initiative. To . . . Read More