Stop waiting for set-asides! The federal contracting playbook that delivered success for small businesses in 2023 is now expired for FY 2025. This episode dives into the structural shifts transforming government procurement, explaining why agencies are consolidating contracts onto vehicles like GSA Schedules, STARS III, and OASIS+. Learn how shifting goalposts, including the reset of the SDB goal to the statutory 5% and the new focus on hitting WOSB and HUBZone targets, are demanding a new, strategic approach focused on securing contract vehicles, partnering through joint ventures, and boosting essential credentials like cybersecurity compliance. If you're looking for government contracting opportunities in 2025, you must understand why simply being eligible isn't enough anymore.

Artificial intelligence isn’t coming to federal contracting—it’s already here, reshaping what the government buys and how it evaluates vendors. In this podcast, we dive into how agencies like the GSA, DoD, DHS, and VA are actively deploying AI pilots for everything from claims review to threat detection. We explore where the real procurement opportunities lie for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in areas like predictive analytics, cybersecurity automation, and cloud services. Plus, learn how shifting policy, including the OMB guidance and the AI Bill of Rights, is creating new requirements for vendors to demonstrate fairness, transparency, and risk mitigation. Don’t let this shift pass you by; the time to align your certifications, services, and proposals with this AI-driven market is now.

Navigating a government shutdown doesn’t have to derail your small business, performance, or cash flow. This podcast provides the essential playbook for protecting federal contracts when payments get delayed and confusion reigns.

Specifically designed for small and mid-sized government contractors, including those utilizing 8a certification services, women owned small business certification, or disabled veteran government contracts, we dive into the proactive steps you must take before things go off the rails. You'll learn how to confirm the funding status of each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN), why continuing to work without confirmation could violate the Antideficiency Act, and how to prepare detailed Requests for Equitable Adjustment (REA) to recover costs under relevant FAR clauses.

We emphasize using tools like a Shutdown Impact Log to track idle labor, delayed deliveries, and Contracting Officer (CO) correspondence, and adopting CPARS protection strategies to demonstrate that delays were government-caused and excusable. Contractors who weather shutdowns successfully are prepared, they communicate, they document, and they mitigate damage.

With HUB certifications paused and federal payments delayed, this podcast breaks down how Small Businesses (SMBs) can pivot to local government and school district contracts. Learn why procurement hasn't stopped—it’s just shifted closer to home. Discover how to bypass lengthy state timelines and leverage cooperative purchasing networks like Sourcewell, TIPS, and BuyBoard to win contracts for essential needs like IT, facilities maintenance, and transportation. We give you the playbook to adjust your messaging for local responsiveness, register quickly with district portals, and stay cash-flow positive while federal and state programs reboot.

Texas Freezes HUB Certifications: Navigating the DEI Crackdown and Procurement Shift. On October 28, 2025, the Texas Comptroller’s office announced the suspension of all new and renewed Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certifications for state procurement. This action, taken by Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, was explicitly tied to ensuring the program’s compliance with the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, as well as Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-55 banning race- and sex-based preferences (DEI) in state agencies. The freeze immediately impacts thousands of businesses—owned by women, minorities, and disabled veterans—who relied on HUB certification as a crucial "door-opener" for state contracts. We discuss the immediate operational impacts, including how the shrinking HUB roster will make it harder for agencies and prime contractors to meet outreach and subcontracting targets, threatening to skew contract awards toward established large incumbents.

CMMC Level 1 is the entry-level cybersecurity requirement for DoD contractors handling Federal Contract Information (FCI). Since compliance is mandatory for virtually all contracts involving FCI as of November 10, 2025, this episode breaks down the 15 basic safeguarding practices (aligned with FAR 52.204-21) that you must implement. We guide small businesses through the process: how to scope your systems, ensure you have documented policies for areas like access control and malware defense, and perform the required annual self-assessment. Learn how to properly submit your findings to the DoD Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) and secure the mandatory Senior Official Affirmation, while avoiding major pitfalls like underscoping your systems or attempting to use Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms), which are strictly disallowed at Level 1.

The federal government shutdown has frozen payments, halted task orders, and paused awards, leaving small and mid-sized government contractors (GovCon) facing acute liquidity risks. Hope is not a strategy—you need a plan now.

This episode breaks down a practical, step-by-step 14-day cash-flow survival strategy to help your firm weather a federal funding freeze and keep your business afloat.

We’ll guide you through the critical steps necessary to survive the shutdown, protect your employees, and ensure your post-shutdown rebound is successful:

• Immediate Financial Triage (Days 1–2): Learn how to run a 14-day burn-rate analysis, assess cash and receivables, and prioritize critical obligations like payroll, benefits, and essential fixed costs first.
• Revenue Management (Days 3–5): Discover how to aggressively push invoices immediately, early-bill for earned work, and coordinate with contracting officers (COs) to get every lawful dollar into the payment queue.
• Securing Short-Term Funding (Days 6–8): Explore how to utilize existing bank lines of credit (or call your banker immediately to set one up). We also discuss how SBA Disaster Loans are an exception and remain available even while standard 7(a) and 504 programs are frozen.
• Strategic Cost Mitigation (Days 9–11): Understand how to freeze all discretionary spending (like travel, marketing, and new hiring) while preserving must-pay items necessary to maintain performance capability and avoid CPARS risks (e.g., insurance and IT services). We also discuss maximizing workforce value by using accrued leave or reassigning idle employees to internal tasks like R&D or audits.
• Planning for the Long Haul (Days 12–14): Learn to model different shutdown scenarios (2-week, 4-week, 8-week), set objective cash triggers for austerity steps, and maintain detailed logs of all costs and communications for future claims.
• Recovery Readiness: Be prepared to reactivate staff immediately when funding returns, and—critically—file your equitable adjustment or delay claims promptly, as contractors often have only a narrow 20–30 day window to submit cost recovery requests after funding resumes.

Cash flow is king, and this plan is essential for firms relying on government contracting certification, including those with 8a contracts, SDVOSB, or WOSB set-asides.

If you thought the shutdown freeze was bad, wait until you hear what’s happening on the back end. The 2025 government shutdown has created a massive invoice backlog, pushing small and mid-sized federal contractors (SMB GovCons) to the financial brink. We dive into why the government isn't paying its bills: finance offices are furloughed, meaning invoices are not being reviewed, approved, or paid, even if systems like DHS’s IPP or HHS’s PMS are technically running. This has caused contract actions, new awards, mods, and progress payments to freeze, creating a "brick wall" for contractors.

The Crisis:

This situation is existential for small businesses. Payment delays immediately translate into severe cash-flow shortages, forcing firms to tap credit lines or cut expenses to meet payroll. Many agencies have not issued formal stop-work or suspension orders, putting contractors in a legal and operational gray zone where they may be continuing performance "at risk" without payment guarantees. Unlike federal employees, contractors are not guaranteed retroactive pay; every dollar lost must be documented, justified, and claimed later under specific FAR clauses. This is especially brutal for companies relying on 8(a) contracts, disabled veteran government contracts, or those recently certified under women owned small business certification programs, where cash reserves tend to be thin. Non-payment can even put compliance at risk, potentially jeopardizing future eligibility if firms can't pay for necessities like CMMC-compliance or insurance.

Action Plan for Survival:

Don’t wait for things to fix themselves. In this episode, we outline the immediate steps SMB GovCons must take to survive the crisis and prepare for the post-shutdown recovery:

• Submit everything immediately, including invoices and deliverables, to ensure your documents are already in the system when appropriations restart. Track the acceptance date for potential Prompt Payment interest later.
• Manage cash flow with a 14-day lens, running short-term scenarios and exploring bridge financing options.
• Contact your Contracting Officer (even if furloughed) to request a written stop-work or suspension order, giving you legal standing for future claims.
• Document everything—idle labor, extra financing costs, and missed billing milestones—using special cost codes. These records are essential if you pursue a Request for Equitable Adjustment (REA) or defend your performance record down the road.
• Coordinate immediately with subcontractors to clarify who is bearing the “at-risk” cost.

Learn why you should not assume relief is coming and why you must plan for a 30–60 day lag before the massive backlog clears, even after the shutdown lifts. This crisis is a reminder to diversify, whether through pursuing SBIR Grant Assistance or shifting focus to commercial contracts.

Is a government shutdown, stop-work order, or lack of access sidelining your federal contract work? If you are an 8a firm, a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), or hold Disabled Veteran Small Business (SDVOSB) certification, idle time can hit especially hard, burning crucial cash.

This episode provides a clear, efficient, and FAR-compliant survival strategy for small and mid-sized government contractors. We show you how to protect your business margins and build a solid record for a future Request for Equitable Adjustment (REA). Without clean, contemporaneous documentation, you risk losing out on cost recovery altogether.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Regulatory Foundation: Which key FAR clauses (including FAR 52.242-14, FAR 52.242-15, and FAR 52.243-1) authorize adjustments for government suspensions, delays, or changes.
• Documentation Without Overkill: How to keep your REA file lean yet defensible by focusing on consistent, real-time notes that connect delays directly to contract performance.
• Practical Steps to Track Costs: We detail essential documentation methods, such as instructing staff to use annotated timesheets (e.g., noting “8:00–12:00 idle due to site locked”), maintaining simple daily logs from the project manager, and preserving all CO/COR email logs related to the delay.
• DCAA Compliance and Cost Segregation: Why you must track idle labor costs separately using segregated cost codes in your accounting software, instead of burying them in overhead.
• The Credibility Factor: Why claims relying on reconstructed logs or vague estimates often get rejected, emphasizing the need for contemporaneous evidence to meet GAO standards.

A credible REA is built before the claim, not after. Tune in to ensure you have the paper trail that actually holds up and empowers your Contracting Officer (CO) to say "yes".

The days of simply checking a box and hoping for the best on Section 889 compliance are officially over. If you are a small or mid-sized government contractor (GovCon)—especially in IT, professional services, or anything telecom-adjacent—this isn't just a compliance concern; it's a survival issue. Recent waves of enforcement guidance, updated FAR clauses, and real-world exclusions make it crystal clear: you must be able to prove your supply chain is clean, or risk losing the contract entirely.

In this episode, we break down Section 889, including Part B, which bans agencies from contracting with any company that uses covered telecommunications technology (such as equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, or Dahua) anywhere in its operations. We explain why enforcement is ramping up right now, pushing for annual "reasonable inquiry" reviews by GSA and DOD. If you misrepresent compliance on your proposal or SAM.gov registration, you risk bid protests or severe False Claims Act penalties.

This is your no-fluff guide to protecting your pipeline. We provide the essential, low-cost steps small businesses must take this week to shore up their 889 and CMMC posture. Learn the 889 Survival Checklist, which includes vital action items:

• Run a network scan using existing tools or free open-source scanners to check for banned telecom equipment in your IT setup.
• Get vendor attestations from subcontractors using a FAR 52.204-26-style checkbox, and keep those signed copies on file.
• Regularly check SAM exclusions for key vendors, monitoring both the Excluded Parties List and new FASCSA Orders.
• Document everything—from scans and attestations to internal review emails—as this will be your defense if audited or protested.
• Confirm every key vendor’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code to ensure they are registered and active in SAM.gov.

We also cover the urgent requirements for CMMC-Lite Hygiene. Even though full CMMC enforcement begins in November 2025, the DoD expects contractors to start self-assessing against Level 1 or Level 2 requirements now. We detail the essentials you need to implement immediately, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all users, maintaining a current System Security Plan (SSP) and POA&M, and having encrypted backups of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Don't treat 889 and CMMC as background noise. Implementing these checks now is like preventive maintenance. Agencies are increasingly risk-averse, and a clean 889 and CMMC record can serve as a powerful proposal differentiator, helping you win contracts and avoiding costly surprises mid-performance.

Are you a small government contractor (GovCon) frustrated by federal slowdowns, gridlock, and delayed payments?. Now is the time to pivot your pipeline and eye the lucrative State, Local, and Education (SLED) market. The SLED market is massive, estimated at $1.5 to $2 trillion a year in spend.

Unlike the federal space, K–12 schools keep buying because about 87% of their budgets come from local and state funds, not federal appropriations. This means they are consistently spending billions annually on EdTech, facilities, transportation, and crucial student services.

In this episode, we break down the SLED Pivot Playbook: A fast-track, 7-day roadmap to help you land your first local school contract. You will learn how to:

• Hunt for bids using state portals (like Cal eProcure or PA eMarketplace) and education co-ops (like Sourcewell or OMNIA Partners).
• Navigate the fragmented procurement system, including using NIGP codes instead of NAICS for registration.
• Leverage your federal contracting certifications—such as SBA 8(a), Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), or Disabled Veteran Small Business (SDVOSB)—which give you a strong competitive advantage in meeting DEI goals and scoring criteria.
• Prepare your documents, including a capability statement tailored to school buyers that emphasizes improving safety, efficiency, or learning outcomes.
• Build relationships with procurement officers and attend vendor days, ensuring you highlight your unique qualifications.

Stop waiting on Congress. Learn how to build stability and diversify your pipeline by winning active, local education contracts quickly.

Are you a small or mid-sized federal contractor (SMB GovCon) still dealing with the mess of the 2025 government shutdown? If you experienced stalled projects, idled workers, or frozen funding, your path to recovery is through a meticulously documented Request for Equitable Adjustment (REA). This essential guide breaks down the practical, 10-step playbook that determines whether you recover real dollars or are forced to eat the loss.

The REA is a powerful, flexible tool—often preferable to a formal Contract Disputes Act (CDA) claim—that allows contractors to recoup added time and costs when government action, delay, or inaction unexpectedly increases performance costs.

• Identify the Compensable Triggers: Understand which shutdown events justify an REA, such as formal stop-work orders, furloughed COs or inspectors, facility closures, or running into a "no funding" status.
• Master Real-Time Cost Tracking: Learn why contemporaneous documentation is key and how to immediately set up dedicated cost codes or accounts for shutdown-related labor, material, and overhead expenses. Remember, inadequately supported costs can be disallowed.
• Adhere to Strict Notice Requirements: We detail the importance of timely written notice—sometimes required within 20 days of incurring costs—under key clauses like FAR 52.242-14 (Suspension of Work) and 52.242-17 (Government Delay of Work) to preserve your recovery rights.
• Quantify Schedule Impacts: Discover how to compare actual progress against your original baseline schedule and use project management tools to document task slippages and resource reassignments caused by the pause.
• Manage Communication: Find out how to preserve a crucial chronological correspondence file, including official orders and written follow-ups to any verbal instruction from the CO/COR.
• Coordinate with Subcontractors: Learn how to flow-down stop-work orders and require your subs to mirror your documentation processes, segregating their shutdown costs to ensure you can include their pass-through costs in your prime REA submission.
• Prepare the Submission: We outline how to structure your REA package like a mini-claim file, including detailed cost narratives, redacted timesheet extracts, annotated invoices, and financial appendices that paint a forensic picture of loss.

Don't wait! Building your REA documentation muscle now strengthens your entire business process for future government contracting opportunities and certifications. Stay responsive, be prepared for audits, and know your rights if you need to escalate the REA to a formal CDA claim.

Listen now to ensure your thorough record-keeping leads to maximum recovery of your shutdown losses!

The 2025 government shutdown is squeezing small government contractors, with federal contract opportunities drying up in key agencies. With entire agencies going dark, contracting offices shuttered, and invoices stuck in limbo, small businesses need to know what to do next. Find out where procurement is still flowing and how small businesses can protect revenue and reallocate resources fast.

In this episode, we break down the critical issues and actionable pivots for small and midsize businesses (SMBs):

• The Hardest-Hit Agencies: Agencies reliant on discretionary funding have slowed to a crawl. NASA, which furloughed approximately 83% of its workforce, has halted new R&D and high-tech contracts. NOAA/Commerce and EPA are in near-total freeze mode, with over 89% of staff furloughed, suspending almost all new contracts and grants. The Department of Education has also ceased awarding new grants or contracts.
• Who Is Still Buying: Procurement continues at agencies funded by mandatory or fee-based budgets. VA (97% working) and DHS (95% working) continue essential buys, meaning VA medical centers, FEMA, TSA, and border agencies are still actively procuring services and supplies. Additionally, the Department of Transportation (DOT) continues trust-funded work, such as highway and airport operations.
• The SLED Pivot Strategy: Learn how smart SMBs are shifting focus to State, Local, and Education (SLED) buyers who still have active procurements. Many state DOT maintenance divisions, public safety agencies, universities, and K–12 districts are continuing procurements using dedicated education or trust funds.
• Leveraging Cooperative Purchasing: We highlight using cooperative purchasing pools like Sourcewell, HGACBuy, and NASPO ValuePoint, which operate independently of the federal shutdown and currently list open bids for items such as virtual health products and public safety equipment.
• Protecting Cash Flow: If your federal pipeline has stalled, get tactical advice on documenting all costs and communication meticulously. Contractors are entitled to cost and time adjustments under FAR 52.242-15 (Stop-Work Order) and 52.242-14 (Suspension of Work), but claims must be asserted within 30 days of work resumption.
• New Opportunities: Explore active federal channels like USDA field offices that have reopened to deliver $3 billion in farm aid, and learn how finding subcontracting lanes with primes on funded IDIQs (like NASA SEWP V or DHS EAGLE) can provide immediate work.

Stay nimble, track developments daily, and ensure your 30-day playbook includes state and local targets, updated business development messaging, and aggressive follow-ups on payments and pipeline.

The 2025 federal government shutdown isn’t hitting everyone equally, and for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) relying on federal contracts, understanding these disparities is critical for survival.

This episode explores the uneven fallout of the shutdown, detailing exactly who is still spending and how SMBs can rebalance their capture strategy to mitigate severe cash-flow risks.

We cut through the noise, revealing the agencies that are effectively frozen and those that remain operational:

• The Safe Harbors: Find out why mission-critical, defense-driven, and mandatory-funded agencies like the Department of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are still moving forward, making them prime targets for continued work. DoD, in particular, issued a class deviation authorizing it to obligate funds for essential activities, allowing some contracts for national security and maintenance to proceed.
• The Icebox: Learn which agencies are nearly shut down, including the EPA (89% furloughed), NASA (83%), and NIH research (75%). We also analyze the immediate impact of the frozen Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs (7(a) and 504), which block roughly $170 million in loan approvals daily.
• Political and Geographic Pain Points: We explore how the shutdown disproportionately affects federal-heavy regions like Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and how political priorities have magnified disparities, including the freezing of ~$26 billion in transit and green-energy grants targeting Democratic-led states.

For SMBs facing acute cash-flow gaps and the risk of permanent workforce loss (since contractors are not guaranteed backpay), we provide a strategic playbook:

• Pivot Strategy: Experts advise re-weighting pipelines toward inherently funded buyers like DoD, DHS, VA, and Justice (DoJ).
• Go SLED: Discover why State, Local, and Education (SLED) contracts are a vital source of demand untethered from federal appropriations.
• Recovery Preparation: Understand the importance of documenting all downtime costs and deliverables now, as contractors will have only about a 30-day window after funding returns to seek equitable adjustments or unpaid invoices.

If you’re a federal contractor struggling to navigate the dry spell in procurement, this episode offers actionable steps to protect your talent, preserve cash flow, and position your firm for a fast, strategic rebound when the spigot turns back on.

The news is urgent: The Trump administration has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to pause another $11 billion in infrastructure projects, halting work on essential efforts like flood control, navigation, and environmental projects, particularly in Democratic-led regions. This action builds on earlier infrastructure suspensions, creating an immediate and serious threat for firms tied to Corps-funded work.

For small and mid-sized construction, A/E, and environmental consulting businesses, this budget gridlock is an existential threat leading to immediate revenue halts. Subcontractors are on the front lines, facing cash-flow interruptions and the stack-up of unpaid invoices, often with zero notice. Unlike federal employees, contractor staff won’t be reimbursed for lost workdays, making workforce protection a top priority.

This episode is your survival guide, designed to help you shift your mindset from “pause and hope” to “pivot and protect”. We break down the immediate actions you must take to safeguard your company:

• Understanding Stop-Work Orders: We explain the ramifications of Stop-Work Orders issued under FAR 52.242-15 or Suspensions under FAR 52.242-14, which freeze performance on existing task orders.
• Cost Recovery Documentation: Learn why you must start timers for your critical 20- and 30-day notice windows and how to proactively log idle labor, mobilization/demobilization costs, and lost productivity daily using FAR-backed formats for claims.
• The Pivot to Protection: Discover how to immediately diversify your revenue mix. We explore strategies for tapping into the $2 trillion SLED (state, local, and education) infrastructure markets, bidding on state transportation and water projects, and utilizing cooperative purchasing vehicles (like NASPO or Sourcewell) that are not tied to the federal budget cycle.
• Monitoring Recovery: Key signals to watch, including Congressional movement on continuing resolutions and official Army Corps/OMB memos that might reclassify essential projects and unlock funding.

Don’t wait for D.C. to fix this. Resilience in government contracting means preparing for volatility and building a pipeline that doesn’t hinge on a single agency. Listen now to learn how to protect your payroll and pivot fast.

🚨 GovCon Gridlock Alert! As of mid-October, the federal government is fully shut down due to Congress’s failure to enact any FY2026 funding or continuing resolution (CR). For small businesses chasing 8a contracts, working under a GSA Schedule, or managing BPAs, the procurement pipeline has officially ground to a halt.

In this urgent episode, we break down what this funding crisis means for your federal contracting business:

What’s Frozen (And Why):

• Awards and Options: Under the Antideficiency Act, no new awards, task orders, or option-year exercises are happening unless they were pre-funded. Roughly 620,000 federal employees have been furloughed, causing most civilian contract shops to close or run severely understaffed.
• Payments: Invoice processing is stalled. Even for completed work, there may be no government personnel available to certify and process invoices, severely straining contractor cash flow. Expect payment delays, as historical shutdowns show recovery can take 3–5 days for every day the government is closed.

Who Is Most Exposed:Small contractors holding 8a certifications, Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) firms, SDVOSB firms, and SBIR/grant applicants are most vulnerable to indefinite delays and slipping Q1 FY2026 awards.

Your Proactive Checklist:We provide the essential steps you must take right now to protect your business and position for the eventual recovery:

• Forecasting: Push all expected Q1 contract awards out 30–60 days and model multiple shutdown scenarios.
• Cash Flow: Accelerate all invoice submissions immediately to get in line for payment once funding resumes. Secure short-term liquidity options, like lines of credit or invoice factoring, to mitigate the risk of missed payroll.
• Documentation: Maintain detailed records of all costs and delays tied to the shutdown, which is essential for submitting equitable adjustment requests later under clauses like FAR 52.242-14 and FAR 52.242-15.

Don’t panic—pivot. Learn how to move staff to unaffected work, invest in internal tasks like updating your federal contracting certifications, and stay ready so you can move faster when agencies play catch-up.

Are you an active small or mid-sized government contractor? Then your SAM.gov registration is no longer just a checkbox; it is your front line of eligibility. With sweeping changes coming online under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) through 2025 and early 2026, sloppy or outdated profiles will cost you real money, real fast.

In this episode, we break down what is actually changing and, more importantly, what you must do to stay "award-ready".

What You Will Learn:

• The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Impact: Discover how the RFO is streamlining SAM.gov by moving procurement-specific representations and certifications (Types 2 and 3) out of entity registration and back into individual solicitations, transitioning the system to a "just-in-time" model starting as early as January 2026.
• The High Stakes of Non-Compliance: Understand that under FAR 52.204-7, if your SAM registration is not active at the moment of offer submission and at the time of award, the government cannot legally issue you the contract. This compliance requirement has teeth; one vendor recently lost a $76 million award due to a one-day lapse.
• Critical Compliance Pitfalls: We detail common mistakes that de-activate your status, including expired annual renewals (with no grace period), mismatched NAICS codes or size standards, outdated points of contact (POCs), and banking/EFT issues that can block payments.
• The Hygiene Checklist: We provide an essential audit for contractors. Learn best practices such as:

As the FAR simplifies, SAM.gov becomes the single point of compliance truth. Treat your SAM profile like your storefront: keep it clean, keep it current, or risk being invisible just when opportunity knocks.

Tune in for a critical analysis of the $750 million USA Hire recompete, a colossal contract poised to transform federal talent assessment across the government. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is expanding this centralized online assessment program, which already serves over 80 agencies, to meet the demands of federal workforce modernization. This single-award contract, valued at an estimated $750 million over 8 years, is open to all vendors and requires the selected prime to handle millions of job applicants annually.

We break down OPM’s ambitious vision, which is driven by federal hiring reforms like the Chance to Compete Act of 2024. The new platform will focus heavily on advanced capabilities, including:

• AI Integration: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) for assessment development, scoring complex responses (like video interviews), generating personalized adaptive tests, and detecting cheating or misuse of AI tools.
• Psychometric Expertise: Ensuring assessments are legally defensible, predictive, and grounded in the science of test validation.
• User Experience (UX) and Accessibility: Delivering a secure, scalable platform that is compliant with Section 508 standards and provides a smooth experience for candidates and agencies.
• Specialized Content: Delivering assessment content for high-demand technical fields like cybersecurity and engineering.

Crucially, this recompete opens significant subcontracting lanes for small businesses, even though the prime contract is full and open competition. We provide actionable guidance for small and niche firms—including those with SBA 8a or women-owned small business certification—on how to strategically position themselves. Learn how to sharpen your capability statement, leverage your credentials, and network effectively with likely prime bidders (such as Pearson/PDRI, Deloitte, Leidos, or Booz Allen) now, before the final Request for Proposals (RFP) is anticipated in 2026.

If your business fits into talent tech, testing, analytics, or IT services, now is the time to secure your place in this major federal hiring initiative.

Did your firm miss out on securing a prime spot in the latest OASIS+ award round? Don’t panic—you are far from out of the running! In October 2025, GSA announced an expansion, adding 118 new primes, including 106 across various small business set-aside pools (such as 8(a), SDVOSB, and WOSB). This expansion has deepened the contracting bench, but more importantly, it has kicked the door wide open for proactive subcontractors and future entrants.

In this essential episode, we break down what the latest award distribution means for non-awardees and potential partners. Learn why OASIS+ should be viewed less like a one-time RFP and more like a perpetual tournament, thanks to GSA’s recurring on-ramp model, which is expected to reopen submissions as early as late FY2025 and continue through 2026.

We provide a post-award playbook for staying competitive and visible:

• The Subcontracting Boom: Discover how new primes—especially those holding unrestricted awards—are actively seeking firms to fill technical, geographic, and socio-economic gaps. If your firm holds socio-economic certifications (like SBA 8a certification, disabled veteran small business certification, or women owned small business certification), you are already ahead in the teaming game.
• Targeted Outreach: Learn how to identify your top 10–15 target primes by filtering the awardee list by domain and NAICS code (like Management & Advisory Services, NAICS 541611, or Technical & Engineering, NAICS 541330).
• Actionable Visibility: We detail how to tailor your capability statement to emphasize OASIS+ service domains and ensure your SAM.gov and DSBS profiles are updated with relevant keywords (such as "Government Contract Proposal Writing" or "8a contracts services") so primes can find you.
• Future Readiness: Crucially, we explain how past performance as a subcontractor counts. Securing even a single task order now can build the strong credentials you’ll need to polish your self-scoring worksheet and nail the next on-ramp submission.

If your long game includes a prime spot on OASIS+, or if you want to capture valuable task orders now, this episode provides the strategic insights and action steps you need.

The Education Department (ED) is currently operating under "operational chaos" due to a federal shutdown, turning this political impasse into a major financial and logistical challenge for government contractors.

With roughly 87% of ED employees furloughed, internal operations are severely curtailed, meaning most federal contracting officers and program leads are unreachable. For service vendors in areas like ed-tech, research, and IT modernization, contracts are likely stalled, and communications will be sparse or non-existent. Vendors should expect to only receive automated replies, which have controversially included partisan messaging blaming Congress for the lapse.

This episode breaks down the critical impacts and survival strategies for GovCon businesses:

• Who is Still Working: Contracts tied to essential student aid programs (like Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and loan servicing) are often "excepted" or pre-funded and may continue. However, even these operational contractors must proceed with extreme caution, operating independently with only a "skeleton crew" of federal oversight.
• The Payment Freeze: Even if work continues using previously obligated funds, payments on contracts will be disrupted and vendors "cannot be paid until Congress appropriates funds and the government reopens". This cash flow freeze can be "devastating," especially for small businesses, as contractors generally do not receive back pay for lost hours, unlike federal employees.
• Legal Turmoil: The internal climate at ED is volatile, with a union lawsuit alleging that ED leadership "co-opted the voices" of furloughed staff by altering their out-of-office email replies for partisan political messaging. This conflict adds another layer of uncertainty, further restricting communication channels.

We provide actionable steps vendors must take immediately, framing the shutdown as a "stress test" for business continuity:

1. Document Everything: Obtain written guidance from your contracting officer regarding the status of each contract and document all attempts to seek clarification.
2. Stay Compliant: Follow all stop-work orders to the letter, ceasing new expenditures and securing government equipment. Understand and maintain compliance with the Anti-Deficiency Act—meaning you cannot volunteer unfunded services.
3. Mitigate Risk: Create an "impact log" to track every dependency that blocks progress and track shutdown-related costs separately. This documentation supports later requests for schedule extensions or "equitable adjustments".

Learn how to protect your contracts, cash flow, and compliance posture, ensuring you are ready to implement a rapid restart plan once the funding lapse ends. The consensus remains that "no one wins in a shutdown," but strategic planning can help education-sector vendors weather the turbulence.