Government contracting can feel like learning a new language. Even sophisticated commercial vendors often struggle with the rules, acronyms, and procedural traps that come with selling to federal agencies.
Below are 25 of the most common questions contractors search online — along with short, practical answers designed for business owners, compliance teams, and government contracts
Federal contractors are often familiar with the well-defined bid protest processes at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and agency-level forums. But contractors pursuing state and local government work quickly learn that bid protests at the state and local level are a different animal entirely.
Instead of one uniform set
On April 15, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a significant decision in Life Science Logistics, LLC v. United States, No. 2024-1522, clarifying the legal standard governing judicial review of agency overrides of automatic stays under the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA). While the court addressed jurisdiction under
In a decision that underscores the limits of “speed” in federal procurement, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently sustained a bid protest by Effective Communications Strategy, LLC (EFS) challenging a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ contract award.
The case is a cautionary tale for both agencies and contractors. While streamlined acquisition methods are designed to
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued to Congress its annual bid protest report (PDF). As discussed below, this year’s report is noteworthy for multiple reasons, including that it shows that protesters continued to receive some form of relief from the procuring agency in more than half of the protests filed with the GAO in
Government contractors often focus on federal procurement opportunities, which are governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) regime. However, the state-level procurement landscape presents a distinct — and often less uniform — set of rules, risks, and opportunities. For businesses expanding into state or local markets, understanding these structural and procedural differences is essential.
The current federal government shutdown is on Day 8 as of the date of this post. The section of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that handles bid protests is included in the portion of the government that is currently shutdown. The GAO has stated on its website that because of the shutdown, certain timeliness rules
In a recent decision, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) clarified its minimum pleading standard for bid protests. The decision was a bit unusual because, unlike the courts, the GAO rarely uses published decisions to address procedural issues. Nevertheless, the pleading standard described in the decision, which was prompted by a Congressional reporting mandate, provides
In a recent decision highlighting the critical importance of timely proposal submissions in federal procurements, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied a protest by challenging the Navy’s rejection of the protester’s late-submitted proposal under a SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort-NxG) task order competition. This case, La Playa, Inc. of Virginia – d/b/a LPI Technical Services
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims recently issued a significant opinion in Gemini Tech Servs., LLC v. United States, holding that the Army’s failure to follow required procedures under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in establishing a competitive range for a logistics support procurement at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, prejudiced the protestor and warranted injunctive