Blogs

Business and Financial Services

AI Guardrails Meet Federal Contracting: What GSA’s Proposed AI Procurement Rules Mean for Government Contractors

Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental feature in federal procurement. It is rapidly becoming essential digital infrastructure used to analyze data, support decision‑making, automate workflows, and power mission‑critical systems across civilian agencies (non-military federal agencies such as the DHS, HHS, and Treasury) to analyze data, support decision-making, and automate workflows. Against that backdrop, the…

May 26, 2026

Business and Financial Services

Section 875 of the FY2026 NDAA: What DoD Contractors Need to Know About Bid Protest Payment Withholding

Section 875 of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act creates a new payment-withholding risk for certain incumbent Department of Defense contractors that file GAO bid protests. The provision directs DoD to revise the DFARS to establish procedures allowing contracting officers to withhold up to five percent of payments owed to an incumbent contractor during a protest-related bridge…

May 21, 2026

Business and Financial Services

A Bombshell for Preemption Precedent- The Supreme Court’s Decision in Hencely v. Fluor and What It Means for Government Contractors

Facts of the Case On Wednesday, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Hencely v. Fluor– reversing the Fourth Circuit, which relied on the “battlefield” preemption rule to dismiss the individual’s tort claims against Fluor. An independent contractor of Fluor’s subcontractor carried out a suicide attack at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. The plaintiff, Hencely, intervened…

April 24, 2026

Employment Law

March 2026 OHR Guidance Highlights Ongoing Harassment Reporting and Training Obligations in the District

March 2026 materials from the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights (OHR) provide employers with a useful snapshot of the agency’s continuing focus on harassment reporting, workplace investigations, and employee training obligations. Although OHR did not release a formal new harassment rule package in March, the agency did update its notices, fact sheets, and…

April 20, 2026

Business and Financial Services

DEI – A TARGET: The DOJ Signals that DEI Programs Will Be an Enforcement Priority with the Use of the False Claims Act in 2026

As federal enforcement priorities continue to evolve, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made clear that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs will be subject to heightened scrutiny where they intersect with federal funding and civil rights compliance. In 2025, the DOJ formally announced the creation of a Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, signaling a renewed…

January 13, 2026

Employment Law

What’s Up When the Government is Shutdown: Employment Issues for Contractors

The federal government shut down that began last night at midnight will have an immediate adverse impact on thousands of federal sector workers across the United States. While the federal government is still funded to provide essential government services, such as Social Security checks and VA benefits payments, non-essential services will not be provided until…

October 1, 2025

Employment Law

The DOGE Workforce Optimization Initiative: What Employers Need to Know

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative (Initiative) is a federal initiative with a stated aim of improving government operations by implementing strategic workforce planning, integrating technology, and streamlining staffing structures. In today’s evolving workplace landscape, businesses must stay informed about workforce efficiency trends and government initiatives that may influence employment policies, recruitment,…

February 24, 2025

Business and Financial Services

GovCon M&A Update: How New SBA Final Rule’s Ticking Clock and Other Changes May Reset the Market for Small Business Contractors

After issuing proposed regulations earlier this year and soliciting extensive public comment, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule on December 17, 2024 introducing significant changes to certain of the regulations applicable to small business contractors planning for or actively pursuing merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions. Set to take effect on January…

January 14, 2025

Employment Law

Pay Transparency: Key Insights for Employers in the DMV

In today’s evolving workplace landscape, pay transparency has emerged as a critical topic for employers and employees alike. But what exactly is pay transparency, and why does it matter? Pay transparency involves the open sharing of information about compensation within an organization, including salary ranges, pay scales, and criteria for raises and bonuses. This blog…

July 25, 2024

Employment Law

What is Up for Contractors When the Federal Government Shuts Down?

With the Senate returning from its August recess on September 5, 2023, and the House not back in session until September 12, 2023, — and differences of hundreds of billions of dollars on spending remaining between the two chambers — time may have run out to avoid a federal government shutdown on October 1, 2023,…

September 7, 2023