On December 1, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) publicly announced its decision to allocate up to $134 million in new funding to enhance domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs).
REEs are 17 elements...more
12/8/2025
/ Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Funding ,
Funding Opportunities ,
Government Agencies ,
Innovation ,
Mineral Exploration ,
Mining ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
Research and Development ,
Supply Chain ,
Webinars
On November 14, the Department of Energy (DOE) publicly announced its decision to allocate $355 million in new funding to expand domestic production of critical minerals and critical materials essential to U.S. energy,...more
12/1/2025
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Grants ,
Funding Opportunities ,
Grants ,
Infrastructure ,
Manufacturers ,
Minerals ,
Mining ,
National Security ,
Supply Chain
The U.S. Department of Defense released the final rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification on Sept. 9. Through the program, the DOD seeks to enhance protections for sensitive information.
Originally...more
10/10/2025
/ Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Export Controls ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Fraud ,
ITAR ,
Risk Assessment
Contractors should closely monitor their customer and regulatory agencies’ websites for shutdown guidance, as agencies such as the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and others have already issued...more
10/2/2025
/ Anti-Deficiency Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Management ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Shutdown ,
Risk Management ,
Trump Administration
On September 10, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) posted its final rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program for defense acquisitions. This new rule (acquisition rule) updates the...more
10/1/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) ,
Defense Contracts ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Contractors ,
NIST ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Subcontractors
In keeping with President Donald Trump’s affinity for issuing executive orders (EO) — 139 in total, Nos. 14147–14285, between Jan. 20, 2025, and April 24, 2025 — he recently issued EO 14265, “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions...more
Just two months into President Donald Trump’s second term, contractors have been whipsawed by a flurry of executive orders, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) directives, and agency actions. This has brought an era of...more
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2025 includes a mandate that contractors furnish information and documentation to enable the military to modify and repair equipment and systems. Not surprisingly, industry is...more
Since 2016, the federal government has implemented numerous procurement regulations and associated contract clauses to address cybersecurity by requiring contractors to adopt various controls and standards to protect...more
10/9/2024
/ Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Information Technology ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Risk Management
Did the 2023 update to the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, which apply to contractors and subcontractors performing on certain federally funded or assisted contracts, appropriately modernize or unduly expand the Davis Bacon...more
7/31/2024
/ Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Construction Workers ,
Contractors ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
Labor Reform ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Subcontractors ,
Wage and Hour
On December 22, 2023, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-31, 137 Stat. 136 (2023) (NDAA 2024) went into effect. Among other things, NDAA 2024 includes a provision phasing out...more
4/10/2024
/ Federal Contractors ,
HUBZone ,
NDAA ,
Prime Contractor ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SBA ,
SDVOSB ,
Self-Certification ,
Set-Aside Contracts ,
Small Business ,
Veterans
The end of fiscal year 2023 is just a few days away and Congress has not passed a single spending bill — and there are 12 such bills that must be passed to fully fund the federal government (and all of its agencies) for...more
On January 30, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) issued an interim procurement rule, prohibiting the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) from four “non-allied” countries: China, North Korea, Russia, and...more
The Department of Defense (DOD) wants to make it easier for companies with innovative solutions, such as startups, to bid on and receive federal government contracts. As such, DOD recently proposed a Defense Federal...more
Introduction -
On April 29, Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. (Aerojet) settled claims by whistleblower Brain Markus for a reported $9 million after the second day of a jury trial. This is the second recent settlement under...more
On February 28, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to a $930,000 settlement with Comprehensive Health Services (CHS) to resolve False Claims Act allegations. The resolution represents the department’s first...more
On May 12, President Biden signed an executive order intended to improve the federal government’s cybersecurity. This comes in the wake of sweeping cyber incidents, such as the SolarWinds incident that affected both public...more
On May 12, President Biden signed an executive order (EO) that seeks to improve the federal government’s cybersecurity. This comes in the wake of sweeping cyber incidents, such as the SolarWinds incident. The EO calls on both...more
Listen to the next installment of the Cyber Café series covering the top issues in government contracts and cybersecurity. During this webinar, Hilary Cairnie, chair of Pepper Hamilton's Government Contracts Practice Group,...more
Listen to this special COVID-19 webinar briefing as part of our Cyber Café series, covering the top issues in government contracts and cybersecurity. This special installment will discuss corporate cybersecurity challenges...more
The Government Contracts Cyber Café provides coaching, training and analysis to help you work through the technical, legal, accounting and other requirements confronting your organization, with the goal of helping you achieve...more
The Government Contracts Cyber Café provides coaching, training and analysis to help you work through the technical, legal, accounting and other requirements confronting your organization, with the goal of helping you achieve...more
Listen to the fifth installment of our 2019 webinar series covering the top issues in government contracts and cybersecurity — all in just 45 minutes. The Government Contracts Cyber Café provides coaching, training and...more
Each year, the U.S. government invests hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development initiatives, impacting virtually all industry sectors of the U.S. economy....more
Join us for the seventh monthly installment of our webinar series that covers the top issues in government contracts and cybersecurity — all in just 45 minutes. The Government Contracts Cyber Café provides coaching, training...more