Federal Small Business Programs—A Primer for Government Contractors
Exit Strategies for GOVCONs with Set Aside Contracts: 2021 Insights and Lessons Learned from Business Owners and Advisors
Understanding and Avoiding Affiliation Under Small Business Contracting Programs
PODCAST: Williams Mullen GovCon Perspectives - Why Was My SWaM Certification Denied, and What Can I Do?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, released a proposed rule, Reforms to Remove SBA’s 8(a) Program’s Rebuttable Presumption of Social Disadvantage for Individually Owned Firms Only; Reforms Do...more
Congress is considering legislation that would codify the long-standing “Rule of Two” into statute, potentially strengthening one of the federal government’s most important small business contracting requirements. The...more
Recent developments in government contracting include a major Department of Commerce initiative to fund domestic quantum computing capabilities, continued implementation of the administration’s fixed-price contracting...more
Most contractors were familiar with goals that required the utilization of a certain percentage of disadvantaged business enterprise contractors for most Oregon public improvement projects. Since October 2025, however, state...more
Half an inch. That is what stood between a health care contractor and a slice of a $260 million Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) procurement. Not a missed deadline, not a small-business misstep, not a price gaffe—half...more
The 2025 USDOT Interim Final Rule (IFR) for DBE and ACDBE programs marks a significant shift in how agencies manage certification, goal setting, and compliance. Introduced on October 3, 2025, the IFR requires immediate...more
For all its controversy, complications, successes, and failures, the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program (the “8(a) Program”) has served as an access point for socially and economically...more
Emerging companies, startups and other early-stage companies often hear about the potential benefits of entering the US government market, and for good reasons....more
In this month’s protest roundup, we consider two protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and a status protest before the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA). The first...more
Three U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) decisions issued in January 2026 deliver a consistent and unforgiving message: timeliness rules are not technicalities—they are dispositive gatekeeping requirements. In each...more
If you’re a veteran small business owner interested in working with the federal government, you are likely familiar with the 8(a) program through the U.S. Small Business Administration. If you’re not familiar, you may have...more
The limitations on subcontracting, or LOS, is a fundamental requirement of set-aside contracting. Historically, however, the LOS has not received as much attention as other set-aside compliance obligations that are more...more
A suspension notice from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can have immediate and significant consequences for a participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program. ...more
We recently provided an update regarding ongoing activities involving the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the SBA’s 8(a) Program, including one on a hearing held by Senate Committee on Small Business and...more
Welcome to Holland & Knight's monthly defense news update. We are pleased to bring you the latest in defense policy, regulatory updates and other significant developments. If you would like additional information on anything...more
A recently made public Department of War Secretary Memorandum (Memo) dated Jan. 16, 2026, orders a line-by-line review of all small business 8(a) sole-source and set-aside contracts with over $20 million in contract awards....more
On January 22, 2026, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued policy guidance indicating that it will administer its 8(a) business development program on a strictly neutral basis going forward. ...more
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has suspended 1,091 participants in the 8(a) Business Development Program after concluding that those firms did not timely submit required documentation in response to SBA’s recent...more
On January 16, 2026, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth issued a directive to all Department of Defense agencies and departments to review all small business sole source awards and set-aside awards above $20 million in...more
This alert is a follow-on to our prior coverage of the SBA's December 2025 announcement that every 8(a) participant (over 4,300 firms) was required to submit detailed financial records covering the last three fiscal years...more
In a memorandum dated January 16, 2026, the Department of Defense (DoD) has directed a department-wide review of every small business set-aside award in excess of $20 million. The Department has also ordered a review of all...more
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on January 22, 2026, issued a press release and formal guidance related to the 8(a) Business Development Program (8(a) Program). The 8(a) Program provides federal government...more
On January 16, 2026, the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a video on social media announcing that the Department of War will conduct a “line‑by‑line review of every small business, sole source, 8(a) contract that is over...more
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) grace period for implementation of its new recertification regulations ended as of January 17, 2026. As we previously advised, last year SBA substantially rewrote its recertification...more
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is moving full steam ahead with its promised 8(a) Program Audit. The 8(a) Program is designed to help small and disadvantaged businesses compete in the federal marketplace and provides...more