NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE By Jen Bentley, Dan Russell and Elizabeth Witwer “ The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals in October released its annual report for fiscal year 2025. ABCA REPORT YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 It reveals several key findings and, most importantly, what they might mean for defense contractors navigating claims and disputes in fiscal year 2026. “ _________________________________________________________________________________ “The document p

We have grown acclimated to viewing the world through media sound bites and opinionated, biased news, financed by those that spend enormous amounts of money to influence our opinions. To a very large degree trust is a personal responsibility. We must become involved, make prudent judgments and think for ourselves. Above all, we must listen and learn from each other to evolve true trust. _________________________________________________________________________________ Has inde

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“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “The small business segment of the huge federal government contracting market is poised to grow exponentially due to advances in technology and the need for flexibility, mobility, agility and economic performance.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “ THE MOMENT Trends on the horizon point to a bright future for small business in federal government contracting. Federal government agencies have set a rec

“ SCORE.ORG “ “ Getting your name out and in front of your target market is the best way to generate business. Getting a customer’s attention often comes at a hefty price, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Learn about different publicity tactics that won’t put a dent in your budget. “ _________________________________________________________________________________ “The tactic is simple: you randomly search questions related to your niche and try to find the results

WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY By Mark Amtower “The federal workforce is active and accessible. However, data without action is just trivia. By systematically following agency company pages and monitoring their 'nuggets' of information, contractors can move from reactive bidding to proactive positioning. “ ____________________________________________________________________________ "For years, a persistent myth circulated throughout GovCon: “Feds aren’t on LinkedIn.” In 2012, that m

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “The bottom line objective is that you wish government approval going forward so that your rates are accepted in proposals, your audits have a satisfactory outcome and you get paid when you submit a billing.” __________________________________________________________________________________ “It seems the single word, “Compliance” in small business federal government services contracting business systems implies many different things: Small Business

“FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK” By Mark Mitchell “We often blame technology when government IT projects fail to meet their goals. By prioritizing planning and enterprise architectures, government agencies can ensure they employ the latest technology in ways that align with and serve the mission.” ______________________________________________________________________________ “The hype surrounding the rise of generative AI illustrates a core reason why federal IT initiatives often fail

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “The government is becoming more open in its dealings, driven by a dramatic need for commercial technology from the commercial sector, dire efficiency issues and the weight of a massive debt load. Now is the time to take the initiative in designing collaborative efforts with federal agencies, marketing solutions that maximize contractor and government resources and the best possible efficiencies in service solutions.” _____________________________

By Ken Larson, Founder “Smallofeds” I am pleased to leave the following review on “The Project On Government Oversight” (POGO) an acclaimed public service non-profit organization for the last 45 years. I am a two tour Vietnam Veteran and a retired aerospace contracts manager, who after 36 years in the Military Industrial Complex, assists small enterprises, veterans, minorities and women owned businesses to enter federal government contracting. Having been inside the worki

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“ VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS ROUNTABLE” By Peter Vazquez The U.S. Small Business Administration Veteran Certification offers a unique advantage for veteran-owned businesses, enabling them to tap into government and corporate contracting opportunities. _________________________________________________________________________________ Understanding the SBA Veteran Certification The Small Business Administration (#SBA) offers a Veteran Certification program to recognize businesses

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Personal, professional and business branding is occurring regularly, whether or not we are aware of it. From our web site presence to our postings on the sites of others, from our credit ratings to our cell phone records and application navigation, we are tracking others and being tracked ourselves. Deciding to become active in social networking is really a matter of managing personal, professional and business images/brands or having them manage

“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY By Nick Wakeman “ IT security procedural guide for contractors implements the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 800-171 standard, as well as certain 800-172 controls on systems in new contracts that handle CUI . “ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The General Services Administration is quietly placing new cybersecurity requirements on contracts that parallel the Defense Department’s CMMC pro

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Relevant information for future source selection purposes, regarding a contractor’s actions under previously awarded contracts. “ ______________________________________________________________________________ “It includes, for example, the contractor’s record of conforming to contract requirements and to standards of good workmanship; the contractor’s record of forecasting and controlling costs; the contractor’s adherence to contract schedules, in

“NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE” By Stew Magnuson “ The strategy outlines 38 initiatives in five pillars: rebuild the industrial base; empower the acquisition workforce; streamline brittle processes; prioritize technical excellence; and resource system sustainment. “ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The Pentagon in its campaign to eliminate red tape has excised thousands of Federal Acquisition Regulation rules from its books, a se

“SMALLTOFEDS “ By Kayleigh Alexandra “It isn’t easy to acquire a government contract, especially if your business is just getting started, but it isn’t impossible, and the benefits can be substantial. If it’s an option you’d like to pursue in the future, make an effort to begin preparing your organizational structure to meet federal requirements, and seek out subcontracting work to help you establish the connections that could help you in the right direction.” ______________

What do we put in the place of bureaucracies gone afoul to manage things as important and expensive as our national defense, international affairs and the environment, while shepherding our economic system? ________________________________________________________________________________ I had an interesting discussion with a fellow veteran recently about the word “Tyranny”, using it to describe what is happening in the world today. That train of thought may be reasonably accu

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“ HIRING OUR HEROES . ORG ” “ The Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program awards veteran or military spouse entrepreneurs with a one-time $10,000 grant to grow and support their business. This program honors the leadership, resilience, and dedication that veterans and military spouses bring to business. “From a coffee shop transformed into a mission-driven community hub to an auction house that has raised $2 million for charity, the 2025 Small Business Awardees dem