OPPORTUNITIES:
NGA RFP: E-IPL Audit.
NGA RFP: CONUS Aeronautical Data Procurement (CADP).
MDA RFP: $151B Golden Dome Homeland Shield Project.
Army RFI: AI-Enabled Airspace Management Solutions.
DOD RFI: Geospatial-Intelligence Workstation-Tactical.
DHS RFI: IT Supplies and Equipment.
NASA RFP: Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition IDIQ On-Ramp 2.
Get ready for SBIR 25.4/STTR 25.D Release 11, SBIR 25.3/STTR 25.C, pre-release set for Aug 6.
USCG cancels $500 million logistics recompete.
GOVCON NEWS AND INSIGHTS:
Illumina Inc. to Pay $9.8M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Arising from Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Genomic Sequencing Systems – Illumina Inc. has agreed to pay $9.8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act when it sold to federal agencies certain genomic sequencing systems with cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Illumina is a Delaware corporation, headquartered in California, that manufactured and sold genomic sequencing systems throughout the United States. The settlement resolves allegations that, between February 2016 and September 2023, Illumina sold government agencies genomic sequencing systems with software that had cybersecurity vulnerabilities, without having an adequate security program and sufficient quality systems to identify and address those vulnerabilities. Specifically, the United States contended that Illumina knowingly failed to incorporate product cybersecurity in its software design, development, installation, and on-market monitoring; failed to properly support and resource personnel, systems, and processes tasked with product security; failed to adequately correct design features that introduced cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the genomic sequencing systems; and falsely represented that the software on the genomic sequencing systems adhered to cybersecurity standards, including standards of the International Organization for Standardization and National Institute of Standards and Technology.
DOJ offers to pay whistleblowers for successful antitrust claims – 7/31/25 was National Whistleblower Day. DOJ has a new program that offers payment to whistleblowers who submit reports of antitrust violations that are later proved successful. But the program is complicated, with lots of conditions on those payments.
GSA completes the statutory foundation for expanded, consolidated procurement authority – In a major legislative push, the General Services Administration has unveiled a comprehensive suite of acquisition reform proposals aimed at streamlining procurement processes, enhancing competition and encouraging innovation across federal agencies. The legislative package touches nearly every facet of government contracting — from simplified acquisition thresholds to commercial innovation pilots and small business support.
California Defense Contractor and Private Equity Firm Agree to Pay $1.75M to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Relating to Voluntary Self-Disclosure of Cybersecurity Violations – Defense contractor Aero Turbine Inc., of Stockton, California, and private equity company Gallant Capital Partners LLC, of Los Angeles, have agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve their liability under the False Claims Act for knowingly failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in an Aero Turbine contract with the Department of the Air Force. In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that Aero Turbine and Gallant took significant steps entitling them to credit for cooperating with the government.
True Facts About False Claims: MoFo’s FCA Newsletter – Designed for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, this newsletter seeks to bring you up to speed on key federal and state False Claims Act (FCA) developments, with links to primary resources. Each quarter, Morrison Foerster provides key takeaways and discusses some of the most significant false claims topics.
FAR Part 6 Rewrite: What It Means for Small Business Set-Asides, Socioeconomic Programs, and the Rule of Two – The recent rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6—governing “Competition Requirements”—is prompting questions about whether the changes may signal a shift in federal small business contracting policy. In particular, the removal of explicit references to certain socioeconomic program provisions raises concerns in the small business community. In this blog, PilieroMazza dissects the FAR Part 6 rewrite, concluding that most revisions appear to be structural rather than substantive. However, the unresolved status of the “Rule of Two” continues to raise concerns regarding the protection of small business set-aside opportunities.
GSA announces centralized travel service ‘GO.Gov’ – The General Services Administration on Tuesday announced a rebrand for its new centralized travel service program that will soon be used by all federal civilian agencies for travel booking, expenses and reporting when it goes live later this year: GO.Gov.
GO.Gov is a new name for the E-Gov Travel Service, Next Generation, or ETS-Next. GSA awarded IBM a 15-year contract valued at up to $930 million in November 2024 to build and develop the travel and expense shared service for all civilian agencies. While GO.Gov rolls off the tongue a little easier, its government-negotiated discounts through GSA’s OneGov initiative could generate some very significant savings: up to $131 million in related travel savings annually and nearly $2 billion in administrative efficiencies over the duration of the contract, the agency estimates.
Cadence Design Systems Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay Over $140 Million for Unlawfully Exporting Semiconductor Design Tools to a Restricted PRC Military University – Note: View a copy of the plea agreement and criminal information. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) of the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (NDCA) today announced that Cadence Design Systems Inc. (Cadence), a multinational electronic design automation (EDA) technology company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to plead guilty to resolve charges that Cadence committed criminal violations of export controls by selling EDA hardware, software, and semiconductor design intellectual property (IP) technology to the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT). NUDT, a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the leadership of the PRC’s Central Military Commission, was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in February 2015 due to its use of U.S.-origin components to produce supercomputers believed to support nuclear explosive simulation and military simulation activities in the PRC.
Q Link Wireless LLC and Issa Asad to Pay More than $110M in Global Resolution to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations – Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs. Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs), such as Q Link, receive monthly federal payments for providing discounted phone services to qualified consumers who must use their Lifeline phones at least once every 30 days. In order to qualify for Lifeline payments, ETCs certify their compliance with Lifeline rules, including the requirement to de-enroll and to stop submitting claims for customers that are not using their Lifeline phones.
A Wobbly Bike: Some Initial Thoughts on FAR 2.0 – In recent months, the revamping of the FAR has been a big topic of discussion for federal contractors and those who work with them. This project is referred to as FAR 2.0 or the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul or simply RFO. An executive order got the ball rolling, setting forth the mandate to create FAR 2.0 within 180 days from April 15, 2025, which puts the deadline as October 12, 2025. The GSA has described its goals with the FAR overhaul by using some interesting metaphors. It says the FAR overhaul will be like a renovation of an old apartment building, taking things down to the studs while preserving the structural integrity of the original design. GSA acknowledged the inevitable growing pains for this adaption process using another metaphor—the “wobbly” phase of learning to ride a bike. As noted in the GSA post: “Let’s be honest—there will be an adjustment period, and it might be uncomfortable. This discomfort is normal. In fact, it’s a necessary part of growth. Remember learning to ride a bicycle? The wobbly phase was frustrating but essential to eventually riding with confidence.”
GAO responds to Congress on suggested changes to the bid protest function – The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act’s section 885 raised eyebrows for its suggestions about how to improve the bid protest function. Congress gave GAO 180 days to research and respond to three specific recommendations. GAO’s recent response has reengaged the conversation.
Back to Basics: HUBZone Eligibility – When exploring the world of SBA socioeconomic programs, the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program isn’t always the first program on a business’ radar. One reason for this could be the distinct eligibility requirements an applicant must meet to qualify for HUBZone certification. This is the only socioeconomic program where SBA requires a company’s principal office and employees to reside in a designated area, i.e., a HUBZone. SBA provides a HUBZone map showing the areas designated as a HUBZone. Keep in mind that this map is reevaluated every five years, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on any updates made to the map. There are four main requirements to qualify for HUBZone certification:
- Ownership
- Small Business
- Principal Office
- Employees
This blog will focus primarily on the last two criteria as they are unique to the HUBZone Program and more complicated. But to learn more about each criteria, the HUBZone qualifications can be found under 13 C.F.R. § 126.200.
FREE TRAINING:
Upcoming Government Contract Presentations from PilieroMazza:
PM WEBINAR: Joint Venture Eligibility: Refresher on Requirements for Government Contractors, August 13, 2025, Meghan F. Leemon
TRAINING: Navigating the FAR/DFARS: The Most Confusing and Little-Known Clauses, August 13, 2025, Eric Valle, Kristine “Krissy” Crallé
PM WEBINAR: Key Insights for GSA Schedule Contracting, August 26, 2025, Jon Williams, Lauren Brier
PM WEBINAR: How the Boards of Contract Appeals Work—And Why It Matters for Your Bottom Line, September 9, 2025, Lauren Brier, Josie Farinelli
TRAINING: Unlocking the Secrets of Debriefings, Government Evaluation of Proposals and Protests, September 11, 2025, Katherine B. Burrows, Eric Valle
PM WEBINAR: The Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act: What Government Contractors Need to Know, September 17, 2025, Jacqueline K. Unger, Abigail “Abby” Finan
PM WEBINAR: Multijurisdictional Employers, Part 3: Best Practices for Paid Sick Leave and Family Leave, August 7, 2025, Nichole D. Atallah, Sara N. Strosser
CONFERENCE: Impact of the Trump Administration on Government Contracts, September 12, 2025, Nichole D. Atallah