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Upcoming Events: Register to attend PilieroMazza’s upcoming events here. Recent Thought Leadership: Check out PilieroMazza’s recent client alerts and blogs here. Podcasts: Listen to PilieroMazza’s podcasts GovCon Live! here, Clocking in with PilieroMazza here, and Ex Rel. Radio here. |
General Services Administration (GSA) News Release: GSA, OMB Launch Deregulation Recommendations Initiative
On April 16, GSA issued a news release detailing its initiative with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting public comments on ending rules and regulations. The news release requests that submissions and comments focus on the details of the proposed cancellation of a rule and why it should be cancelled. Read more here.
PilieroMazza Welcomes Back Tim Valley to Bolster Government Contracts Practice, PilieroMazza News, Timothy “Tim” F. Valley Jr.
PilieroMazza is pleased to announce the return of Tim Valley to the Firm after more than three years serving as an Attorney Advisor at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the General Counsel. Read more here.
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor-Protégé Program, PilieroMazza Webinar Replay, Isaias “Cy” Alba, IV, Kristine “Krissy” Crallé
Join Cy Alba and Krissy Crallé, members of PilieroMazza’s Government Contracts Group, for this in-depth webinar where they’ll cover the ins and outs of the DOD’s MPP. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain strategic insights and position your business for success in the defense industrial base! Click here to access the webinar replay.
White House Presidential Action: Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts
On April 16, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) requiring Federal agencies to direct their contracting officers to review open solicitations, pre-solicitation notices, solicitation notices, award notices, and sole source notices for non-commercial products or services for consolidation and to create a proposed application for solicitation of non-commercial products or services. Read more here.
Small Business Administration (SBA) News Release: SBA Manufacturing Loans Skyrocket Under Trump Administration
On April 17, SBA announced that the 7(a) loan program has seen a 74% increase during the first 90 days of the Trump Administration. Read more here.
Trump’s Early Executive Orders Near First Wave of Deadlines, Bloomberg News
Sunday, April 20, marked Trump’s 90th day in office — a de facto deadline for Cabinet secretaries and senior aides to show progress on executive directives from his first days in office. Trump signed roughly 70 executive orders and memos during his first two weeks, about a dozen of which have specific 90-day deadlines listed in the text. Read more here (subscription required).
Trump Signs Executive Orders on Federal Purchasing, Office Space, Bloomberg News
President Donald Trump has signed orders overhauling where and how the federal government spends taxpayer money, encouraging agencies to move out of downtown districts and requiring agencies to buy more off-the-shelf products. Read more here (subscription required). The Executive Order is available here.
Trump Orders Overhaul of Federal Contracting Rules, Law360
President Donald Trump issued orders Tuesday aimed at simplifying and reducing the costs of federal contracting for both government and contractors, directing agencies to pare back the Federal Acquisition Regulation to only “essential” requirements and to prioritize commercial item purchases. Read more here (subscription required). The Executive Order is available here.
Trump Orders Major Changes to Rules Covering $1T in Federal Spending, NextGov/FCW
President Trump issued two procurement-focused executive orders Tuesday that his administration says will simplify the way the government procures almost $1 trillion worth of goods and services annually by simplifying primary regulations for federal buyers. The Tuesday mandate, which aims to streamline the way the government buys goods and services, was accompanied by a second order requiring agencies to predominantly use commercial products, rather than custom-built. Read more here. The Executive Order is available here.
Pentagon Seeks Feedback on How to Structure $48B Tech Recompete, DefenseOne
The Defense Department is moving early to give industry a first glimpse at how it will conduct the recompete of one of its main contract vehicles for broad technological research and development services. The Defense Department specifically wants industry to input on the future contract’s setup and how it could widen the scope for one area of work. Read more here.
State of the Department of Defense, DefenseOne
On April 18, Defense One published five articles detailing the state of the Air Force, Navy, Army, Space Forces, and the Marine Corps for 2025.
- State of the Space Force 2025. As Trump envisions “our manifest destiny into the stars,” the Space Force is set to play a key role in America’s space ambitions. Read more here.
- State of the Navy 2025. Could a new, more productive era in shipbuilding be on the horizon? The bipartisan SHIPS Act was introduced to general applause in December. The bill aims to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding, naval, and commercial sectors, with the U.S. shipping industry and the Merchant Marine workforce. A chief sponsor was Mike Waltz, a Florida congressman before he became President Trump’s national security adviser. That bill could work in tandem with Sen. Roger Wicker’s FoRGED Act, which proposes speeding up Pentagon contracting, including shipbuilding, by reducing bureaucracy, increasing competition, and accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies. Read more here.
- State of the Marine Corps 2025. The Marine Corps in 2025 is about halfway through its decade-long, top-to-bottom modernization plan, trying to balance that with staying ready for its core mission as the Defense Department’s crisis-response force, which is “is wicked hard to do,” Gen. Eric Smith, the service’s commandant, told Defense One in March. Read more here.
- State of the Army 2025. Transformation in Contact is in its second wave this year, expanding beyond infantry brigade combat teams to Stryker and armored units, with planned expansion for protection and sustainment troops to get their chance to test the latest technology in the field and report back with their suggestions. Read more here.
- State of the Air Force 2025. The unveiling of a new, sixth-generation fighter jet bodes well for more airpower investment, but readiness problems and funding questions persist. Read more here.
Upcoming Government Contract Presentations
CONFERENCE: Public Sector Legal Briefing: Contracts, Compliance & What’s New, April 29, 2025, Jon Williams
TRAINING: Teaming, Joint Ventures, & Mentor-Protégé, May 1, 2025, Meghan F. Leemon
PM WEBINAR: 2024-2025 Bid Protest Decisions with Far-Reaching Impacts for Government Contractors, May 8, 2025, Katherine B. Burrows, Eric Valle
TRAINING: Unlocking the Secrets of Debriefings, May 15, 2025, Ryan Boonstra, Kelly A. Kirchgasser
Managing the Financial Impact of Tariffs on Your Government Contract, PilieroMazza Blog, Jacqueline K. Unger, Christopher A. Jannace
PilieroMazza recently published a client alert regarding executive orders imposing additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China. Since then, the Trump administration has imposed a series of worldwide and targeted tariffs, which are likely to have a significant impact on supply chains and costs incurred by government contractors. This blog provides contractors with (1) an update on these tariffs and (2) advice on insulating your government contract from the cost and delay impacts. Read more here.
White House Presidential Action: Extension of Hiring Freeze
On April 17, the Trump Administration extended the federal hiring freeze, originally set to expire April 20, through July 15, 2025. Read more here.
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report: Department of Defense (DOD), DEI Workforce Reductions
On April 17, GAO released a report detailing DOD’s changes to its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workforce as required by the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders requiring DOD to end its DEI programs. GAO reviewed DOD’s data and determined that DOD reduced its workforce in compliance with the law and has successfully eliminated all DEI positions. The full report is available here.
House Legislation Seeks to Add Protections for Probationary Employees, Government Executive
Some House members are seeking to push back against widespread layoffs, firings and deferred resignations across the federal government with new legislation. A bill from a newly minted representative from Maryland is one of several proposed bills in response to the ongoing federal workforce reductions. Read more here.
SBA Hit with More Layoffs, Government Executive
Small Business Administration employees at the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Servicing Center (CESC) received an email on Friday, April 18, following a brief staff meeting, notifying them they would be laid off effective May 16. Read more here.
OPM Proposes Rule to Formally Revive Schedule F, Government Executive
The Office of Personnel Management on Friday, April 18, filed proposed regulations that would formally revive Schedule F, setting the stage for tens of thousands of federal workers to be stripped of their civil service protections, making them effectively at-will employees. Read more here.
Ex-DOL Officials Warn Contractors Not to Scrap Anti-Bias Plans, Bloomberg Law
A group of former Department of Labor officials are urging companies that do business with the government to voluntarily maintain policies to analyze hiring and pay data after the Trump administration gutted the agency’s watchdog in charge of policing contractors for employment bias. Read more here (subscription required).
DOL Puts Contractor Watchdog Employees on Leave as Layoffs Loom, Bloomberg Law
The vast majority of employees at most of the Department of Labor’s federal contractor watchdog’s offices across the country have been placed on administrative leave as part of federal workforce downsizing, according to an email viewed by Bloomberg Law. Read more here (subscription required).
Trump Likely to Propose Pay Freeze for Federal Workers in 2026, Government Executive
President Trump appears set to propose a freeze on civilian federal employees’ pay next year, according to draft budget documents. In OMB’s response to agency budget submissions, the White House budget office told officials to prepare for a freeze on federal civilian pay next year. Read more here.
Upcoming Labor & Employment Presentations
WEBINAR: GovCon: Need to Know – Employment, Health and Safety, April 29, 2025, Sarah L. Nash
PM WEBINAR: Multijurisdictional Employers, Part 1: Independent Contractors vs. Employees, Classifications Under Federal and State Laws, May 1, 2025, Nichole D. Atallah, Georgianne “Georgi” Kokenis
TRAINING: Labor Rules & Regulations: Federal Market Compliance, May 21, 2025, Nichole D. Atallah
PM WEBINAR: Multijurisdictional Employers, Part 2: 2025 State-by-State Updates on Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements, June 5, 2025, Sarah L. Nash, Zachary S. Stinson
DOGE Is Building a ‘Master Database’ of Sensitive Information, Top Oversight Democrat Says, NextGov/FCW
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va, is calling on the Social Security Administration’s watchdog to investigate whistleblower claims that the efficiency team is compiling potentially sensitive data across several government agencies. Read more here.
How Cyber Vulnerabilities and Workforce Cuts Threaten the Crisis Lifeline Program, NextGov/FCW
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline. Congressional lawmakers are making a renewed push to shore up any cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s crisis hotline, even as workforce cuts at the agency overseeing the service have raised questions about the potential impact that staff reductions could have on mental health interventions. Read more here.
SBA Investigating Staff for Talking to Press, Former Colleagues, Government Executive
All Small Business Administration employees received a memo Monday announcing the agency is investigating “numerous reports of current employees engaging in unauthorized communication with former SBA staff members and members of the media.” Read more here.