All articles
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Awards
DHS Cumulus: non-competitive cloud awards to AWS, Azure, Google, and Oracle — what's in scope
The Department of Homeland Security moved to its Cumulus centralized cloud vehicle with non-competitive block-one awards to the four major hyperscalers. Contracts have 1-year base periods and up to four option years. Financial details redacted. Small firms should pay attention to the downstream services layer.
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Awards
DoE frames cyber as energy-security pillar — $935M NNSA IT + $160M CESER in the FY27 budget
The Department of Energy's FY27 budget commits $935 million to NNSA IT and cybersecurity — plus $160 million to the CESER office for energy-grid cybersecurity. Plus: an OT-focused center of excellence and an open OT Defender Fellowship applications window.
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Opportunities
DIU's $979M budget + 51% prototype-to-production rate — the shortest path into DoD for commercial firms
The Defense Innovation Unit operates with $979 million in FY2026 funding, 60-90 day award cycles, and a 51% transition rate from prototype to production. For commercial firms that can't survive traditional FAR procurement, DIU is often the only realistic federal entry.
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Protests
GAO sustains Amentum and SOSi protests of DIA award to GDIT — the evaluation-documentation lesson
GAO's January 2026 sustain of Amentum and SOSi's protests of a Defense Intelligence Agency contract award to GDIT centered on evaluation documentation failures. The decision reinforces that agencies must both explain why proposals got credit and avoid downgrading offerors for claims the proposals didn't make.
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Rules
WOSB and EDWOSB self-certification ended February 1 — what uncertified firms lose now
As of February 1, 2026, firms that haven't completed formal SBA certification through MySBA are effectively out of the WOSB and EDWOSB programs. Self-cert is dead; third-party-cert via WBENC and others continues but with new requirements. Plus: a one-year extension lifeline for some firms.
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Rules
FedRAMP 20x Phase 2 ends in March — wide-scale rollout coming Q3-Q4 2026
FedRAMP's 20x program — the cloud authorization rebuild — exits Phase 2 pilot March 31. Phase 3 opens authorization to all Low and Moderate cloud providers in Q3-Q4. Authorization timelines drop from 18+ months to ~3 months for compliant providers.
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Rules
NIST 800-171 Revision 3 + GSA's January 2026 CUI mandate — what changed for non-DoD contractors
GSA introduced new CUI requirements for non-federal entities on January 5, 2026, building on NIST 800-171 Rev 3 (final May 2024). Three new control families, 49 organization-defined parameters, and meaningful supply-chain risk-management additions. Non-DoD contractors should not assume the rules don't apply to them.
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Rules
Buy America hits full enforcement: October 2026 deadlines tighten domestic content rules
Federal agencies are transitioning from waivers and transitional periods to full enforcement of Buy American Act and Build America, Buy America Act provisions. October 1, 2026: FHWA projects must meet 55% U.S.-component-cost threshold. False Claims Act exposure for misrepresentation.
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Awards
Raytheon signs $3.7B GEM-T deal — German-funded Patriot interceptors for Ukraine
Signed April 14, the contract commits $3.7 billion to Patriot Advanced Capability-2 GEM-T interceptor production at a new Schrobenhausen, Germany facility. Direct commercial sale, financed by Germany. Plant operational in 2026, missiles delivered around 2028.
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Opportunities
Congress reauthorized SBIR and STTR through 2031 — what changed in the small print
On April 13, 2026 the President signed S. 3971, extending SBIR and STTR programs through Sept. 30, 2031. New: Innovation Corps integration, FPDS Phase III tracking, expanded commercialization training. Reauthorization removes a major overhang for small innovators.
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Awards
Artemis II flew April 1 — NASA's 2,700-supplier chain just passed its biggest test
The crewed lunar fly-by validated a procurement model spanning 47 states and 11 prime contractors. With Artemis III hardware now ramping, the small-business supply pipeline is opening.
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Opportunities
DARPA's CLARA: $2M for AI you can prove works — open-source mandatory, proposals due April 10
CLARA funds high-assurance AI research at $2M per award over 24 months. Mandatory Apache 2.0 open-source release for all software produced. Universities, research orgs, and small businesses eligible. Plus: a recent direct-to-Phase II SBIR award shows DARPA's path for non-traditional vendors.
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