“Eye on Policy” is a monthly article by Tom Temin, who offers his expert insights on the latest government IT developments, trends, and challenges to the DGI audience. Tom is the former host of “The Federal Drive” on Federal News Network, and a respected journalist covering federal technology and policy. With his deep understanding of federal operations and technology, his analysis will be an invaluable resource for professionals navigating the evolving landscape.
As the federal government heads into the crucial fourth quarter buying season, the emergent theme centers on numbers of suppliers – growing in some domains, shrinking in others. SBA moves to end “abuse” of the 8(a) program. If you want to understand a sea change in the small business set aside program for federal contracting, get to know the phrase “rebuttable presumption.”
“What the blankety-blank are we doing?” That’s a typical (and real) reaction of contractors and federal procurement camp followers when it comes to the April 30 executive order about contracting. The move takes the longstanding preference for fixed price contracts into new territory.
The federal budget process, in theory anyway, runs roughly in parallel with the major league baseball season. Right around Opening Day, some sort of proposal issues from the Administration. Now, a month or so in, Congress, such as it is, hasn’t spent much time thinking about its primary responsibility: passing a budget for fiscal 2027 by September 30, the day after the MLB post season starts.
When the Trump administration released its national cybersecurity strategy last month, regular consumers of detailed federal policy might have had a “where’s the beef?” moment. Shortly after the strategy came out, a cataclysmic event – the war against Iran and its proxy terror groups – showed vividly why cybersecurity is not merely academic. The war has let loose a torrent of malicious activity in cyberspace. If ever it was critical to keep cyber defenses such as patches and deterrent measures up to date, it’s now.
Acquisition remains tied to advancement by the government. Regardless of the era, mainframe COBOL to artificial intelligence, the government works hard to keep up. Now a heavily engaged Defense Department has developed a love-hate relationship with the artificial intelligence industry. That has led to dire consequences for one big player and a distortion of law and regulation for everyone.
Although delayed at the last minute by immigration politics, it seems like Congress will end up funding the government for 2026. The fiscal year will only run eight months, but at least agencies will be able to proceed with new initiatives on the technology and customer experience fronts. And the government certainly has a long list of items to deal with, much of it having to do with contractors. Relations between the federal government and its suppliers often get tense. They are hitting a bit of a rough patch now. As outlined in the story below, the Trump administration likes to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it does not like a contractor.