Acquisition
Revolutionary FAR Overhaul moves to formal rulemaking with first batch of proposed rules
Four proposed rules covering 13 Federal Acquisition Regulation parts are to be published Tuesday. Small business rules and others are on the way.
SBA partners with Perplexity to launch $25M Main Street AI Accelerator
Administration officials have stressed the importance of supporting small businesses amid the global AI race between the U.S. and China.
DHS finalizes first Cumulus cloud contract with AWS
The Homeland Security Department is working on contracts with the other three major hyperscalers and a separate, multiple-award competition for support services.
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GSA is preparing an AI-specific acquisition reform rule
The updated rule is expected in the next couple weeks and will set a preference for fixed-price models, making the GSA a “more predictable business partner” to original equipment manufacturers.
GSA inks latest OneGov agreement with Snowflake
Under the deal, federal agencies will potentially be eligible “for higher-tier discounts of up to 50% reduced consumption cost on compute, as overall usage increases.”
OneGov’s discounted deals are ‘a first step’ to longer-term contracts, officials say
The General Services Administration has asked some companies to re-up their temporary price cuts while it continues to talk with them about becoming direct contractors on its Multiple Award Schedule.
Commerce goes direct to hyperscalers with $4.1B cloud pact
The department cites artificial intelligence, weather modeling and scale as reasons to narrow the competition.
OMB seeks details from agencies on their commercial buying, or lack thereof
A new White House budget office memo also outlines what agencies have to do if they want to go down the non-commercial contracting route and who has the approval power over it.
Trade and industry groups warn of risks in GSA’s draft AI procurement guidance
The guidance would establish government rights to use artificial intelligence tools in “any lawful” context, a stipulation that has drawn concern from industry advocates.
Vendors struggle to navigate the Anthropic ban’s fallout
Tech contractors say ambiguity in how Anthropic’s products are able to be used by companies working with the federal government is leaving “traps” they may unknowingly fall into.
VHA, Labor Department tap Salesforce for critical modernization efforts
Both efforts center around the company’s agentic technology offerings.
New contract for background investigations raises concerns about scale and risk
COMMENTARY | As the government expands continuous vetting and increases workload demands, questions are emerging about whether the acquisition approach can support the mission without delays or performance issues.
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Judge blocks DOD's ban on Anthropic, calls it First Amendment retaliation
The court finds the Pentagon's supply chain risk designation was punishment for public criticism, not a legitimate security threat.
Microsoft takes Anthropic's side in DOD fight, warns it sets a new precedent
In a court briefing, Microsoft argues the Defense Department is using a national security policy designed for foreign adversaries against a U.S. company over a contract dispute.
INDOPACOM was all in on Anthropic. Now it’s working to adjust
The administration’s government-wide ban on the company’s AI tools has forced the command to work faster to be “model-neutral.”
State offloads Claude as underpinning model in flagship StateChat
The agency moved its chatbot to operate on OpenAI’s GPT 4.1, internal document shows.
GSA proposes sweeping changes to Multiple Award Schedule program, including new AI terms and conditions
Refresh 31 would make transactional data reporting mandatory and introduce new AI contract terms.
Anthropic sues over a dozen federal agencies and government leaders
The company asserts that the administration’s actions to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk and order its removal from all federal agencies are retaliatory and not based on risk to national security.
Private sector, former military leaders urge Congress intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic dispute
Over 30 former military officers and individuals working in tech sent a letter to congressional leadership expressing concern over the Pentagon-Anthropic dispute and asking for lawmakers to take action to reign in executive power and set AI guardrails.
SBA boots 628 more companies from 8(a) program
Total termination actions now represent 18% of the small business contracting program as the Trump administration's crackdown continues.
