VA’s New Review Process Could Delay Your Next Award—Here’s What Contractors Need to Know
The Department of Veterans Affairs just changed the playbook for how it handles high-dollar and mission-critical contracts. On May 13, 2025, the VA issued a new acquisition memo that adds an extra—and mandatory—layer of review for certain contracts. If you’re a small or mid-sized business in IT, professional services, or dealing with large-dollar awards, this change could slow things down unless you’re ready.
SBIR Scrutiny Is Rising—Here’s What Contractors Need to Know About Foreign Influence Risk
The SBIR/STTR programs have long been a lifeline for tech-focused small businesses looking to fund innovation and bring new products to market. But in 2025, these “America’s Seed Fund” programs are under intense scrutiny—not for how much they fund, but who they fund. If you’re a small business eyeing these grants, or already holding one, foreign affiliations are now a make-or-break factor. And agencies aren’t treating these risks equally.
CMMC 2.0 Is Here—What Small Contractors Need to Do Now
If you’re a small business working in the defense space, 2025 just got a lot more real. The Department of Defense finalized the long-awaited Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 rule in December 2024, and implementation has already begun. This isn’t just another bureaucratic update—CMMC 2.0 changes the rules of the game for every contractor and subcontractor in the DoD supply chain.