Most federal contractors waste 60-70% of their business development time pursuing opportunities they'll never win. They're searching SAM with basic keywords, seeing thousands of results, and chasing contracts that don't match their capabilities, past performance, or competitive positioning.
You've been winning commercial contracts for years. Partnerships form naturally, project structures shift as work evolves, and teams come together based on whoever's available and capable. It works.
Then you bid your first federal contract using the same approach, and everything breaks.
The government rejected your prime contractor bid. Not because your solution wasn't good. Not because your pricing was off. Because you couldn't prove you'd done this exact work before, at this exact scale, under these exact circumstances.
Here's what's actually happening: Federal contracting treats prime versus subcontractor decisions completely differently from commercial work. Understanding when to lead and when to team up determines whether you waste resources on rejected bids or position yourself for actual wins.
What is FAR? Federal Acquisition Regulation Explained for New Contractors
Thinking about federal contracting? The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) isn't just paperwork you can figure out later. The FAR provides the legal framework for the entire federal procurement process, covering contract formation, administration, and closeout. It establishes requirements for competitive bidding, defines different contract types, sets standards for contractor qualifications, and outlines dispute resolution procedures.
The Food & Nutrition Service, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is granting up to $18 million towards FY 2026 Farm to School Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to enhance access to local foods in eligible Child Nutrition Program (CNP) sites through comprehensive farm-to-CNP programming that includes local sourcing and agricultural education efforts.
Right now in 2025, the 8(a) Business Development Program, administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), helps small, disadvantaged businesses access federal contracts. It provides set-aside and sole-source opportunities, business development support, and mentoring. Recent legal changes have affected eligibility requirements, making it more important than ever for businesses to understand how the program works.
October 1, 2025, Shutdown Update: USFCR continues monitoring contractor impacts. Confirmed operational: SAM systems remain functional with limited support staff. Confirmed disrupted: Federal Service Desk for UEI assignments, Census Bureau NAICS lookup system.
Contractor workarounds verified effective: Alternative NAICS lookup via naicscode.com, direct contracting officer communication for urgent matters, existing contract work continuation based on essential/non-essential classification.
Right now in 2025, smart federal contractors are preparing for potential government shutdowns while their competitors hope for the best. Here's what most people get wrong: shutdowns aren't just political theater that might affect you. They're predictable business disruptions that create both risks and opportunities for contractors who know how to respond.
If your business recently received a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract award, this announcement directly impacts your next steps. GSA has issued critical guidance that could save you significant time and prevent duplicative work during your catalog setup process.
The West Expeditionary Mission Assurance Contract (WEXMAC 2.1) is one of the largest worldwide contracting opportunities in recent years. This multi-billion-dollar IDIQ covers logistics, construction, medical, communications, and security services and provides full-spectrum expeditionary mission support.
The Department of War has issued the final DFARS rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). It was published on September 10, 2025, and will take effect on November 10, 2025. On that date, contracting officers can begin including new DFARS clauses in solicitations and contracts, formally tying cybersecurity compliance to eligibility for defense awards.
