James Chaplin, CMA

For government contractors, financial management is not just accounting. It is compliance. It is audit readiness. It is survival. The Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Federal Acquisition Regulations do not leave room for “close enough.” A misclassified labor hour or an improperly applied indirect rate can delay payments or jeopardize future awards. Many contractors start with entry-level accounting software and manage project details in spreadsheets. That may work early on. But as contracts grow and compliance demands increase, disconnected systems become a liability. Manual reconciliations. Labor charged in one place. Indirect rates calculated in another. Reporting assembled at the last minute before an audit. This is where the approach from GovCon365 stands out. GovCon365 ERP extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with DCAA-aware functionality built directly into the financial and project workflows. Instead of preparing for audits after the fact, compliance becomes embedded in daily operations. Audit readiness should not be a year-end scramble. It should be the natural outcome of how you run your system every day. #GovernmentContracting #DCAA #BusinessCentral

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Revolutionizing Federal Contracting: GSA Calls on Industry for Expertise bit.ly/4p0WPqE “The General Services Administration (GSA) issued a Request for Information seeking input from a broad range of suppliers and industry associations regarding the creation of a new single, end-to-end integrated, and highly-efficient procurement ecosystem — that effectively incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI) — to drive transparent collaboration and greatly enhance the federal acquisition lifecycle.”

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Six major federal contract vehicles will shape BD success in 2026. Eligibility, GSA readiness, and capture strategy decisions are happening now, not at RFP release. Early planning will separate winners from missed opportunities. #GovCon #FederalContracts #BusinessDevelopment #CaptureStrategy #FY26Planning #SmallBusinessGovCon #GSA #OASISPlus #ContractVehicles #ProposalReadiness

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If you’ve been counting on 8(a) set-asides for your GovCon growth, pay attention. On January 22, 2026, the SBA issued new guidance making the 8(a) Business Development Program eligibility process race-neutral and fact-specific, removing race-based presumptions and narrative frameworks that were used previously. Key changes: • Eligibility now focuses on specific evidence of social disadvantage rather than presumptions. • The number of new admissions dropped significantly in 2025, suggesting a more selective process. • Prospective applicants and current participants should evaluate how this affects their eligibility and strategy. Why this matters: • Set-asides and sole-source awards under 8(a) may become harder to secure • Firms planning to leverage 8(a) for contracting growth may need alternative positioning strategies • Strategic opportunity discovery will matter even more 👉 To identify where your business already matches demand and where agencies are actively buying what you sell, check out the GovCon Giants Opp Tool: govcongiants.org/opp

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