SmallGovCon Week in Review: February 9-13, 2026

Happy Friday the 13th! We hope your day is off to a lucky start and that everything is running smoothly. As a quick reminder, Valentine’s Day is tomorrow—so if it slipped your mind, there’s still time to grab some chocolate and flowers (and maybe avoid any Friday the 13th surprises!).

Valentine’s Day Fun Facts:

• The Oldest Valentine: The oldest known valentine was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
• Teachers Get the Most Love: Teachers receive the highest number of Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, and wives.
• Flower Power: Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the busiest holidays for florists, with 189–250 million roses grown for the holiday.
• Not Just for Humans: About 3% of pet owners give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.

We hope you get to spend time celebrating with your loved ones this weekend. Enjoy!

Now, on to this week in federal government contracting news. Key stories including the cancellation of CIO-SP4 and SBA moving forward with additional 8(a) terminations.

• Decision to cancel CIO-SP4 had nothing to do with protests
• Technical debt puts federal cybersecurity at risk. The question now is how to break out of the cycle.
• DOL Sets New Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors
• Pentagon poised to curb some defense contractors’ payouts under Trump order
• Energy Department unveils Genesis Mission Consortium to spur partnerships
• GSA procurement leader says ‘community readiness’ poses challenge to acquisition overhaul
• A Strong GAO is Essential to Fiscal Responsibility and the Separation of Powers
• Government contracting compliance: Key challenges to overcome when pursuing federal contracts
• Real-time rewrite of federal buying rules is roiling acquisition
• Senate hearing examines 8(a) contracts critical to Alaska Native corporations
• At U.S. Senate hearing, tribal leaders speak up to protect a contracting program that benefits Native-owned businesses
• SBA Moves to Terminate Over 150 8(a) Firms in Washington, D.C. Following Eligibility Review

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