As the leader of a large federal information technology engineering and operations team, I’ve seen firsthand how the shapes of government contracting shift with each new administration. Under the current U.S. leadership, we are navigating an especially complex and rapidly evolving federal contracting environment — shaped by intersecting priorities in cybersecurity, equity for small and disadvantaged businesses, technological ethics, and workforce modernization. For technology leaders, this new terrain demands both a tactical responsiveness and a strategic recalibration to remain competitive, compliant, and mission-aligned.
Cybersecurity as a Contractual Baseline — Not a Differentiator
Cybersecurity has become a foundational requirement across nearly every federal technology contract. The Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 framework, reintroduced in 2021 and updated through 2023, places responsibility on contractors to safeguard controlled and unclassified information (CUI) through continuous and auditable compliance with NIST SP 800-171 (DoD, 2023; NIST, 2024).
Zero-trust architecture is now a federal standard, following Executive Order 14028 and the subsequent Federal Zero Trust Strategy issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB, 2022). These mandates require identity-centric authentication, endpoint visibility, and encryption standards that far exceed legacy perimeter-based models. Engineering and operations teams must now incorporate these tools into initial systems engineering phases, leveraging DevSecOps pipelines and compliance automation to maintain real-time readiness.
Cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought — it is embedded at every layer of federal system designs. Small security gaps can jeopardize entire contracts or trigger costly breach notifications under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) (GAO, 2024).
Equity-Driven Procurement and the Rise of Inclusive Contracting
The administration has doubled down on the use of federal procurement as a lever for economic equity. Executive Orders 13985 and 14091 direct agencies to prioritize awards to small and disadvantaged businesses, including 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, and WOSB-certified vendors (White House, 2023). The Small Business Administration (SBA) has since reported increased thresholds and tracking enforcement to meet these mandates.
Federal acquisition officers are now graded on their agencies’ equity goals, pushing primes to build inclusive subcontracting structures early in the bid process (GSA, 2024). This shift is reshaping the competitive landscape: contracts are awarded not just for technical merit, but also for demonstrating partnerships with underrepresented businesses.
Mentor programs and joint ventures under SBA guidelines are no longer optional — they are strategic requirements. Organizations that lack supplier diversity risk losing their edge in proposal evaluations. Many programs have expanded their program reviews and implemented relationship-building procedures to identify and support capable SDB partners who can scale with federal project demands.
AI, Data Ethics, and the New Governance Mandate
As artificial intelligence systems proliferate in federal environments — from healthcare analytics to defense logistics — the need for ethical guardrails has become urgent. In 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, requiring five specific principles:
- Safe and effective systems
- Algorithmic discrimination protections
- Data privacy
- Notice and explanation
- Human alternatives (OSTP, 2022)
In 2023, OMB followed through with guidance directing federal agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in the procurement of AI systems and as a result, IT proposals must now include documentation on data provenance, bias mitigation, and auditability (OMB, 2023). Emerging acquisition language includes clauses requiring independent validation of algorithm fairness and proof of responsible data governance practices.
This development forces programs to elevate data governance and AI ethics from technical issues to contractual deliverables. Governance frameworks, ethical review boards, and AI development conventions must now coexist with traditional delivery metrics. Agencies are particularly concerned with the explainability of algorithms — requiring that automated decision systems be transparent, testable, and aligned with ethical safeguards.
In many of our programs, we have introduced cross-functional reviews of machine learning pipelines and mandated ethical impact assessments for all major AI developments and deployments. These practices have proven essential in both technical integrity and compliance reviews.
Workforce Pressures and the Security Clearance Bottleneck
The challenge of sourcing cleared IT talent has also intensified in recent years, particularly as demand for cybersecurity and AI expertise grows across defense and civilian agencies. While the Trusted Workforce 2.0 initiative was launched to modernize and accelerate the security clearance process, the average timeline for Top Secret clearance remains 6–12 months (ODNI, 2023).
This delay impacts everything from onboarding to proposal planning, often forcing teams to hedge bids with provisional labor categories or dual-track staffing. Further complicating the situation is the competition from the private sector that continues to recruit cleared personnel with aggressive compensation and benefits packages.
Agencies are attempting to adapt, but systemic inefficiencies remain. In response, we have instituted internal training tracks, clearance sponsorships, and hybrid deployment models that allow unclassified work to proceed while awaiting full adjudication.
Retention efforts have also become mission-critical. As federal IT workers face mounting pressures, we have had to evolve our leadership and human resource strategies to maintain team morale and individual contributor motivation. Investment in purpose-driven engagement, technical certifications, and flexible work arrangements have helped to stabilize team continuity amid uncertain hiring environments.
Closing Reflections
Under the current administration, the federal IT contracting space is evolving rapidly — guided by national priorities in cybersecurity, equity for small and disadvantaged businesses, ethics, and workforce modernization and efficiency. As these forces converge, the role of the technology program leaders has become more complex and strategic than ever before.
To remain viable, federal contractors must not only meet technical requirements — they must embody the values of resilience, inclusion, and responsibility. Contracts are now instruments of both innovation and accountability. The organizations that succeed will be those that anticipate, adapt, and act with integrity.
References
1. Department of Defense. (2023). Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 Overview. https://dodcio.defense.gov/CMMC
2. Executive Office of the President. (2021). Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. https://www.whitehouse.gov
3. General Services Administration. (2024). Small Business Equity in Federal Procurement: Implementation Guidance. https://www.gsa.gov
4. Government Accountability Office. (2024). Federal Information Security: Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices. https://www.gao.gov
5. National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2024). NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3: Protecting CUI in Nonfederal Systems. https://csrc.nist.gov
6. Office of Management and Budget. (2022). Federal Zero Trust Strategy, M-22-09. https://www.whitehouse.gov
7. Office of Management and Budget. (2023). Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for AI Use in the Federal Government. https://www.whitehouse.gov
8. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (2023). Trusted Workforce 2.0 Progress Update. https://www.dni.gov
9. Office of Science and Technology Policy. (2022). Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. https://www.whitehouse.gov
10. White House. (2023). Executive Order 14091: Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. https://www.whitehouse.gov
11. Photo credit: Photographing Travis is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.