Field notes from government AI work.
Practical guidance on procurement, compliance, and AI implementation — written for the contracting officers, program managers, and agency leaders doing the actual work.
FAR 19.1406 Sole-Source SDVOSB: A Plain-English Guide for 2026
FAR 19.1406 lets contracting officers award sole-source contracts directly to certified SDVOSBs up to $8.5M (manufacturing) or $5M (services). Here's exactly how it works, when to use it, and how to document the award.
OMB M-25-21 & M-25-22: What Federal Agencies Need to Know About AI Acquisition
Two new OMB memoranda reshape how federal agencies adopt and acquire AI. Here's what M-25-21 and M-25-22 require, what changed from M-24-10, and what your agency needs to do now.
NIST AI RMF for Government: A Practical Implementation Checklist
The NIST AI Risk Management Framework is now the de-facto standard for federal AI deployments. Here's a practical, agency-friendly checklist for implementing each of its four functions.
How AI is Cutting FOIA Backlogs in Federal Agencies
Federal agencies are sitting on FOIA backlogs measured in years. AI is changing the math — search, drafting, and redaction at scale, with humans in the loop. Here's what's working.
AI Readiness Assessment for Government: What's Inside and Who Needs One
Agencies that buy AI without an assessment overpay, deploy the wrong tools, and stall in pilot. Here's what a proper AI Readiness Assessment delivers, the typical phases, and when to commission one.
How to Vet an AI Vendor for Government Work: A Contracting Officer's Checklist
Vetting AI vendors is harder than vetting traditional IT services vendors. Here's the eight-point checklist every contracting officer should run before issuing an AI award.