Between regulatory streamlining and a “Buy American” focus from the administration perhaps finally coming to fruition, to newly sharpened focuses on national security issues and improving federal information technology, federal contractors have a broad range of policy issues to look out for in 2018.
“I think that decreased regulations will come as a welcome sign for many contractors,” McCarter & English LLP government contracts practice co-lead Franklin Turner said. “But I also question the extent to which you can effectively deregulate increasingly complicated markets without creating more confusion. I don’t know how, in reality, contractors are going to deal with a more expensive, more technically complex procurement with fewer regulations to actually guide source selection decisions and guide acquisition professionals.”