Intel Briefs
February 2026 GovCon Intel Brief
Your Edge in Federal Contracting Starts Here.
Designed for modern government contractors, this briefing turns raw market data into actionable strategy. Each edition delivers the specific intelligence you need to target smarter, move faster, and increase your p-win. Get the insights that power the platform built to win and run government contracts.
GovCon Market & Spending Trends
DOD Directs AI-First Strategy: If a bureaucrat blocks your AI tool for policy reasons, quote this memo.
OMB Clears FY26 Funds: The budget excuse is gone for HHS & DHS. Expect a flood of solicitations in the next 30 days.
NDS Pivots to Western Hemisphere: Funding is shifting from excursionary to hemispheric. If you have border, Arctic, or SOUTHCOM capabilities, tag them P1.
GovDash Raises $30M Series B: Using new capital to bridge the gap between finding an opportunity and winning it, faster than your competition.
Inside the FedRAMP Process: Building to FedRAMP standards because security is a requirement, not a feature.
Pentagon Gives Away 400 Patents: Grab a Commercial Evaluation License (CEL) for a 2-year royalty-free trial, the cheapest R&D you will ever find.
FY26 Hotspots 3-Part Series: Break down the $155B DHS/DOD surge and $179B R&D wave, mapping specific new start programs and exposing incumbent vulnerabilities
Army Retires SPS System: A massive data migration. Expect a temporary slowdown in awards this quarter as Contracting Officers struggle to learn the new interface.
DOD's 8(a) Review: The White House confirmed they aren't cutting the 8(a) program. The crackdown targets pass-through shells, not legitimate businesses.
Industry Thought Leadership
Army MAPS Math Problem: The draft solicitation signals a Zero Tolerance CPARS policy where one marginal rating could disqualify you, specialized ITES-3S incumbents at risk.
OASIS+ Recompetes Decoded: Helwig breaks down exactly how to map your legacy work to the new Pools and PSCs to save your backlog.
MDA SHIELD ($151B) 3-Part Series: Convert your SHIELD spot into funded task orders. Session 1 (Feb 19) covers your critical 30-60-90 day execution plan.
Revolutionary Speed vs. Workforce Cuts: You can't have agile acquisition while cutting the workforce 15%. Expect a messy Q2 as overworked COs struggle to adapt.
Congress Pumps the Brakes: Pentagon wants speed; Congress wants oversight. Don't bet FY26 revenue on experimental authorities; the traditional FAR isn't going anywhere.
Follow the Money: We analyzed the data to show exactly where agencies are pivoting in FY26. Use this heatmap to validate your pipeline.
JCIDS is Dead, KOPs are In: DOD killed JCIDS for Key Operating Priorities. Map your solution to the Top 15 or risk being defunded.
Pentagon 8(a) Review: Line-by-line review for pass-through fraud. If you do 0% of the work, you are a target.
Steven Koprince Launches "GovCon Roundup": Koprince is the gold standard for small business legal analysis. If you want to understand the nuance of the new 8(a) rules or JV structures, this is a mandatory subscription.
NDAA FY26 & CSOs: New rules allow Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs) for any commercial item. If you win the pilot, you own the production contract.
Key Awards & Takeaways
Navy WEXMAC Hits $65B: War-time logistics spending flowing into base ops. If you are in logistics, follow the volume.
Accenture’s $1.4B Army Win: The Army is buying bots, not bodies. Lowest price staffing strategies will lose to automation plays like this.
Raft’s SBIR Phase III Win: Raft turned a grant into a $34M sole-source monopoly. This is the blueprint for converting innovation into revenue.
Ansible’s 1-vs-23 Victory: 1 winner, 23 losers. A harsh lesson in B&P waste for the staffing market.
IRS Drops $118M (2 Bidders): While everyone fought over the VA, FedStack won $118M with almost no competition. Workforce dev is the hidden gem.
USAF Awards $7B CFT: 23 winners means the IDIQ is just a ticket to a knife fight. Map the program offices now, or you’ll starve on the vehicle.
Army’s $5.6B Salesforce Bet: The Army admits bad tech hurts readiness. Integrators: stop pitching custom dev. Pivot to commercial integration demonstrates you can deploy Salesforce and Slack faster than competitors.
HII Wins Spot on $25.4B Microelectronics IDIQ: They are now a prime player in the critical obsolescence market, modernizing legacy platforms with new chips.
ASRC Federal’s $2.3B DLA Win: While the market hypes AI, ASRC just secured a decade of guaranteed revenue from the industrial base.
The February GovCon Intel Brief is sponsored by Summit Insight. Summit Insight helps established government contractors make better growth decisions before they commit time, money, or credibility.
Judy Bradt works with senior leaders to sharpen focus, strengthen judgment, and build trust with Federal buyers, so effort is applied where it actually matters. The work is advisory and decision-focused, designed for leaders navigating complexity, speed, and risk.
Top Forecasted Opportunities
AFRL AMAC IDIQ ($10B): The primary ticket for Air Force S&T and R&D for the next decade.
SSA IT Support Services ($7.8B): Massive recompete attracting every Tier 1. Start shaping immediately.
VA. gov Replacement RFI: The Super Bowl for digital services. The entire ecosystem is being overhauled.
DIA RFI for AI TEVV: DIA is paying for the referee. Pivot to AI assurance for a less crowded lane.
GSA 2GIT II RFI: New RFI means no March award. Expect a bridge; the challenger window just slid to late 2026.
Army MAPS Draft RFP: Don't just read the PWS; do the math. The scorecard prioritizes high-value past performance.
Army AIDP-Next Industry Day (Feb 12): A rapid solutions call for cloud-to-edge intel. Bring a productized solution for denied environments.
VA VHA CCN Next Gen ($196B): VA is moving from regional monopolies to a Multi-Award IDIQ (5 winners). Expect a draft solicitation in Q4 FY26.
USSOCOM SOF Global Services ($3.2B): The follow-on to the $1B SCS contract is a Total SB Set-Aside with 15 planned awards. Draft RFP dropped Q4 FY25.
USCG CGCYBER CuOPs ($20M): CACI is the incumbent, but the USCG is flipping this cyber support recompete from F&O to SDVOSB. Solicitation expected Q1 FY26.
Policy & Compliance Updates
Suspended vs. Previously Certified: Know the difference before you accidentally flag a partner's status in SAM.
M&A Recertification Rules: The hunting license is dead. Deal value has shifted from set-aside backlog to unrestricted past performance.
SBA Suspends 1,091 8(a) Firms: Check your JV partners immediately. Don't let their admin error kill your proposal.
ATF Skips 8(a) Program: Agencies are finding workarounds to avoid 8(a) admin headaches. A dangerous signal for sole-source strategies.
Treasury Cancels Booz Allen: Booz got fired for a data breach. Too big to fail is a myth if security slips.
House Passes "AI for Main Street" Bill: This is a warning shot for Black Box AI in government. If you are selling AI for federal decision-making, explainability just became a hard compliance requirement.
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