Federal buying feels different this year. Some changes are big, some are subtle, and some are showing up in unexpected places. You can hear the full story in our latest episode – Hallucinated Bid Protests and the Future of Federal Buying. Government contracts expert Rob Burton joined host Chris Hamm for a candid conversation about the forces reshaping GovCon. AI introduces new risks, protests are changing, and the 2025 FAR overhaul shifts power back to contracting officers. All three matter right now.
AI is Already Reshaping the Protest Landscape
AI has quietly entered the protest arena, and the effects are becoming hard to ignore. Rob Burton says small businesses now use AI tools to assemble protests to avoid high legal fees. But many of these filings include citations the model simply invented. GAO has seen references to cases that never happened, clauses that don’t exist and facts pulled from thin air. As he puts it,
GAO is getting really annoyed… and GAO has threatened sanctions against some of these small businesses that have filed really, really unprofessional bid protests.
These misfires don’t just irritate the oversight bodies. They slow procurement cycles already strained by shutdowns, workforce shortages and rising complexity. They also erode trust. When evaluators can no longer assume filings are grounded in reality, every protest demands deeper scrutiny. That scrutiny takes time, and time is the one resource acquisition teams rarely have.
Chris Hamm notes that some protests now include fabricated facts that a simple public-record check would have caught. That changes the tone of the process. Agencies must now determine whether a protest is real before assessing the government’s actions. It is an extra burden on teams already stretched thin.
For contractors, this shift creates two obligations. First, be intentional with AI. Use it to speed work, but verify everything before it leaves your hands. Second, recognize that a protest built on shaky ground doesn’t just fail, it damages credibility with both the agency and GAO. In an environment where relationships matter, that cost is significant.
The FAR Overhaul Gives Contracting Officers More Freedom, if They Feel Safe Using It
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) removed over a third of the FAR’s page count. Rob highlights one stat that captures the scale: “1,200 directives… sentences that use the word ‘shall’… have been removed.” That change alone shifts how federal buying works. Fewer mandatory rules create more room for judgment, interpretation and speed. Commercial-item buys now carry far fewer required clauses. And that opens the door for simpler, cleaner procurement paths that mirror the commercial world.
But the overhaul works only if contracting officers feel confident enough to use the new flexibilities. The rewrite may clear obstacles on paper, yet culture doesn’t change overnight. Many contracting officers worry about the same thing: if they take a creative approach and something goes sideways, will leadership back them up? Chris captures that tension clearly:
Today, they (contracting officers) do not feel emboldened.
The rewrite aims to reduce fear. More discretion means fewer rigid steps and fewer opportunities for a clean protest argument. Rob notes that with more judgment calls in play, “it is now very hard to challenge discretion.” That shift should give acquisition teams room to problem-solve rather than box-check. Yet many still default to old habits because those habits felt safe for years.
The next phase of the overhaul will depend on training, leadership tone and agency guidance. Flexibility only delivers results when people believe they can use it without jeopardizing their careers. Contractors can play a role here too. When you show up prepared, with examples, pilot ideas and proven approaches, you help agencies see that thoughtful risk is manageable. And that kind of support goes a long way in a system trying to rebuild trust
Clarifications Now Look More like Commercial Conversations
The changes to FAR Part 15 may be the most practical shift for proposal teams. The old rules forced agencies into rigid discussions with every offeror. Now, contracting officers can hold “negotiated clarifications” with specific vendors.
Rob explains the difference simply: these talks let a vendor clarify a point without triggering full discussions.
They are making FAR Part 15 more commercial-like… with respect to clarification and negotiated clarifications.
For proposal teams, this change alters strategy. For lawyers, it changes the protest playbook. And for agencies, it creates new expectations around documentation and fairness
What Contractors Should Do Next
Rob leaves listeners with practical guidance: relationships still matter, and communication is still the foundation.
Develop relationships and try to get out there… let them know what your capabilities are.
But the landscape in 2025 asks for more than visibility. It asks for clarity, consistency and a calm hand in a period of rapid change.
Contractors should start by helping customers understand the FAR rewrite. Many agency teams haven’t absorbed what flexibility now exists. Walk in with examples. Show how other programs have used negotiated clarifications or commercial-item approaches. Those concrete stories reduce anxiety for contracting officers who may feel exposed under the new rules.
Teams should also examine their proposal development process. The shift toward negotiated clarifications rewards clean structures, unambiguous language and tight alignment with evaluation criteria. Ambiguity might no longer trigger formal discussions, and you may not get a second chance to fix it. Treat every first submission as final, even if the rules are looser.
AI requires attention too. Use it, but verify everything. Hallucinated claims now show up in protests, and GAO has already signaled frustration. If AI touches your proposal content, capture management, or legal filings, create a validation step. Human review is no longer optional.
Finally, invest in trust. Contractors who support government teams, rather than overwhelm them, will stand out. Agencies are navigating uncertainty with new discretion, new expectations and limited time. If you can reduce friction for them, you will become a preferred partner.
Listen for the Full Story
Ready for the full story? Visit the Optimize podcast page to stream this episode. You can also watch on YouTube or listen via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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