The Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced legislation that would set up a grant program for small businesses and nontraditional contractors to cover the costs of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance. The CMMC grant program is included in the full text of the committee’s fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill, released Tuesday. The committee released […]
A Kiewit Stacey Witbeck Herzog team will construct the 119-mile section running partway between Bakersfield and Merced under a scaled back plan to get trains running by 2033. California’s high-speed rail plan is advancing, just on a smaller scale. A Kiewit Stacey Witbeck Herzog joint venture will lay the first section of tracks under an […]
Following President Donald J. Trump signing into law the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S. 3971), the War Department is immediately advancing with a redesigned and more focused initiative to accelerate the delivery of advanced capabilities to the warfighter. The act reauthorizes the vital Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology […]
By: Brenda Crist & Beth Wingate The first evaluator of your proposal may no longer be human. Federal agencies are deploying artificial intelligence tools that conduct compliance evaluations in minutes, verifying that required forms are included, proposals meet solicitation requirements and instructions, and clauses and terms are adhered to. If an AI tool finds your […]
On March 26, 2026, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) titled “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors.” Read at the headline level, the order can sound like another broad anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) pronouncement. Read as a procurement directive, however, it is something more concrete and more consequential: a command to federal agencies […]
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $60.3 million in federal funding for six projects along the Central Coast through Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. The influx of federal funding includes $54 million Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) helped deliver for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project in Monterey and […]
California reached a significant milestone on February 3, in its high-speed rail project, as Governor Gavin Newsom announced the completion of the California Railhead Facility in Kern County. The completion marks a step forward in building the country’s first high-speed rail system and advancing clean, connected transportation, according to a statement from the governor’s office. […]
Last fall, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history—at 43 days—had lasting and widespread negative impacts across the country. The shutdown ended when Congress eventually agreed on an appropriations bill, but that bill funded the government only through January 30, 2026, with full-year appropriations only for Agriculture, the Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs. […]
Fresno, Calif., is experiencing a construction boom that is expected to continue, with new starts forecast to exceed $2.5 billion by 2026, driven by nonresidential building, including health care and education projects. Turner Construction is building the $300 million Medical Education Building for UC Merced, and there are multiple tribal casino projects planned or under […]
Charlie Sciuto October 6, 2025 1:31 pm The MORSECORP settlement shows that cybersecurity lapses are now legal and financial liabilities — not just technical ones. When the Justice Department announced a $4.6 million False Claims Act (FCA) settlement with defense contractor MORSECORP, Inc. (MORSE) this spring, it sent a clear message to the defense industrial base: […]