Federal acquisition rules and labor standards for government contractors
Last reviewed on May 12, 2026.
Federal contract compliance is not one subject. It is a stack of separate regimes that attach to a contract for different reasons — some because of what you sell, some because of who is buying, some because of where the work is performed, and some because of the dollar value. Firms get into trouble less often by breaking a rule they knew about than by not realizing a regime applied to them at all.
The practical way to approach it is to work out which regimes attach before you bid, not after award:
Two of these are worth flagging as cost-of-entry decisions rather than paperwork: an adequate accounting system and CMMC readiness both take months and capital to establish. If your capture plan depends on either, start before the opportunity appears.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification requirements for DoD contractors.
Learn MoreFederal Acquisition Regulations and Defense supplement requirements.
Learn MoreWhat a "DCAA-compliant" accounting system actually requires — direct/indirect segregation, indirect pools, timekeeping, and audit readiness.
Learn MoreCovered telecommunications equipment prohibition — Part A (what you sell) and Part B (what you use), plus the SAM.gov representations.
Learn MoreControlled Unclassified Information categories, marking rules, and how the obligations flow into CMMC and DFARS 252.204-7012.
Learn MoreThe six systems DoD evaluates — accounting, estimating, purchasing, MMAS, EVM, and property — with adequacy and withholding consequences.
Learn MoreThe three country-of-origin regimes — BAA, Trade Agreements Act, and Berry Amendment — and how they interact.
Learn MoreThe three OCI types — unequal access, biased ground rules, impaired objectivity — and how mitigation plans work.
Learn MoreThe 50% rule for set-aside services and supplies (15%/25% for construction) and the similarly situated entity exception.
Learn MoreFederal contracting layers requirements: every contract is subject to the FAR; defense work adds DFARS; construction triggers Davis-Bacon; services trigger the Service Contract Act; and any contractor handling controlled information must meet CMMC. The most common mistake is treating compliance as a single binder. It is a set of overlapping rules whose specific applicability depends on the work being performed and the agency buying it.
For broader business questions, see certifications for set-aside eligibility and contract management for what happens after award.