# Government Contracting Rules Remain Challenging

Government contracting requirements have not seen meaningful simplification recently, maintaining a difficult environment especially for small business contractors. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program for defense contractors was effectively halted, resulting in contract extensions rather than new awards. This continuation of complex rules and halted certification processes has contributed to small businesses struggling to compete against larger firms in federal procurement.

- Small businesses face increased barriers in government contracting, with limited support from the Small Business Administration (SBA) as reported by industry stakeholders.
- The suspension of the CMMC program delays new contract opportunities tied to cybersecurity compliance, affecting defense contractors' ability to secure awards.
- Procurement professionals should be aware that current contracting environments favor established large businesses, impacting small business participation strategies.
- Organizations may need to adjust their bidding and compliance approaches given the ongoing regulatory complexity and program delays affecting contract availability.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 27, 2026

### Government Entities
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Department of Defense (DoD)

### Key Quotes
> It’s the hardest I’ve ever seen it for small business. The SBA is not helping and the large businesses continue to win and small businesses are having an extremely difficult competing and waiting.
> — Anonymous commenter

### Sources
- [So have the rules and hoops to jump through gotten any better or easier lately for gov contracting? Last I heard, Trump wanted to eliminate some of the many ridiculous requirements, but I havent heard anything lately](https://www.reddit.com/r/GovernmentContracting/comments/1wr5kc1/so_have_the_rules_and_hoops_to_jump_through) - reddit-governmentcontracting