Industry Advances Third-Party Risk Management

A DoD CMMC task-force review outlines near- and longer-term options for addressing the program’s pause, including restarting Phase 2 for a narrower contractor population within 90 days, improving Controlled Unclassified Information marking and assessment guidance, and considering NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3. The review does not remove contractors’ existing 800-171 obligations; it leaves implementation details uncertain while potential rulemaking, including a possible 270-day Plan of Action and Milestones period, remains under consideration.

• Contractors should continue meeting applicable NIST SP 800-171 obligations during the CMMC pause and document cybersecurity controls and associated costs.
• A narrower Phase 2 restart could affect which contractors need assessments first; firms in the defense supply chain should evaluate how the proposed scope could affect their readiness.
• Procurement teams and industry stakeholders should account for uncertainty around assessment guidance, possible adoption of Revision 3, and potential POA&M changes when planning compliance support and contract costs.

Sources

• RFI offers path forward for DoD with CMMC - Federal News Network · Federal News Network · Oct 27

The Department of the Interior’s Interior Business Center Acquisition Services Directorate is conducting market research on on-site, non-clinical physical wellness services, potentially including assisted stretching, flexology, massage, soft-tissue bodywork, and mobility and functional-movement support at the Stewart L. Udall Building in Washington, DC. The agency will hold an Industry Day on November 4, 2026; this RFI is for market input and is not a solicitation. Interested providers can submit responses by October 29, 2026 (two days from the current date).

• Providers should review the referenced RFI materials and submit market-research responses by October 29 to inform the agency’s understanding of available services and provider capabilities.
• The November 4 Industry Day offers providers an opportunity to engage with the agency about the potential on-site service scope; it does not constitute a solicitation or guarantee a future award.
• Businesses offering non-clinical wellness services should distinguish their capabilities from clinical care and describe how their services address the listed physical wellness needs.

Sources

• DOI Industry Day and RFI for On-Site Physical Wellness Services · SAM · Oct 27

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District announced an industry day for a planned FY28 Progressive Design-Build Other Transaction project to develop a high-speed test track at Holloman Air Force Base in Otero County, New Mexico. The opportunity is listed in PIEE under solicitation W912PP27Z1CUU. The notice does not specify the industry-day date, registration deadline, venue, technical requirements, or project value.

• Interested firms can review the PIEE opportunity and complete any required PIEE access steps to obtain the available notice information.
• The planned design-build project may be relevant to firms with capabilities in test-track design and construction; the notice does not yet provide scope or evaluation details.
• The announcement identifies an FY28 opportunity, but provides no event or proposal deadline for firms to plan against.

Sources

• Industry day for planned Holloman AFB high-speed test track design-build project · SAM · Oct 27

Assail announced Assail Federal Inc., a dedicated business intended to bring its Reaper autonomous penetration-testing platform to U.S. defense, intelligence, and other national security customers. The offering supports continuous validation of network defenses and attack-path analysis across cloud, on-premises, disconnected, and in-theater environments, with capabilities related to zero-trust configurations and software patch priorities. The announcement identifies no solicitation, named government customer, contract award, funding amount, or procurement contact, so it establishes a new federal-market supplier rather than a currently defined bid opportunity.

• Contractors with federal cyber portfolios can evaluate whether Assail Federal’s platform complements their security assessment, penetration-testing, or cyber-readiness offerings and whether a teaming relationship is relevant.
• Procurement teams may encounter the Reaper platform as a potential solution for continuous defensive validation across connected and disconnected environments; the signals do not specify an acquisition vehicle or procurement requirement.
• No contract value, solicitation, or award timeline is disclosed, so there is no source-grounded bid deadline or specific procurement action to pursue.

Sources

• Assail Debuts Federal Unit for Autonomous Cybersecurity -- Security Today · Security Today · Oct 27
• Assail Launches Assail Federal to Deliver Autonomous Offensive Cyber to Government · PR Newswire · Oct 26
• Assail Launches Assail Federal to Deliver Autonomous Offensive Cyber to Government · Yahoo Finance · Oct 26

The Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing will hold an industry day on November 12, 2026, at NAS JRB New Orleans in Belle Chasse to conduct market research for potential FY27 lodging services in the New Orleans area. The research may inform a future Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA); the event is informational and is not a solicitation or commitment to award.

• Lodging providers serving New Orleans, Harvey, Gretna, and nearby commuting areas can use the industry day to learn about the Guard’s potential lodging needs and provide market input.
• The possible BPA is a planning concept, not an active contract opportunity. Businesses should distinguish this market-research event from a solicitation and avoid treating it as a commitment to compete or award.
• The 159th Mission Support Contracting Office and 159th Fighter Wing are relevant agency points in the market-research effort; the November 12 event is the stated opportunity for industry engagement.

Sources

• Industry day and market research for potential FY27 lodging services in the New Orleans area · SAM · Oct 27

The City of Leesburg Commission meeting was held October 26, 2026. No contract awards, bids, vendor selections, or other procurement actions were identified. The commission approved the consent agenda by unanimous roll-call vote, though the transcript does not specify its contents. The proposed Silver Lake Point Phase 2 plat approval was removed from the agenda. The commission tabled the Lucas Street multifamily land-use and rezoning items until November 9, 2026.

The commission heard the first reading of an amendment to Leesburg’s interlocal service boundary agreement with Lake County. The proposal would establish joint rural protection areas where the city would generally not annex property without county approval, preserve city utility service arrangements, and replace specified fire-service payments with mutual aid. The amendment is scheduled to return for a second reading on November 9. Commissioners discussed growth, utility capacity, and road funding, but took no related spending action. Residents also raised concerns about surveillance cameras and data centers; no action was taken on those requests.

Sources

• City of Leesburg Commission Meeting October 26,2026 · LakeFront TV · Oct 27

North East ISD board-training meeting, titled “Board Training | NEISD Board Meeting - 10.26.2026” (October 26, 2026). Consultant Greg Gibson led a governance discussion on the board’s strategic oversight role, continuous improvement, team trust, and the distinction between strategic, tactical, and operational responsibilities. Trustees discussed improving communication pathways for community concerns and clarifying who handles issues at each district level. The training also reviewed board self-assessment and the five areas of school-board development: vision and goals; systems and processes; progress and accountability; advocacy and engagement; and synergy and teamwork.

The board and superintendent discussed developing a performance-management cadence, potentially using beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year strategic check-ins, and incorporating advisory-committee updates into a performance-management calendar. They also discussed establishing repeatable governance processes, potentially organizing existing board operating procedures into a good-governance handbook, and creating a superintendent evaluation process that could include an initial entry-plan evaluation. These were discussion items rather than recorded formal votes or adopted actions. No procurement, contract award, vendor selection, budget allocation, or spending decision was identified.

Sources

• Board Training | NEISD Board Meeting - 10.26.2026 · North East ISD · Oct 27

DHS issued Exclusion and Removal Order No. 2026-01 on July 24, 2026, under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, barring DeepSeek products and services—and third-party products or services developed using DeepSeek implementations—from federal civilian agency procurements and IT systems. Contractors performing covered contracts should investigate their own and subcontractors’ use of affected technology, report identified use or provision under applicable contract terms, and remove affected products where required. The order took effect upon issuance, and the 60-day window for agency exception requests closed September 22, 2026.

• Contractors on covered non-DoD contracts should conduct a reasonable inquiry across their technology supply chains. FAR 52.204-30 requires an initial report within three business days and a follow-up report within 10 business days when applicable.
• Companies should inventory AI components and their origins, flow down FAR 52.204-30 to subcontracts, and check SAM.gov for FASCSA orders at least every three months, as described in the signals.
• The exclusion covers third-party offerings developed using DeepSeek implementations, so procurement and compliance reviews should assess technology provenance—not only product or supplier names—and account for removal obligations and future contract performance.

Sources

• DeepSeek Ban Creates New Compliance and Reporting Obligations for Contractors | Wiley Rein LLP - JDSupra · JD Supra · Oct 27
• DHS Issues DeepSeek Exclusion and Removal Order Covering Third-Party Products Built With Its Technology | Haynes Boone - JDSupra · JD Supra · Oct 27

Hopkinton Special Town Meeting, convened by the town meeting body and broadcast by HCAM, October 26, 2026 (meeting metadata dated October 27 UTC). The meeting approved several fiscal and capital actions: $29,208 from Water Enterprise retained earnings and $347,952 from Sewer Enterprise retained earnings for FY2026 operating budgets; $102,500 for an emergency water-main replacement at Clatham Place; $100,000 for wastewater-treatment-facility equipment, alongside reappropriation of $350,000 in previously approved funds; $100,000 for repairs to a wastewater pump-station backup generator; and $35,000 for a DPW vehicle undercarriage pressure washer. It also approved payment of prior-year bills using free cash and Water Enterprise retained earnings, and reduced the FY2027 general-fund appropriation from $132,387,571 to $130,215,438, including reductions to debt service and employee benefits. No vendor selections or contract awards were identified.

Other actions included accepting a small Ash Street parcel, approving a study of private ways and possible snow-and-ice removal procedures (Article 9, 95–58), and raising the private-way minor-repair limit from $1,000 to $2,000 (113–49). A proposed private-road assessment and a bylaw-review committee were not approved; a proposal to move the annual town meeting to May also failed. The Charter Review Committee report was received unanimously, with no charter changes adopted. After quorum was lost, town meeting voted to dissolve the meeting, leaving later warrant business unresolved. The Select Board’s opening remarks noted a multiyear planning process for a possible MWRA water connection and a projected FY2028 budget gap, but no procurement decision on either was made.

Sources

• Special Town Meeting · HCAM · Oct 27

The Bismarck Public School Board meeting was held Monday, October 26, 2026. The board accepted the R4 Personal Development/Community Ready report as making reasonable progress, retained its board committees, approved a revised instructional-program policy on second reading, and approved the consent agenda. The superintendent discussed a possible agenda-policy revision to allow board members to provide committee and school-visit updates; no decision was taken on that proposal. The board also received an update on the 2028–29 calendar process and the district’s bond outreach, with no bond-related vote or purchasing action reported.

The financial report noted that the capital projects fund deficit is decreasing, with the district expecting to approach balance depending partly on Bismarck High School boiler work and final payments. Computer software was over budget, including about $400,000 related to accounting for multi-year subscriptions; this was described as a reporting and timing issue, not a new purchasing decision. No contracts, bids, vendor selections, or procurement approvals were identified.

Sources

• Bismarck Public School Board 2026-10-26 · Dakota Media Access · Oct 27