Federal Government Contracts, the Year 2025 in Review: What Happened, and So What?

A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay of the February 2026 webcast, Federal Government Contracts, the Year 2025 in Review: What Happened, and So What?

This program dives into the most significant developments in federal government contracting from 2025, including coverage of noteworthy bid protest decisions, Contract Disputes Act cases, and flags the most important regulatory updates and trends.

With a high-level overview of key topic areas, this seminar includes coverage of bid protests, disputes, false claims, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and small business issues, and also addresses administrative decisions, cases, and updates from 2025 likely to impact contractors in 2026 and beyond.

The program also includes expert discussion of six professional responsibility scenarios most often encountered by government contracts counsel and provides recommendations and best practices.   

• Receive important and timely updates on recent changes under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”), including the latest on the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) regulations.
• Learn about the latest decisions and precedents in bid protest and Contract Disputes Act cases from 2025, including notable decisions from the Federal Circuit.
• Apply the rules of professional responsibility to real-world government contract scenarios, including scenarios most often encountered by bid protest counsel, claims negotiation with the U.S. government, and defense of False Claims Act enforcement actions.
• Understand how recent developments impact your legal practice and your clients’ business strategies for 2026 and beyond.

Christian B. Nagel, Holland & Knight / Tysons

Chris Nagel is a government contracts attorney based in Holland & Knight’s Tysons office. He represents clients in bid protests, contract claims, suspension/debarment, False Claims Act (FCA) matters, and disputes between contractors. He regularly guides corporations through compliance issues, including internal investigations and employee training. In addition, Mr. Nagel served for 12 years on active duty and as a reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).

Kelsey M. Hayes, Burr & Forman / Washington, DC

Kelsey Hayes is a partner in her firm’s Government Contracts practice group. She regularly, and successfully, litigates bid protests, claims, and disputes before the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Boards of Contract Appeals, and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Ms. Hayes also advises and counsels clients on a wide range of government contracts matters, including FAR and DFARS compliance, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) regulations and contracting assistance programs, and risk mitigation.