Webinar, July 30, 2026
Opening and Closing Remarks
Mike Derrios
Executive Director
Greg & Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting
Greg Baroni
Founder and CEO
Attain Enterprises
John Sisson
EVP of Growth Solutions
Unanet
Panelists
Linda Asher
Senior Vice President - Head of Contracts, Procurement and Pricing
Booz Allen
Karla Smith Jackson
Vice President, Contracts
BAE Space & Mission Systems
Mike McKinney
Chief Executive Officer
CyberData Technologies
Calvin Mitchell
Senior Director, Acquisition Strategy and Engagement
General Dynamics Information Technology
Quick Recap
The Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting hosted a webinar examining the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). Industry experts from Booz Allen, BAE Systems, GDIT, and CyberData Technologies discussed how the sweeping regulatory changes impact government contracting. Panelists explored key themes including the shift toward commercial buying practices, fixed-price contracting, small business challenges, early industry engagement, and workforce adaptation. While cautiously optimistic about reduced regulatory burden and increased competition, speakers emphasized that cultural change, clear requirements, and strategic early engagement remain critical for successfully navigating the ongoing transition.
The discussion includes:
- Overview of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul and its significance.
- Discussion on the shift towards fixed-price contracting and commercial buying.
- Challenges and strategies for navigating the transition period in government contracting.
- Impact of the FAR overhaul on small businesses and pricing strategies.
- Importance of clear communication and relationship building between government and industry.
- Risks associated with protests and performance under the new regulations.
- Need for improved market research and early engagement in the acquisition process.
- Cultural changes required for effective implementation of the FAR reforms.
- Perspectives on achieving best value versus lowest price in government contracts.
- Future outlook on acquisition processes and success metrics in government contracting.
Quotes to Treasure and Inspire
Linda Asher', '00:07:16', 'I am super energized about the changes that have been made thus far.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:10:37', 'I would say, with caution. We're using a lot of grace with everything that's going on, knowing that this transition is going to bring about a lot of cautiousness.'
Linda Asher', '00:11:39', 'It is more important than ever during this time of accelerated change that we communicate often and frequently across government and industry.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:12:47', 'I think if I were to bundle this into one thought, it would be: rules can change overnight, but culture takes years.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:12:47', 'What I have seen is the workforce confidence is the issue, not the policy.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:14:05', 'They've been unleashed, but they're still standing still. It almost reminds me of my little Shih Tzu that I have. I could take the collar off of him, but he's still going to stay there until I put the collar back on him.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:17:26', 'From a BAE perspective, we're really trying hard to be patient, and we're working hard on relationship building and maintaining our relationships with our government customers.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:17:26', 'We're telling our folks, "Don't overreact. This is a time of change."'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:17:26', 'From a BAE perspective, this is a huge opportunity for us. We're looking at this as a period of transition.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:19:44', 'From our perspective, it's the implementation. It's not about the words, but how is it actually being implemented in practice.'
Mike McKinney', '00:23:52', 'Here's where we made the mistake: we didn't talk about what the evaluation criteria should be.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:28:12', 'My fear, as we're doing this race to the bottom that Calvin is talking about, is that we're losing our innovation opportunities.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:32:39', 'Where the government gets into challenges is when they say they're going to do something and they don't do what they said they were going to do.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:33:41', 'We will be looking to make sure words and actions are congruent, to be quite honest.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:35:58', 'Where we would fail is where you say there's one way of doing it: it's commercial, it's firm-fixed-price. It doesn't matter whether it's developmental or production.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:44:11', 'Early engagement is no longer optional; it's really oxygen. It's going to be the lifeblood of how we are operating under the new FAR.'
Calvin Mitchell', '00:44:11', 'If we don't shift to the left, we'll get left behind.'
Mike McKinney', '00:50:46', 'I think the messy middle is the wild, wild West until we figure out what's going to be put in there.'
Karla Smith Jackson', '00:51:40', 'I do think the RFO could drive faster acquisition cycles.'
Linda Asher', '00:58:38', 'I think success really equals a mission-first acquisition system.'
Calvin Mitchell', '01:01:56', 'I would probably say that speed without insight is the enemy of innovation.'
Mike McKinney', '01:03:47', 'Don't declare victory just because the program office loves you and you have a great relationship. Figure out the decision-maker.'