Unofficial satire. Not government guidance. Memes are not legal review.
CMCoEContracting Memes Center of Excellence

Daily acquisition brief // October 31, 2026

CMCoE Meme Intel: Optional, Right?

An optional requirement, forecast alerts on hiatus, a team evaluation without the teammates, and one fully documented invoice.

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FAR overhaul / Advisory guidance

The optional self-assessment develops a requirement habit.

The new FAR Companion says contractors may be asked, but not required, to assess themselves. Then its examples start saying requiring.

Anakin / Padme meme: IT’S AN OPTIONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT / OPTIONAL, RIGHT?
IT’S AN OPTIONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT / OPTIONAL, RIGHT?

What happened

Version 3.0 of the FAR Companion, announced October 30, 2026, adds contractor self-assessment guidance. Section FC 42.1102 says contracting officers may request, but not require, a postaward self-assessment at no additional cost.

In the same section, the example for significant services contracts describes requiring a quarterly assessment. The portfolio example says a contractor may submit a semiannual assessment, then calls it this requirement.

Why CMCoE cares

Advisory language that shifts from may to requiring can leave acquisition teams and contractors arguing about whether an optional oversight tool has become a deliverable.

Regulatory fine print

The Companion expressly says it is nonregulatory and creates no mandates. The self-assessment guidance is optional; this article does not identify a new binding contractor requirement. Mandatory government performance evaluations are separate. The stated purpose is better insight and continuous oversight, and self-assessments are information only. The joke concerns inconsistent wording, not a legal conclusion or evidence of enforcement. The actors are unrelated to procurement.

Sources

  1. FAR Companion version 3.0 announcement (Acquisition.gov, )
  2. FAR Companion, advisory status and FC 42.1102 (Acquisition.gov, )
DHS / Procurement forecast transition

The procurement forecast predicts a month without alerts.

DHS announced a forecast-system transition with downloadable data in November and subscription alerts returning in December.

Confused Travolta meme: DHS PROCUREMENT ALERTS / SEE YOU IN DECEMBER
DHS PROCUREMENT ALERTS / SEE YOU IN DECEMBER

What happened

DHS notice 27_01_IL, posted October 29, 2026, announced its Acquisition Planning Forecast System transition. The current APFS homepage says no new entries will be added beginning October 30 and forecast data will be posted November 5.

The notice says alerts and subscription services will be unavailable November 5 through December 9. During the transition, forecast data will be available as Excel, CSV and PDF downloads; the new system and existing subscriptions are expected to resume in December.

Why CMCoE cares

A downloadable list preserves access, but vendors accustomed to notifications must actively check for opportunities while the alert service is unavailable.

Regulatory fine print

This is an announced transition schedule, not an observed monthlong outage or a pause in DHS contracting. The existing homepage remained accessible when checked. DHS attributes the transition to updated federal procurement forecast standards. Downloads are scheduled for November 5; notification and search functionality have a separate December timetable. The notice does not establish that nightly uploads to the governmentwide forecast tool have already begun. Travolta is unrelated to DHS.

Sources

  1. DHS 27_01_IL, APFS transition notice (DHS / SAM.gov, )
  2. DHS APFS official transition banner (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, )
GAO / Architect-engineer team evaluation

Evaluate our team. Just don’t ask who did the work.

GAO rejected an argument that evaluating a team as a whole prevented the Corps from considering the roles of its members.

Drake / Hotline Bling meme: WHO ACTUALLY DID THE WORK / OUR TEAM’S COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
WHO ACTUALLY DID THE WORK / OUR TEAM’S COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE

What happened

In its October 20, 2026 Kenall-Geo decision, GAO denied a challenge to the Army Corps of Engineers Caribbean architect-engineer selection. Six firms were deemed most highly qualified; Kenall-Geo ranked sixth, outside the three selected for negotiations.

Kenall-Geo argued that the announcement required holistic team evaluation and that considering prime and subcontractor roles introduced an unstated criterion. GAO called that position logically inconsistent: assessing a team necessarily involves examining its members. The Corps was concerned about reliance on subcontractors for core infrastructure work and the prime’s experience.

Why CMCoE cares

Meeting a minimum project-submission rule does not prevent comparative evaluation of who performed the work and how the proposed team would deliver.

Regulatory fine print

This was a qualifications-based architect-engineer selection under the Brooks Act, not a lowest-price competition. The decision does not prohibit subcontracting or say all subcontractor experience is less valuable. GAO also rejected other challenges to the evaluation and discussions. October 20 is the decision date; no new award is inferred from its later public availability. The caption paraphrases the argument satirically and is not a quotation. Drake is unrelated to the parties.

Sources

  1. GAO B-424680 and B-424680.3, Kenall-Geo decision (U.S. Government Accountability Office, )
  2. Complete GAO decision, 11 pages (U.S. Government Accountability Office, )
From the acquisition files / Amtrak oversight

297 invoices. One brought all its paperwork.

An August audit found one invoice with the complete required documentation package on an Amtrak technology-services contract.

Success Kid meme: 297 INVOICES / ONE HAD ALL THE PAPERWORK
297 INVOICES / ONE HAD ALL THE PAPERWORK

What happened

Amtrak OIG report OIG-A-2026-009, dated August 28, 2026, reviewed a technology-services contract awarded in 2023 with a maximum value of $8.9 million. Its invoice review covered March 1, 2023 through September 15, 2025.

Of 297 invoices, only one included all three required forms of support: approved timesheets, monthly accruals and weekly status reports. OIG identified about $7.75 million in unsupported questioned costs and recommended stronger contract oversight.

Why CMCoE cares

Paying for received services still requires the records that connect billed amounts, approved labor and contract terms. One complete package out of 297 makes documentation controls look optional.

Regulatory fine print

This is a historical acquisition-files feature, not a new October finding. Amtrak received services, and questioned costs are not proven losses or fraud. Management agreed with all five recommendations but disputed any inference that missing documentation meant nonperformance or financial loss. Its August response described review and recovery of any disallowed costs by December 31, 2026, and training by September 30, 2027. It also described a September 30, 2026 contract expiration. The current official report listing was checked; no later resolution is asserted. Success Kid is unrelated to Amtrak.

Sources

  1. Amtrak OIG technology-services oversight report page (Amtrak Office of Inspector General, )
  2. OIG-A-2026-009, findings and management response (Amtrak Office of Inspector General, )