U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce Challenges GSA on Proposed FAR Overhaul

federal contractingWOSBFAR
Written By ASBCC Admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — September 2, 2025 — The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce (USWCC) today announced it is raising urgent concerns with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) regarding a proposed overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). In a formal request to the GSA Ombudsman, the USWCC outlines a series of issues it believes threaten the ability of small businesses to compete for federal contracts, a right mandated by Congress.

The USWCC argues that the GSA's "deviation-first" approach to the FAR overhaul circumvents established public comment and rulemaking processes. This method, it claims, denies small businesses their rights under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which is designed to protect them from disproportionate regulatory burdens. The organization also highlighted significant concerns about the transparency, accessibility, and potential for market concentration under the new framework.

"The government’s process for implementing these changes raises fundamental issues of legal authority, transparency, and accountability," said Margot Dorfman, CEO and Co-Founder of the USWCC. "By scattering critical compliance information across various guides and web pages, and by steering contracts to a limited number of 'Best-in-Class' vehicles, GSA risks creating a system that locks out smaller, innovative firms."

The USWCC's request to the GSA Ombudsman includes a detailed list of questions concerning:

  • Process Integrity: The legal justification for making sweeping changes through deviations rather than the standard public rulemaking process.

  • Transparency: How small businesses with limited compliance staff will navigate a fragmented and constantly changing regulatory landscape.

  • Market Concentration: Safeguards to ensure that small businesses are not sidelined as opportunities are funneled to large incumbents on a few select contract vehicles.

  • Compliance Burdens: The financial and operational impact on small firms forced to comply with new, complex clauses and supply-chain mandates without clear guidance or cost recovery.

  • Accountability: The lack of transparency around waiver processes for new prohibitions, which could lead to inconsistent enforcement and unfair treatment.

—> Read full comments to GSA Ombudsman here.

"Preserving small businesses’ access to federal opportunities is not optional—it is required by law," Dorfman stated. "We are requesting clear commitments from GSA to protect small businesses before additional structural changes take effect."

The USWCC submitted these concerns in advance of a September 10 webinar on the FAR changes. The full text of the letter and questions can be found on the USWCC website.


About the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce (USWCC) is a non-partisan national organization dedicated to improving the economic landscape for women in business. It champions the economic interests of women and provides tools and resources to help them succeed in all facets of the economy, including federal contracting.

Margot Dorfman, CEO
 U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce

ASBCC Admin
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