1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |Setting the Floor: New FAR Rule Defines Minimum Contractor Information System Safeguarding

Setting the Floor: New FAR Rule Defines Minimum Contractor Information System Safeguarding

Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.17.16

Shifting approaches, on May 16, 2016, the FAR Council concluded a long-running rulemaking with a final rule and a new clause, FAR 52.204-21, that will establish minimum security controls pulled from NIST Special Publication 800-171 over contractor information systems that may process, store, or transmit “Federal contract information,” defined as information provided to or generated under any government contract (except for COTS) that is not intended for public release. Future rules will address more specific controls applicable to more sensitive information such as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), but this rule focuses instead on establishing those baseline controls the FAR Council believes any prudent business would implement in relation to its information systems and does not replace more stringent security requirements like those in the DFARS Safeguarding Rule.

Contacts

Insights

Client Alert | 8 min read | 04.17.26

CMS Finalizes CY 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rule: Key Implications for Plan Sponsors

On April 6, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rule governing the Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) programs for Contract Year (CY) 2027. The final rule is effective June 1, 2026, with most provisions applicable to coverage beginning January 1, 2027, and marketing and communications changes taking effect October 1, 2026. Beyond payment, the rule pursues a broad deregulatory agenda aligned with Executive Order 14192, reversing marketing and enrollment safeguards introduced in 2023 and easing documentation and reporting obligations, while introducing new program integrity requirements....