<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[GovCon Builders Brief: Opinion]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thoughtful pieces written by industry experts, insiders, and observers providing their insightful, humorous, or critical opinions.]]></description><link>https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/s/opinion</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_vo4!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0921a903-d77f-43be-b369-bc2b5b1bf3af_600x600.png</url><title>GovCon Builders Brief: Opinion</title><link>https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/s/opinion</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:42:02 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Construction Automation Technologies, LLC]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[govconbuildersbrief@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[govconbuildersbrief@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[govconbuildersbrief@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[govconbuildersbrief@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[How to Recruit Young Workers Before It's Too Late]]></title><description><![CDATA[41% of the Construction Workforce is Set to Retire by 2031, Making the Next Generation of Builders Critical]]></description><link>https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/how-to-recruit-young-workers-before</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/how-to-recruit-young-workers-before</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:17:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg" width="502" height="334.7815934065934" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:502,&quot;bytes&quot;:1010898,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/i/189792320?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kMMI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F62a2d017-3976-4b4f-af7b-c3f31956adf7_1536x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>From the article:</p><blockquote><p>The construction industry is facing a crisis. More and more workers are entering retirement age, and few people are stepping up to take their place. The younger generations were raised in a digital era that promoted university and technology-based fields rather than the trades. Now, we&#8217;re seeing a <a href="https://www.constructiondive.com/news/labor-demand-gap-shrinks-abc-construction-staff/810681/">labor gap in the construction industry</a>.</p><p>&#8230;</p></blockquote>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/how-to-recruit-young-workers-before">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Rise of the GovCon "Expert"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the Community Must Start Speaking Up and What You Can Do to Protect Your Company]]></description><link>https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/the-rise-of-the-govcon-expert</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/the-rise-of-the-govcon-expert</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:43:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg" width="500" height="364.93374108053007" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:716,&quot;width&quot;:981,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:500,&quot;bytes&quot;:633895,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/i/188951927?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Odn0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F12595075-8a1a-48c4-8f53-ac6e526cea0e_981x716.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>From the article:</p><blockquote><p>LinkedIn used to be a professional space, a place where your network reflected your credibility, where your experience mattered, and where people came to learn from those who had actually done the work.</p><p>But lately, something has shifted.</p><p>The platform is being flooded with self&#8209;proclaimed GovCon experts, and the claims are getting more absurd by the day.</p></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-hester-b89a105">Tammy Hester</a>, Senior Executive Vice President of Operations at ACI Health, Inc., speaks about a recent rise in GovCon &#8220;experts&#8221; marketing their wares but who actually have little to no proven experience in the government contracting world.  She also offers advice on how to vet potential consultants or subject matter experts before your company engages them on critical projects.</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-govcon-expert-why-community-must-start-speaking-up-tammy-hester-g1ije">Click here to read more.</a></p><p> </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Open Letter to Secretary Hegseth on his 8(a) "Sledgehammer"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because His Mission Must Succeed]]></description><link>https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/an-open-letter-to-secretary-hegseth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/an-open-letter-to-secretary-hegseth</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brandon Bartlett]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:24:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UrAv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69f67a97-69bd-459a-8752-58641138f46f_1536x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><a href="https://hollymathnerd.substack.com/">Holly Mathnerd</a>, in her Open Letter to SecWar Hegseth on his <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/2012302240594170106">recent video</a> promising a &#8220;sledgehammer&#8221; approach to the 8(a) program, provides some very much needed background, context, and insightful thoughts on the history, shortcomings, and ultimately the great value of the 8(a) program to the Defense Industrial Base, and by extension to the National Sec&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.govconbuildersbrief.com/p/an-open-letter-to-secretary-hegseth">
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