At least in a bunch of the defense agencies, books close for new stuff mid-August. The Aug-Oct timeframe is used to finish executing already in-flight stuff.

At least in a bunch of the defense agencies, books close for new stuff mid-August. The Aug-Oct timeframe is used to finish executing already in-flight stuff. And if you miss the 10/1 deadline, you're waiting at least until Feb (for many reasons...), assuming Congress has passed a budget.