Acquisition

Agencies play it safe with contract types

Agencies have decreased their use of risky time-and-materials contracts.

Acquisition

DOD officials crack down on incomplete award info

Defense Department officials plan to check the contract information defense agencies post to a public DOD website to ensure its completeness.

Acquisition

Insourcing vs. outsourcing: The never-ending story

The debate about the blended workforce has proven a favorite topic of FCW readers.

Acquisition

Congress stretches deadline for DOD task order protests; civilian jurisdiction unclear

A new Federal Register notice on a new acquisition rule regarding task-order protests has reignited the debate on jurisdiction over civilian protests.

Acquisition

VA hopes to transform IT systems with T4 contract

The Veterans Affairs Department laid out several goals for its ambitious $12 billion "T4" IT acquisitions contract.

Acquisition

Contractor performance reviews: One size fits all?

A new proposal would create one standard for how contracting officers review companies’ past performance on contracts as the reviews become more important to procurement decisions.

Acquisition

Government gets a B in 2010 small-business contracting

The government awarded $97.9 billion to small businesses in 2010, compared to $96.8 billion in 2009.

Acquisition

GSA expects to award STARS II in July

GSA officials pushed back the award date for a month to get better prices from bidding companies on the governmentwide, small-business IT contract.

Acquisition

Congressman wants to halt insourcing

Republican congressman, expressing concern for small businesses, urges a moratorium on returning formerly contracted work to the government.

Acquisition

Biz groups want Congress to protect outsourcing

A coalition of business groups is asking Congress to uphold outsourcing and limit insourcing in the upcoming fiscal 2012 spending bills.

Acquisition

Turnabout: GSA pulls back major contract

After apparently awarding a contract to small businesses, GSA rescinds it almost immediately and urges bidders to rethink their prices.

Acquisition

Senators try to block politics from procurement

A Senate committee has approved legislation that would bar any rule to force companies that bid on federal contracts to report who they supported with political contributions.

Acquisition

Continuity after Kundra

The departure of federal CIO Vivek Kundra puts continuity in the spotlight, writes Steve Kelman.

Acquisition

Obama to use government to increase investment in business

Agencies will talk about federal programs and incentives available to investors doing business with U.S. companies.

Acquisition

GAO will finish its bid protest work

The Defense Information Systems Agency contended that GAO's authority to review certain bid protests ended on May 27, leaving Technatomy’s protest without merit.

Acquisition

Ginman officially named director of defense procurement policy

Richard Ginman takes place of Shay Assad in defense procurement policy, as Assad moves to pricing policies.

Acquisition

Baucus bill would highlight veterans' small-business contracts

A senator wants to put the spotlight on agencies’ work to award contracts to service-disabled veteran small business owners.

Acquisition

Offensensitivity: Are you joking?

FCW cartoonist John Klossner recounts his adventure trying to make a joke about a very grim topic.

Acquisition

DOD wants truer picture of former feds' jobs

A proposed rule would require companies to assure agencies that they comply with rules governing former federal officials before the companies receive a contract award.

Acquisition

5 ideas for improving the acquisition process

Five experts share their ideas for improving different steps of the acquisition life cycle.