Acquisition

Insourcing: It's still more with less

It's time to use available commercial technologies and business practices and bring federal acquisition into the 21st century, Bruce Sullivan writes.

Acquisition

A bid for protest sanity

The latest case of a bid protest against a multibillion-dollar award prompted our colleague Nick Wakeman to ask a simple but pertinent question: What gives?

Acquisition

Senators skeptical about Obama acquisition reform plan

The Obama administration expects agencies to save $40 billion by fiscal 2011 through better acquisitions.

Acquisition

OMB says agencies must boost competition in contracting

Civilian agencies must consider new ways to promote more competition in their contracts, the Office of Management and Budget said today.

Acquisition

The good, bad and ugly of bid protests

Some feel that they are about greed, while others blame the government for poor requirements and incomplete debriefings. Tell us what you think.

Acquisition

Government bears brunt of bid-protest criticism

Commenters direct most of their frustration at government officials who they say are doing a poor job of explaining their award decisions.

Acquisition

What's behind the increasing number of bid protests?

The decision by Unisys and General Dynamics to protest the lost TSA contract has this observer scratching his head. Why so many protests?

Acquisition

Schedule 70 IT sales flat in 2009

Schedule 70 IT sales remain flat but steady because of many more options for services contracts, experts say.

Acquisition

Social contract

The world of federal procurement and acquisition policy is about as insular as it gets in nonclassified government.

Acquisition

Snowe urges SBA to start contracting program for women

Agencies have exceeded small-business contracting goals with recovery act money, although women-owned small-business category hasn't met its goal yet.

Acquisition

Justice needs technology support

The department is considering as many as 15 contracts on a multiple-award contract along with a possible small-business set-aside.

Acquisition

Congress, Obama set boundaries for contractors

No one in Congress or the Obama administration is beating the drum for a new generation of acquisition reform, but a reform of sorts is under way nonetheless, and it might not be to the liking of contractors.

Acquisition

4 lessons in rapid acquisition learned from DOD's new ATVs

DOD's purchase of all-terrain vehicles reinforces lessons about buying quickly and offers insights for improving rapid acquisitions, experts say.

Acquisition

Bring back share in savings

It's time to revive the statutory encouragement for this innovative approach to services contracting, Steve Kelman writes.

Acquisition

Administration clamps down on nonperforming contractors

The Obama administration has some new proposals designed to help agencies get hold of what they're paying to outside contractors, and help ensure that poor performers and passive performers don't get what they don't deserve.

Acquisition

Fredriksen to oversee FAS' strategic planning

Amanda Fredriksen is now the assistant commissioner for FAS' Office of Strategic Business Planning and Process Improvement.

Acquisition

DOD bill would open door to new buying process for IT

A defense task force has recommended the new acquisition process must be agile and capable of delivering IT systems in no more than 18 months.

Acquisition

Senate tries to put competition rules on earmark spending

Senate legislation would apply some of the rules for competition to spending under earmarks, but only for a single bill.

Acquisition

Agencies late on guidance for insourcing, GAO says

Officials said they are awaiting more guidelines from OMB

Acquisition

'Facebook for government' enters new phase

Steve Ressler's brainchild, social-networking site GovLoop, has moved from volunteer community organization to corporate entity.