Acquisition

Air Force acquisition chief wants to reshape defense industrial base

Will Roper, the Air Force's acquisition chief, said the goal is to pivot away from the defense prime model and create a new industrial base that more easily allows tech companies to work with DOD and the commercial sector.

Acquisition

GAO probes influence of 'Mar-a-Lago crowd' on VA

A former VA official told the Government Accountability Office that three friends of President Trump established a "shadow reporting structure" in which "they were stakeholders without a formal role."

Acquisition

Pandemic means beta.SAM shift will take a little longer

At GSA, plans to fully shift legacy acquisition systems are being stalled to help contractors and agencies keep current.

Acquisition

FLRA puts SSA judges' contract on hold

The reversal pauses of the implementation of a new contract while a lawsuit against a subcomponent of the Federal Labor Relations Authority plays out.

Acquisition

VA embraces procurement challenges at scale

Steve Kelman applauds the Department of Veterans Affairs' ambitious attempt to move beyond one-off prize-based contests to combat veteran suicides more effectively.

Acquisition

NITAAC says it can fill in for STARS

The National Institutes of Health's governmentwide contracts can pick up the slack for GSA's STARS II 8(a) small business set aside contract’s early cut off.

Acquisition

DIU chief: Earnings focus thwarts innovation

The head of DOD's Defense Innovation Unit suggested that any technology race with China commands a dramatic shift in U.S. market strategies.

Acquisition

Infrastructure readiness lags behind VA health record plans

The first go-live date for the Cerner health record at a VA facility was delayed first because of readiness problems and then because of COVID-19 pandemic, but an oversight report indicates that infrastructure woes plagued the project almost from the beginning.

Acquisition

Cyber and other transaction agreements

Other transaction agreements will be subject to the Defense Department’s unified cybersecurity standard, according to Katie Arrington, DOD’s chief information security officer for acquisition.

Acquisition

HASC chairman: DOD doesn't need more stimulus money

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the House Armed Services Committee chairman, said the Defense Department doesn't need any more money from a future coronavirus stimulus bill.

Acquisition

Paycheck protection, other pandemic response to garner 'flash' oversight

Agency inspectors general told Congress that the $2.2 trillion in spending to speed recovery and heal economic damage caused by the pandemic would be subject to quick oversight.

Acquisition

New contract, new leadership coming at NITAAC

Top management of NIH's IT Acquisition and Assessment Center IT is changing, as is the next iteration of its tech-focused governmentwide acquisition vehicle.

Acquisition

OMB follows DOD with guidance on paying idled contractors

The White House instructs federal agencies to leverage relief for contractors in the CARES Act where appropriate.

Acquisition

Navy speeds acquisition amid COVID-19 outbreak

Navy Acquisition Chief James Geurts said acquisition activities have sped up in response to the coronavirus crisis and helped the service pinpoint weak spots in the supply chain.

Acquisition

Procurement challenges step up to the COVID-19 plate

Steve Kelman spotlights another example of how non-traditional acquisition models can encourage innovation.

Acquisition

GSA speeds payments to small business contractors

The General Services Administration made an exception to Federal Acquisition Regulations to accelerate payments to its small business prime contractors and subcontractors.

Acquisition

DOD pulls the trigger on the DPA

DOD to issue $133 million in production contracts for N95 masks under the Defense Production Act.

Acquisition

DOD cuts red tape to support fast prototyping

Ellen Lord, DOD's acquisition head, issued new guidance for prototype contracts issued through other transaction authorities.

Acquisition

FAA asks employees to round up N95 masks, other PPE

The Federal Aviation Administration put out an email blast to employees at field offices and airport facilities on April 8 looking for medical supplies to share out to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Acquisition

GAO: Agencies are missing EIS targets

Federal agencies are slow to adopt the governmentwide $50 billion next generation telecommunications contract vehicle, according to a Government Accountability Office report.