Acquisition

FITARA supporters ‘optimistic’ about lame duck

Which party wins control of the Senate might be less important to passage of key IT acquisition legislation than how much time is left on the legislative clock.

Acquisition

Rung looks to procurement workforce, collaboration

Specific proposals on hiring will be forthcoming soon, says the Office of Federal Procurement Policy administrator.

Acquisition

Accenture 'confident' about open enrollment

The firm does not expect a repeat of the problems that plagued the HealthCare.gov website a year ago but acknowledges that challenges lie ahead.

Acquisition

CBP stops background checks to wait for PII upgrades

The DHS agency filed justifications for changes to blanket purchase agreements with a handful of IT systems providers.

Acquisition

DHS to embed researchers 'on the ground'

The Science and Technology Directorate will deploy research personnel to DHS components to get a better grip on agency IT needs.

Acquisition

Navy leaders try to speed IT acquisition by reinterpreting the FAR

It takes at least six months to get from RFP to a contract award, and "six months is a lifetime when it comes to security," says the Navy's Victor Gavin.

Acquisition

Proposed rule change could hit small IT businesses

An SBA plan would reclassify IT firms with annual sales of more than $27.5 million, making them ineligible for small business preferences.

Acquisition

Contract management vs. contract lawyering

Steve Kelman notes that agency managers have options that may not be covered in the legal letter of an agreement.

Acquisition

Respect the FAR

A new report from the Association of Proposal Management Professionals says the acquisition process is fine, but the way it’s used is not.

Acquisition

FAR Council sets new contract numbering plan

The rule is the result of a Government Accountability and Transparency Board recommendation to implement a uniform system for identifying the government's financial transactions.

Acquisition

Procurement jujitsu at HHS

Steve Kelman applauds the IDEA Lab experiments -- and explains what it will take to make real changes stick.

Acquisition

Could big-data analytics improve federal procurement?

Experts agree that applying analytics to acquisition could yield results in terms of cost and quality -- with the right data and know-how.

Acquisition

HHS Buyers Club cuts first contract, looks for more

More deals might have to wait until a new funding measure is enacted in the lame-duck session of Congress that starts next month.

Acquisition

OPM’s breakup with USIS could be a seminal moment

A state-sponsored breach, not other failings, reportedly prompted OPM to terminate its big contract with USIS.

Acquisition

DHS to launch acquisition improvement project

The goal is to "improve acquisition in general, but also IT acquisition specifically," says Senior Enterprise Architect Nicole Willis.

Acquisition

VA moving to fire embattled procurement official

Susan Taylor would be the first senior executive removed under expedited procedures enacted earlier this year.