Acquisition

Balderson to lead Northrop Grumman contracting

Diane Balderson was most recently head of contracting for the Naval Air Systems Command.

Acquisition

Pentagon ponders making IT subject to same rules as weapons

Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall and Sen. Joe Donnelly used an Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss the possibility of using the same cost guidelines for IT and weapons systems.

Acquisition

Storehouse of procurement numbers could aid Data Act implementation

Information gathered as part of the reverse auction process could provide the type of granular data that's hard to come by.

Acquisition

Seeking some common ground

Federal IT is difficult enough without viewing agencies and industry as zero-sum adversaries, writes FCW's Troy K. Schneider.

Acquisition

Lawmakers push consolidation of small business preference process

Under current law, the VA runs its own Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program, and the SBA handles those duties for all other agencies.

Acquisition

Improved Pentagon acquisition requires tolerance of risk

Overhauling the defense acquisition process is a national security imperative in tight budget times, argues a consultant and former Marine major general.

Acquisition

Industry, agencies talk small business obstacles

Programs aimed at cutting through the weeds of the procurement process can help, but many small vendors feel other federal efforts are stacked against them.

Acquisition

IBM gears up for Pentagon health push

With a major electronic health records procurement looming, IBM is growing its federal health IT footprint.

Acquisition

HealthCare.gov -- more agile, please

Draft requirements for the site's next contract stress open source, iterative development and maintaining the financial back-end platform.

Acquisition

Masiello talks pricing, LPTA and long-term contracts

The Air Force general told an AFCEA audience what vendors can expect on future acquisition efforts.

Acquisition

GSA touts new mobile management resource

Mobile Lifecycle & Expense Management can save 25 percent or more, GSA says.

Acquisition

DOD aims to improve procurement communications

Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Katrina McFarland tells industry that draft requirements could be shared earlier in the process.

Acquisition

How can we improve the use of past performance in contracting?

Steve Kelman responds to Jaime Gracia's comments on problems with the current system.

Acquisition

Why past performance must be part of acquisition reform

Past performance is one of the most important factors in contractor selection, and the government should do more to ensure that such information is accurate and objective.

Acquisition

GSA moves toward category management

The agency is using its experience with the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative to adopt targeted buying practices similar to those used in the private sector.

Acquisition

Contreras-Sweet sworn in at SBA

Former banker and California state official was confirmed on March 27 and formally sworn in on April 7.

Acquisition

Justice cancels 7 IT procurements over China links

The Section 516 rule seeks to eliminate IT gear from firms that are responsible for cyberattacks on U.S. companies or have ties to China's military.

Acquisition

GSA 'family plans' post savings

The blanket purchase agreements are realizing 24 cents in savings on every dollar spent.

Acquisition

Masiello named to head Defense Contract Management Agency

Nomination requires Senate approval; no replacement named for general's current post as Air Force deputy assistant secretary for contracting.

Acquisition

The ABCs of 18F

When GSA announced its in-house development startup, it got people talking, and not all the chatter was positive.