News ticker: NSPS, fixed-price contracting, mid-sized contractors, the Conflicker worm

Government Executive reports that members of a House committee urge the Defense Department to slow down the transition to the National Security Personnel System until Congress and the White House give NSPS a thorough review.

The Federal Times reports on a new study that shows agencies still shy away from fixed-price contracts for complex projects, instead falling back on the much-maligned time-and-material approach. The study was conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Professional Services Council.

The same study also shows that mid-sized contractors are getting squeezed out of the market, according to Federal News Radio's Jason Miller. Since 1995, the market share for mid-tier contractors dropped by 11 percent, the study shows.

The Washington Post reports that security experts in industry, academia and Internet policy groups are collaborating like never before in an effort to defeat the so-called "Conficker" worm. The goal, according to the Post, is to create a "playbook" for dealing with future security threats.