Acquisition

What to expect from GAO this year

The congressional watchdog's director of IT management issues previews the upcoming oversight agenda.

Acquisition

Scott Quehl: Sharing services at scale

The Accenture Federal Services executive and former Commerce chief financial officer says the old budget buckets will no longer apply.

Acquisition

Watch out for standardized labor categories

The president of the Coalition for Government Procurement warns that GSA's planned changes could drive vendors away.

Acquisition

Lower contractor compensation caps now law

The measure limits how much firms can bill the government for salaries and benefits paid to employees working on federal contracts

Acquisition

GAO: Networx contracts not as effective as they might have been

GAO said a slow transition was part of the reason GSA did not make the most effective use of its telecom contracting vehicles.

Acquisition

GAO denies OASIS protest

The protesting firm, Aljucar, Anvil-Incus & Co., says it will seek redress in the Court of Federal Claims.

Modernization

Chenok and Kamensky: Looking at the big picture

Two executives from the IBM Center for the Business of Government identify seven significant changes to watch for in the coming months.

Acquisition

Look for a replay on acquisition reform

The drumbeat for procurement reform is getting louder, but consensus on how to proceed is lacking.

Acquisition

IT agenda teed up for 2014

Three key issues – acquisition, China sourcing and surveillance are likely to dominate the IT landscape in Congress.

Acquisition

10 reports worth a second look

Among the most interesting Critical Read pieces FCW published in 2013 were ones covering the security clearance process, performance management and FISMA.

Acquisition

Air Force signs on with OASIS

Among the core elements of the contract are program management, management consulting, logistics and engineering services.

Acquisition

Conflicting contractor caps in budget, defense bill

Just because the president is likely to get the budget first is no guarantee he will sign it first – and the order is everything.

Acquisition

Sequestration, shutdown take a bite out of contractor revenue

Companies that don’t get in front of changed federal circumstances are “going to get left behind.”

Acquisition

Beyond better buying power: DOD acquisition reform needs a boost

A key finding of a new study: Competition can prod incumbents to perform well and incentivize others to come in and produce better solutions.

Acquisition

Reverse auctions grow up

Steve Kelman contends that the recent GAO report shows the practice has truly arrived

Acquisition

Sebelius orders probe of website contracting

The HHS secretary is also calling for the creation of a chief risk officer position at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tasked with reducing risks associated with major policy initiatives.

Acquisition

Davie: GSA saved a billion on 2013 IT buys

The assistant commissioner for Integrated Technology Services claimed $1.35 billion in savings through innovation and reduced duplication of effort.

Acquisition

Financial management and freedom of choice

An industry spokesman argues that an official preference for federal shared service providers will hurt the agencies hoping to consolidate.

Acquisition

Better contracting through multisourcing

The approach can help reduce risk and improve oversight at a time when agencies are being asked to do more with less.

Acquisition

Bump in executive contractor compensation leaves everyone unhappy

OFPP announced a new cap of $952,308, but experts say further changes are possible.