Acquisition

A bid for protest sanity

The latest case of a bid protest against a multibillion-dollar award prompted our colleague Nick Wakeman to ask a simple but pertinent question: What gives?

Acquisition

Insourcing: It's still more with less

It's time to use available commercial technologies and business practices and bring federal acquisition into the 21st century, Bruce Sullivan writes.

Cybersecurity

Lieberman outlines plan for cybersecurity legislation

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) today detailed his goals for comprehensive cybersecurity legislation he plans to introduce.

Cybersecurity

DHS' financial system consolidation needs better oversight, officials say

DHS' financial system consolidation program has progressed but still relies too much on contractors, GAO officials say.

Acquisition

Senators skeptical about Obama acquisition reform plan

The Obama administration expects agencies to save $40 billion by fiscal 2011 through better acquisitions.

Digital Government

5 signs procurement is ready for a revolution

Conditions are ripe for contracting shops to significantly change the way they do business.

Acquisition

OMB says agencies must boost competition in contracting

Civilian agencies must consider new ways to promote more competition in their contracts, the Office of Management and Budget said today.

Digital Government

Open source gets DOD’s long-awaited blessing

New guidance from Defense Department acting CIO David Wennergren says DOD should consider open-source software on equal footing with commercial offerings.

People

VA halts 15 technology projects

Of 45 Veterans Affairs projects halted in July, 15 have been suspended or had funding cuts.

Acquisition

Government bears brunt of bid-protest criticism

Commenters direct most of their frustration at government officials who they say are doing a poor job of explaining their award decisions.

Acquisition

The good, bad and ugly of bid protests

Some feel that they are about greed, while others blame the government for poor requirements and incomplete debriefings. Tell us what you think.

Digital Government

Protests: Step by step

You've filed a protest. Now what?

People

Advocate says stimulus law causes outsourcing; contractor group disagrees

One transparency advocate says the economic stimulus law causes outsourcing of federal jobs.

Acquisition

What's behind the increasing number of bid protests?

The decision by Unisys and General Dynamics to protest the lost TSA contract has this observer scratching his head. Why so many protests?

Acquisition

Schedule 70 IT sales flat in 2009

Schedule 70 IT sales remain flat but steady because of many more options for services contracts, experts say.

Acquisition

Social contract

The world of federal procurement and acquisition policy is about as insular as it gets in nonclassified government.

People

Senate bill would kill DOD performance pay, curtail sole-source contracts

The act would end the government's pay-for-performance system used for about 200,000 federal employees.

Acquisition

Snowe urges SBA to start contracting program for women

Agencies have exceeded small-business contracting goals with recovery act money, although women-owned small-business category hasn't met its goal yet.

People

2.0 takes hold in the acquisition community

Acquisition 2.0 is about thinking differently and considering new approaches to operations. The ultimate goals are more efficiency and better results.

People

Acquisition 2.0 in action

These tools will help innovate and streamline processes by providing a more collaborative environment for decision-making, experts say.