Acquisition

Interior, GSA plan on geospatial BPA

Official aim to save money, ease operations through the Geospatial Line of Business.

People

Defense authorization bill becomes law

President signs a bill that reforms contracting and rebuilds the acquisition workforce.

People

DARPA seeks technology for seeing inside buildings

Project aims to develop several technologies, not a single comprehensive solution.

People

Mistakes cost GSA time, money, auditor says

GSA's problems with how it handled the Alliant, Alliant SB contracts forced a do-over.

People

GAO criticizes HSIN Next Gen management

GAO says DHS needs to address management deficiencies in its next-generation platform for sharing homeland security information with state and local authorities.

Acquisition

GSA sees agencies buying more via online shops

As agencies go to the Web, officials aim to use that information for price-checks.

Acquisition

Letter: McCain should know better

A reader writes that fixed-price contracts are lead to zero technological progress.

Acquisition

Letter: Cost-plus contracting is not the problem

A reader writes that the government's incomplete requirements at the beginning of contract bidding is a problem.

Acquisition

Letter: A fixed price is not the best solution

A reader writes that Sen. John McCain's proposal to end cost-plus contracting is not the best solution for controlling government spending.

Acquisition

Letter: McCain proposal a red herring

A reader writes that Sen. McCain's proposal to end cost-plus contracting would increase costs.

People

IBM Center publishes presidential transition guides

One handbook is aimed at senior management, while another is billed as a guide for government executives.

People

DISA seeks state-of-the-art security assessment services

DOD is open to buying a solution through a software-as-a-service or managed services approach.

People

Letter: New GSA office will create more problems than it solves

A reader writes that GSA's MAS Program Office creates another level of bureaucracy.

People

Letter: No such thing as 'no-bid contract'

A reader writes to say there is no such thing as a no-bid contract.

Acquisition

Panel to recommend rolling back pricing clause

MAS panel said other forms of pricing checks make the price reduction clause obsolete.

People

Bill would tighten task-order rules governmentwide

The legislation requires the government to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation within one year of the bill’s passage to reflect the new policy.

People

GSA adds schedules oversight office

Divided among several offices, schedules program could go in different directions.

People

Buzz of the Week: McCain and cost-plus contracting

Sen. McCain's proposal to trim federal government spending by switching to fixed-price contracts touched a nerve in the federal community.

People

Letter: Several readers say McCain lacks understanding on contracts issue

Readers don't agree with ending the use of cost-plus contracts, question McCain's knowledge on contracts and, the readers tell us why we need these contracts.

People

A roundup of reader letters

Readers respond to recent articles.