People
Waldron: Restoring balance
GSA has an opportunity to fix problems created by a thorny price reductions clause
Acquisition
GSA memo clarifies terms of IBM suspension
Agencies using GSA contracts cannot place any orders with IBM or evaluate any pending proposals from the company, according to an internal document.
Acquisition
Letter: More to be concerned about with contract specialists
Blended workforce issues don't disappear by shifting procurement activities to another contracting organization, but the degree of separation makes it easier to shift blame for problems.
People
Letter: A collapsing GSA needs to listen and lead
To date I have met no one at GSA genuinely interested in feedback from clients or industry on how to take charge of the acquisition arena as they could well do again. But even if they did listen, they would surely be unable to synthesize and manage the data and effectively respond.
Acquisition
Letter: Use a simple rule: Go for the lowest price
The simplest way for contracting activities to avoid protests is to use the "lowest price technically acceptable" source selection process.
Acquisition
GSA re-examines Alliant Small Business awards
The agency asks 62 small businesses on the governmentwide acquisition contract to extend their offers until Oct. 28.
Acquisition
EPA suspends IBM from new governmentwide work
The company is surprised by the move, and an investigation is under way.
People
DOD lifts restrictions on Interior's acquisition services
The department has made improvements, said Shay Assad, director of Defense procurement, acquisition policy and strategic sourcing.
Acquisition
Alliant faces months-long setback
GSA officials opt to re-evaluate all 62 bids following ruling on successful protests.
People
Contractors could be held to feds' conflict-of-interest standards
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulation Council are interested in determining if, when and how they should address conflicts of interest.
Acquisition
Have feds cheapened contract bonuses?
Oversight officials still unhappy about companies' expected performance fees.
People
States, feds still struggle to share health information
Technical and policy gaps remain in the patchwork of systems that send data about disease outbreaks to national repositories.
Acquisition
Editorial: GSA's Alliant lessons
GSA needs to take proactive steps to assure its customers that they can have faith in the government's contracting organization.
People
Letter: Other agencies must rely on GSA for purchasing
[The Office of Management and Budget] needs to get GSA back into the streamlined acquisition business. DOD does not need it's own acquisition offices for purchasing the same things that the rest of the government is purchasing.
Acquisition
GSA to reevaluate Alliant bids
A Court of Federal Claims decision has led the agency to reconsider the proposals.
People
Report: Army relies heavily on contractors for acquisition support
A better balance is needed between hiring contractors and having government employees perform contracting work, a DOD acquisition official said.
People
DOD officials to monitor time-and-materials contract usage
The contracts are risky, so their use should be limited, Shay Assad, director of Defense procurement, acquisition policy and strategic sourcing, wrote in a memo.
Acquisition
A 'who's who' in small-biz rule
Officials propose changes to make contracting set-aside decisions easier.
Modernization