Acquisition

Congressman questions agencies on small-business advocates' authority

Rep. Mulvaney, chairman of a contracting subcommittee, wants to know why small-business advocate office officials don’t have access to top officials.

People

Federal acquisition training: Change is afoot

Federal Acquisition Institute Director Donna Jenkins discusses her vision of a governmentwide team that provides top-notch acquisition workforce training.

People

Senators urge Obama to lead on green IT efforts

Agencies have improved their use of green IT, but no one can be sure how much because there are no real standards for success.

Acquisition

Competition in new IT contract may take old path

GSA squeezed 599 small businesses into four categories of business, but the orders still will go to a few aggressive companies and may even cause headaches for agencies.

Acquisition

VA continues to pay ineligible contractors, audit finds

Serious deficiencies in contracting at the Veterans Affairs Department are allowing ineligible contractors to work and get paid, audits find.

Cybersecurity

DHS pushed to tighten IT acquisition policies

GAO uncovers weaknesses in DHS' method for independently assessing complex and costly IT acquisitions.

People

White House names accountability board members

President Obama chooses watchdogs in government to lead his board.

Acquisition

Possible default scares contractors

The ongoing debt-ceiling debate that threatens to put the government into default is as unnerving for contractors as it is for feds.

Acquisition

Senators, SBA dispute accuracy of small-business credit

Senators question whether small-business contracting goals are an "empty achievement."

People

VHA flunks medical school contract management, IG says

The Veterans Health Administration has problems with implementing a 2006 directive to improve its contracting with affiliated medical schools and teaching hospitals, according to a new report.

Acquisition

Senate approves measures against charge-card abuses

The bill is based largely on the GAO's recommendations to prevent recurring waste, fraud, and abuse of government credit charges.

Acquisition

DOD wants tougher rules on single-bid competitions

Defense Department officials seek to tighten rules for work that gets only one bid.

People

Insourcing vs. outsourcing: The pendulum swings again

Whichever way the pendulum swings, the A-76 process is still a mess, FCW readers say.

People

Government recognizes need to take politics out of procurement, expert says

Political concerns have become increasingly involved in the procurement process, but the government is realizing that its focus should be on the strategic needs of agencies, official says.

Digital Government

Lawmakers want competitive sourcing on the table

House members have asked the Appropriations Committee chairman to keep funding bills free from “provisions inhibiting the utilization of the private sector.”

Cybersecurity

DOD must overcome 'Stone Age IT' to keep competitive, official says

The Defense Department must keep up with technology to compete on the battlefield, even amid budgetary uncertainty, DOD official says.

People

DOD attempts to pull acquisition into cyberspace

DOD officials are intent on making the huge department agile and swift in acquisition to secure the world of cyberspace.

Acquisition

Senate committee seeks cuts to service contracts

The Obama administration and Congress have a number of plans to cut DOD's costs and increase contract oversight, but there's little connection between them all.

Acquisition

Vendors gripe at contracting conference

Steve Kelman found the opening sessions of the National Contract Management Association World Conference to be 'whining and self-serving'

Acquisition

Agencies play it safe with contract types

Agencies have decreased their use of risky time-and-materials contracts.