Acquisition
GSA's Mary Davie urges 'doing things differently' in acquisition
Mary Davie, assistant commissioner for the General Services Administration, addressed a conference room full of federal procurement employees at the Federal IT Acquisition Summit.
Digital Government
Obama, DOD see conflicts of interest differently
New White House proposal would give agencies more flexibility when faced with potential harm to the government and other vendors.
People
Acquisition officials share tips on communication, transparency
Federal acquisition professionals shared tips for improving communications between program managers and contracting officials at the Federal IT Acquisition Summit.
Acquisition
The real cost of continuing resolutions
As DOD seeks to reduce spending, the Pentagon's top acquisition official says that cutting big-ticket weapons programs won't be enough to generate serious savings.
Acquisition
Revealing political donations would hurt acquisition process, critics say
President Barack Obama's attempt to have businesses show whom they support politically goes against the intent of a merit-based procurement system by putting seemingly irrelevant information before the contracting officer, officials say.
Digital Government
Contractors required to disclose political contributions: draft order
The White House is considering how to require contractors to declare their political contributions when submitting a contract bid, according to a draft executive order.
Acquisition
Good advice on past-performance from Wartime Contracting Commission
A recent report from the Wartime Contracting Commission reminds Steve Kelman of his regret over a decision he made in the 1990s.
People
Look north for ways to save on IT
The United States could learn from the Canadian government's performance evaluation process for IT hardware, writes Advanced Micro Devices' Rick Indyke.
People
Kundra agrees with Obama on IT purchasing
The federal CIO agreed with President Barack Obama's comments on April 14, in which he complained about how the government buys IT.
Acquisition
DOD parses the people factor in procurement reform
FCW talked to Shay Assad for a Q&A. Assad has been at the center of acquisition reforms for years and has most recently led the way in encouraging a customer-focused culture in DOD procurement.
People
As federal awardee database opens, debate about openness continues
Watchdog groups and business groups are wrestling over what contractor information should be available to the public as part of the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System.
Acquisition
Some agencies struggle to recover improper payments
Improper and fraudulent payments to federal contractors got attention at a House subcommittee hearing today.
Acquisition
Wartime contracting panel needs broader view, group says
Criticism of wartime contracting reform comes as officials seek lessons from nongovernmental organizations on their contingency operations.
Acquisition
Obama ties funding to declining debt in proposal
President Obama has proposed across-the-board spending cuts tied to the debt, but left unclear the impacts on IT, workforce and other programs.
People
Improving the purchase card program
The government purchase card has made procuring low-cost items much easier, but there are ways the program could be improved, writes Steve Kelman.
Modernization
VA contracting officers may face penalty for poor recordkeeping
A senior Veterans Affairs Department official plans to propose a penalty for contracting officers if they don't file contracting information into the VA's database.
Acquisition
Costs jumped on VA's Wi-Fi contract, IG says
The Veterans Affairs Department rushed through procuring Wi-Fi at 236 VA facilities, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General.
Digital Government
CIOs talk. Does anyone listen?
A lack of clout in departments' roundtable discussions must stand out clearly — even to those outside the federal IT community.
People
Bill would overhaul federal acquisition training
Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would reorganize the federal acquisition training system and promote career development for those working within the civilian acquisition workforce.
Acquisition