Acquisition

GSA chief of staff Germain steps aside

Danielle Germain, chief of staff at the General Services Administration since June, is leaving due to the time it's taken to get a permanent administrator in place.

People

Interagency acquisition office offers cloud-based order monitoring

Acquisition Services Directorate launches the Electronic Servicing Environment as a secure way for clients to monitor in real-time AQD’s handling of their projects.

Digital Government

Army kicks off consolidated buying season

The Army will open its semiannual consolidated buying program for desktop and notebook computers on Jan. 11, officials said today.

Acquisition

Senate bill would expand access to GSA schedules for states

States and local governments may get access to the General Services Administration’s schedules program so they can get ready for an oncoming disaster, according to a new bill.

Cybersecurity

DHS eyes science and technology research

The Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology Directorate is interested in funding technology research to bolster border, cargo, maritime and cybersecurity.

Digital Government

Part 3: Data is key to transition to Networx and beyond

Data collection is at the heart of GSA's efforts to move from FTS 2001 to Networx as well as laying the foundation for future transitions, says Karl Krumbholz.

People

OMB claims $19B in contractor savings

Twenty-four federal agencies have identified $19 billion in savings on contracts for fiscal 2010—which puts the White House on track to meet a goal of $40 billion in savings by fiscal 2011, according to the Office of Management Budget.

People

Senators push for acquisition workforce training

Two new bills would set up a federal acquisition management fellows program and strengthen the civilian training institute.

Acquisition

GSA awards SmartBUY contracts for geospatial tools

A new purchase award through the GSA’s SmartBUY program will give federal, state and local government agencies access to a suite of geospatial software tools.

People

House panel told of abuses in VA set-aside program

Veterans Affairs Department officials failed to punish business owners who lied to them to get a contract set aside for service-disabled veterans.

People

Highway officials gave contractor too much, IG says

An IG found that officials focused first on congressional interests and minimized the contractor's financial problems to avoid disrupting the program.

Digital Government

Business on FTS 2001 grows despite GSA's push for Networx

GSA is pushing hard to get agencies to use Networx, but so far business on FTS 2001 continues to grow.

People

Congress seeks insourcing through cataloging contracts

A spending bill headed for passage would require inventories of services contracts to show agencies’ reliance on the private sector and how agencies could save money by insourcing.

Cybersecurity

Delays beset DHS financial systems procurement

The Homeland Security Department's second attempt to integrate its financial systems is more than a year behind the original schedule, according to a new GAO report.

Modernization

Cloud Computing Shoot Out targets federal adoption of the technology

Federal CIO Vivek Kundra will moderate the event, and is expected to discuss how cloud computing can decrease capital costs and streamline IT infrastructures for federal agencies.

People

The dawn of the 2.0 presidency

The foremost story of 2009 has been the transition from the Bush administration to President Barack Obama's administration -- and all the power shifts that trickle down through technology, policy, procurement and management in government.

People

NASA chooses Diaz to lead IT consolidation project

Deborah Diaz will lead NASA’s $4 billion IT consolidation project, an official confirmed today.

People

GSA saves money with contract reviews, IG says

GSA saved money with pre-award reviews of proposed contracts, the agency's IG says.

Cybersecurity

DHS procurement office eyes contract hybrids

The Homeland Security Department’s Office of Procurement Operations is looking at contracts that include some performance-based items as a way to meet governmentwide requirements to reduce spending on contracts considered to be high risk.

Acquisition

Agencies spending stimulus bucks through no-bid contracts, GAO finds

SBA, HUD and NASA awarded 35 percent or more of their stimulus law contracts noncompetitively, according to a new GAO report.