Acquisition

Outsourcing: The 'critical function' controversy

The former deputy administrator of procurement policy office says the new term will swing open the gate for more insourcing in the federal government.

People

OFPP keeps classic definition of fed-only work

OFPP keeps the inherently governmental function definition 'intimate,' but leaves much discretion about jobs closely associated.

Acquisition

Obama: Faster payments to small contractors

The president urged Congress to pass his debt reduction proposal.

Acquisition

Bill would void, stop contracts with U.S. enemies

Wartime Contracting Commission report considers problem of payoffs in enemy lands.

Cybersecurity

Stories of 9/11: A conference table, a sheet of paper and TSA

Patrick Schambach, the sixth employee hired at the Transportation Security Administration, recalls the daunting task of building an agency from scratch.

Modernization

Next GSA networks chief will step into new telecom world

As Karl Krumbholz retires, the government is being hit by multiple forces that are shaping the transition to the future. His successor will have new frontiers to tame.

Digital Government

GSA's Karl Krumbholz announces retirement

In a blog post, he said GSA officials put him on a temporary assignment until the end of the year, and for now, Frank Tiller will manage the day-to-day responsibilities of the agency's networks services program.

Modernization

A nation at war after 9/11: From experiment to experience

John Sklinar, a senior manager in an elite Army communications division, recalls how he got a new job the day the airplanes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Modernization

Committee finds manual processes in automated systems

“Agencies employ a tangled web of disparate manual processes to generate the data,” according to the House committee.

Acquisition

DOD urged to speed up small-biz contracting

With just a few weeks left in fiscal 2011, Leon Panetta warned that DOD is falling short of its departmentwide small business contracting goal.

Modernization

Army plans 2012 release of major IT contract

The contract, ITES-3H, will support the Army’s requirements for commercial hardware and more.

Modernization

DOD wants its contracting offices under one roof

Defense agencies have interpreted acquisition regulations with a lot of variation, a carryover from the days of when contracts were written primarily on paper.

Acquisition

DOD: Wartime contracting reforms underway

Defense officials say they have toughened prosecution of fraudulent contractors and boosted the department’s overall acquisition workforce, including contract managers.

Digital Government

White House opens up to the public's petitions

A new online forum lets the public create, and also sign, petitions tht seek action from the government.

Acquisition

Defense Department revisits its acquisition history

The department is seeking a fact-checker and editor to undertake major revisions of a book series titled "History of Acquisition in the Department of Defense."

Digital Government

Not on Networx yet? Prepare to pay.

Time is almost up for agencies to get GSA reimbursement for Networx transitions.

Acquisition

Labor toughens hiring rules for service contractors

The theory is that the government can continue operations more smoothly when a successor service company hires the previous company's employees.

People

Official clarifies costs, affordability aspects of products

DOD's acquisition under secretary was clearing up confusion about two ideas that he introduced into the defense acquisition process in 2010 to control costs.

Cybersecurity

Irene helps FEMA prove itself again

Public officials all along the East Coast are praising FEMA's preparedness and response to Hurricane Irene -- in sharp contrast to public opinion after Katrina.

People

Feds already sacrificed to shrink deficit, union says

A federal employee labor union points to contractors, outsourced work and federal employees' sacrifices as the congressional "supercommittee" hunts for areas to reduce the deficit.