Acquisition
DOD's 'Hello, I am a contractor' policy kicks in
Defense Department officials changed the department's regulations to require service contractors to identify themselves as a contractor, whether in person or in a letter.
Acquisition
Shifting market keeps DOD alert for conflicts of interest
As big defense contractors acquire other companies, officials must pay close attention to avoid conflicts of interest, a DOD official says.
Digital Government
Feds want more detailed info on contractors' time, costs
Officials work to draw a clearer picture of the blended workforce through reports on service contracts.
People
Procurement data woes: Public lashings probably won't help
A proposed policy to penalize VA contracting officers might not get the desired results, experts say.
Acquisition
DOD to negotiate prices more aggressively
DOD officials are telling contracting officials to bargain prices down, even when there's only one bidder for a contract.
People
Contracting reform: It comes down to Congress
Inspectors general, auditors and other oversight officials can give recommendations on improvements, but Congress lays down the law.
Digital Government
Social media policies: strict, loose or in-between?
Some agencies block all social media, others block none. Some curtail streaming sites, others just ask employees to be responsible. Is there any chance of these policies coming into harmony?
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.
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.
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
OMB looks for progress on improved performance
Senior Obama administration officials are interested in how agencies have improved themselves based on their priorities during the last year.
Digital Government
Congress passes full-year funding
Congress has passed the agreed-upon legislation to fund the remainder of fiscal 2011.
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.
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.
Cybersecurity
Legislation would tighten intell IT oversight
Program officers would have to tell the director of national intelligence about their IT projects before they could spend money if a new spending bill becomes law.
Modernization
IT programs face big cuts in new spending bill
The budget agreement between Congress and the White House would cut nearly $40 billion overall in federal spending. IT programs are a large part of that.
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