People

Williams gets Bush’s backing

Bush sidesteps Sen. Charles Grassley's opposition to Jim Williams by naming him acting administrator of the General Services Administration.

People

IG: Systems may impede FAS' transformation

Computer codes from the 1970s linger at GSA and fewer coders who understand it are still around, the General Services Administration's inspector general's office reports.

Acquisition

Meet your OSDBU contacts

Need to contact an agency's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization? Here's who you should call.

Acquisition

What OSDBUs do

Created under the Small Business Act of 1978, Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization remind their agencies of their duty to steer contracts to small businesses.

People

Making noise for small business

Small-business advocates seek to change the government’s contracting culture from within.

People

VA proposes contract preferences for veterans

Veterans Affairs Department officials intend to give priority to veterans as Congress mandated in a law passed in 2006.

People

Senator upset by Williams appointment

Sen. Charles Grassley criticized the move to make Jim Williams acting administrator of the General Services Administration because of a controversy over a Sun Microsystems contract.

People

GSA signs agreement on veterans' businesses

A veterans' group will try to link the General Services Administration and businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

People

Bush names Williams acting GSA administrator

Despite a hold on Willliams' nomination, President Bush chooses him as acting head of the General Services Administration.

People

IG finds service has improved buying efforts

The Interior Department has fixed its problems with an acquisition service after losing its biggest customer for nearly a year, according to the Defense Department's inspector general.

Acquisition

Official: Price clause needed to get fair prices

A Veterans Affairs Department official said competition for task orders does not ensure that agencies get fair and reasonable prices.

People

Bush designates acting SBA administrator

Santanu Baruah was nominated to be administrator in June; but the Senate has not held a confirmation hearing.

People

Contractors play big Iraq role

Congressional Budget Office report shows that reduction in military in Iraq leads to increased dependency on contractors.

People

Bill would kill rule on women-owned business

A controversial proposal from the Small Business Administration has upset members of Congress because of its limited scope.

People

Rising Star: Tricia Reed: Passion compensates for lack of authority

Reed took on the task of opening up GSA schedules to emergency responders.

People

Audit hits companies on set-aside funds

Two Alaska Native Corporations failed to tell the Small Business Administration about paying non-native managers more than $23 million in set-aside funds, an audit finds.

People

Purchaser sees a bright future ahead

Purchasing will become an agency executive’s top priority, according to a Georgia state official.

People

State turns buyers into strategists

Georgia officials transform a disheveled procurement system into tactical buying machine.

People

Services contracts lead in Iraq funding

Agencies obligated 80 percent of the money spent on contracts in Iraq to services contracts, the Congressional Budget Office reports.

People

SBA measures economic impact on HUBZones

Officials plan to evaluate in detail how the federal contracts affect poor areas.