Panel says DOD needs ‘significant improvement’ in managing the acquisition...
The Defense Department’s antiquated acquisition system and policies present major problems for DOD in fulfilling today’s mission needs and contribute to government cost overruns, a congressional...
View ArticleDOD acquisition process ‘fails the mission,’ congressional panel says
A panel convened to examine the Defense Department’s acquisition processes has finalized its recommendations for overhauling the system after concluding a yearlong investigation that uncovered major...
View ArticleHouse panel proposes more defense contracting reforms
House Armed Services Committee leaders plan to introduce legislation April 14 that would push for more reforms of the Defense Department’s acquisition system, including workforce management,...
View ArticleAgencies slow to respond to requests for contractor data
Some federal procurement officers are refusing to publicly release contractor ratings data that may show agencies are not properly evaluating the performance of vendors who receive billion-dollar...
View ArticleNew Congress could put the brakes on insourcing
The 112th Congress is unlikely to let the Obama administration move full-speed ahead on its initiative to bring contractor jobs back in-house, a consultant and a Republican Senate staff member said on...
View ArticleBest and worst performances in government contracting in 2010
As old years end and new ones begin, I can’t resist the temptation to talk about who had a good year and who had a bad year. Admittedly my criteria are arbitrary so don’t hesitate to disagree. There...
View ArticleContractor performance database goes public in April
A new government database that tracks contractor misconduct and performance, previously available only to federal officials, is expected to be made public by April 15, Government Executive has learned....
View ArticleCorporate leaders advise government on personnel, contracting issues
President Obama’s Management Advisory Board, an independent panel of corporate leaders, suggested on Friday that the government must do more to incentivize its leadership and improve its operational...
View ArticleHow to cut costs and improve performance
The federal government faces an estimated annual structural deficit of $500 billion to $700 billion. A deficit of this magnitude represents a major threat to the economic health of the nation. The...
View ArticleOMB details agency obligations under Government Performance Act
Chief operating officers must “redouble their efforts to cut waste” as they lead their agency’s efforts to set priority goals required by the 2010 update of the Government Performance and Results Act,...
View ArticleOMB seeks to clarify 2013 budget guidance
The Office of Management and Budget is looking to clarify last week’s memorandum instructing federal agencies to submit fiscal 2013 budget requests that are between 5 percent and 10 percent lower than...
View ArticleDeadline set fighting disclosure of contractor work history
The Obama administration solidified an interim rule that requires agency officials to post a government contractor’s work history in a publicly accessible website. The Federal Awardee Performance and...
View ArticlePublic release of contractor data delayed
Contractors can still challenge information tjat goes into the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity System, but they have just a two-week window before the information becomes public. The new...
View ArticleSBA’s elevation to Cabinet-level is a symbolic move, experts say
President Obama’s announcement Friday that he was “elevating the Small Business Administration to a Cabinet-level agency” was a largely symbolic gesture, government scholars say. “The president has the...
View ArticlePentagon proposes analytics tool for awarding performance-based contracts
The Defense Department is proposing a new rule requiring contracting officers to use an analytics tool when awarding performance-based contracts, according to the Jan. 30, 2012 edition of the Federal...
View ArticleLawmaker pushes to boost small business contracting, elevate OSDBUs
House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., on Tuesday (Jan. 31, 2012) introduced legislation to encourage a higher percentage of federal contracts to go to small business, along with a...
View ArticleGAO finds MDA’s concurrent acquisition strategy ineffective
The Missile Defense Agency is producing ineffective systems defending against warheads from rogue states as a result of its concurrent acquisition method, according to the Government Accountability...
View ArticleGSA acquisitions chief goes on medical leave
Just days before a House hearing scheduled to examine overspending at a 2010 conference he helped run, Steven Kempf, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s contracting division,...
View ArticleDoD temporarily alters vendor registration rule due to SAM’s launch shortcomings
In order to avoid delays in ”the timely processing of awards,” the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has ordered the temporary suspension of rules requiring vendor registration in the System for Award...
View ArticleFAR Council proposes standardizing past performance evaluations
A proposed rule change to the Federal Acquisition Regulation would standardize past performance evaluation factors and rating categories above the simplified acquisition threshold. Genesis of the...
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