Tangherlini Tapped to Stay On at GSA
Video: Stephen Colbert on the Census Bureau
Lawmaker: Don't Furlough Weather Service Now
Making Government 'Simpler'
OK Senators Leery of Unfunded Tornado Relief
Boldly Go Where No Fed's Gone Before
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
House backs big increase in contractor oversight
December 13, 2007 The House has approved a final version of the 2008 defense authorization bill that includes a variety of measures that would greatly increase oversight of the federal contracting industry. The conference report to the bill (H.R. 1585) was approved Wednesday evening by a vote of 370-49. The legislation, which now ...
Contractor trade groups to merge
December 13, 2007 The two largest trade groups representing federal contractors have joined forces, creating a powerful new advocacy organization for companies that work for the federal government. On Wednesday, the Professional Services Council and the Contract Services Association of America, both of Arlington, Va., announced that they would merge as of Jan. ...
After Blackwater
December 12, 2007 From the moment Blackwater guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square on Sept. 16, killing 17 civilians and injuring two dozen others, the security contractor's departure from Iraq was put into motion. Congressional oversight was swift and fierce, the media coverage relentless, and pressure from the Iraqi government surprisingly ...
Intelligence contract recompete could be lucrative for several firms
December 10, 2007 The recompete of a lucrative Air Force intelligence contract could benefit multiple vendors and force a wide-open competition for information technology equipment and services, according to a new report issued by INPUT, an industry consulting firm. The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia is ...
OMB spells out best practices for incentive contracts
December 5, 2007 The government's chief procurement official has directed agency acquisition heads to review and update their use of incentive fee contracts to guarantee that the contracts are tied to well-defined and measurable performance results. In a memorandum issued Tuesday, Paul A. Denett, administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at ...
GAO validates use of no-cost contract
December 4, 2007 Federal agencies can sign no-cost contracts for conference planning services in cases when the contractor recoups its costs by charging fees to exhibitors, sponsors and attendees, under a legal opinion announced Monday by the Government Accountability Office. In its decision (GAO-B-308968), GAO ruled that a contract proposal by National Conference ...
After Blackwater
December 1, 2007 There are few options if the besieged security contractor is phased out of Iraq. From the moment Blackwater guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square on Sept. 16, killing 17 civilians and injuring two dozen others, the security contractor's departure from Iraq was put into motion. Congressional oversight was ...
Running the Light
December 1, 2007 The Bush administration has used its traffic-light system to rate agency management since 2001. Now we evaluate the president's progress. "Government likes to begin things-to declare grand new programs and causes. But good beginnings are not the measure of success. What matters in the end is completion. Performance. Results. Not ...
Rule requires contractors to set, follow codes of ethics
November 29, 2007 In an effort to turn the page on a number of recent high-profile procurement scandals, federal officials now are mandating tougher ethical standards from firms that do business with the government. After more than nine months of deliberation, the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and Defense Acquisition Regulations Council have agreed ...
Defense bill proves lucrative for biggest firms
November 27, 2007 There's an old theory in Washington that since the competitive bidding process tends to favor the largest contractors, congressionally appropriated earmarks are necessary to allow smaller firms access to the federal procurement market. But the premise of that argument, used for decades by lawmakers to justify directed appropriations to favored ...
