Acquisition News 
Top News
- Sequestration, budget cuts taking its toll on DoD
- Small companies won't feel effect of lowered contractor pay cap
- GSA trying innovative approaches to disposing of real property
- IRS draws new criticism over $70M employee bonuses
- VA identifying project managers, then improving their skills
- OMB sets new deadlines to improve data on USASpending.gov
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS' GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
Treasury tackles IT reviews in a new way
Not all agencies are using TechStat for IT projects that are in trouble. In an exclusive report, Federal News Radio finds agencies are seeing unexpected benefits in applying the evaluation tool to programs that are on track. Treasury used TechStat to figure out how best to consolidate three procurement systems.
Sequestration: What it means for the federal market
Beth Farrell and Jim Schweiter from McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP will discuss the impact of sequestration.
August 14, 2012(Encore presentation September 4, 2012)
GSA issues IBM a letter of concern for problems with procurement system
The General Services Administration's new System for Award Management (SAM) is not running smoothly one week after it launched. GSA told IBM to fix the system or face possible penalties.
Analysis: Defense contractors already reducing workforce
The Project on Government Oversight reviewed the size of five of the largest defense contractors and found three of the five were reducing their workforces even as the Defense Department's procurement budget ballooned between 2006 and 2011.
Army releases $7B solicitation for renewable energy on bases
Army says 130 companies have expressed interest in building renewable facilities on military installations so far. Winners will be picked by the end of the year.
Q&A with ITS's Kevin Page
Kevin Youel Page, deputy commissioner for the Office of Integrated Technology Services, will talk about the agency's goals and initiatives.
August 7, 2012
Johnson planning bill to change VA small business contracting process
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) believes a VA contracting program that requires service-disabled vets control 100 percent of their company's decision-making to qualify is too onerous. And he wants to ease the requirements.
Lawmakers say VA contracting rule squeezing out vet-owned firms
The rule, aimed at preventing fraud in the VA service-disabled veteran-owned small business program, requires that veterans control 100 percent of company decisions, even if they maintain just partial ownership. VA is taking suggestions for changing its rules.
NASA picks 3 private firms to develop space taxis
NASA picked three aerospace companies Friday to build small rocketships to take astronauts to the International Space Station, as part of the third phase of NASA's efforts to get private space companies to take over for the space shuttle.
DoD, State implement only fraction of wartime contracting recommendations
A new Government Accountability Office report found that three main actors in contingency contracting — the Defense and State Departments and the U.S. Agency for International Development — will likely only implement a fraction of the recommendations set out by the Commission on Wartime Contracting. The agencies have either determined their existing policies already address the commission's concerns or they disagreed with the recommendation in the first place, GAO found.
Navy increases NMCI contract ceiling by $2.2B
The total cost for the continuity of service contract could increase to more than $5 billion. The Navy's deadline for bids for the follow-on contract to NMCI are due Aug. 8.
Cyber acquisitions, the internet tax debate, and the R&D tax credit
On this week's Bloomberg Government Capital Impact show, analysts will discuss which cybersecurity companies are being targeted for mergers and acquisitions. Plus, what's next in the internet tax debate and how are companies benefiting from the R&D tax credit.
August 2, 2012
VA not doing enough to verify service-disabled veteran owned firms
GAO highlights a need for tighter controls to fix the contracting program.
Workplace innovation
Chris Hood, managing director of Workplace Innovation at CB Richard Ellis explains how changing your work environment can save money and improve performance.
July 31, 2012
Multiple roles more help than hindrance, say agency CAOs
The Government Accountability Office looked at how agencies were complying with the Services Acquisitions Reform Act of 2003. It discovered that while many chief acquisition officers had assumed duties far beyond what the act intended, that might not be such a bad thing.
All Things Channel!
ImmixGroup's Allan Rubin and Skip Liesegang will talk about how their company is helping channel participants do more business with government.
July 30, 2012(Encore presentation December 17, 2012)
Small contractors could be hit hardest under planned Defense spending cuts
Small and medium-sized contractors and suppliers receive 75 percent of appropriated dollars for defense or military programs. But these small businesses, who lack the lobbying power of top- tier defense contractors, may suffer more from sequestration than big companies.
White House shapes intellectual property protection ahead of year-end deadline
The White House is updating its 2010 trade secret theft and counterfeit product prevention strategy. The new plan will incorporate public input, which the administration is currently soliciting from stakeholders.
Former OFPP officials say government in state of 'paralysis'
Former officials from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy say agencies need to get out of the ditch they have dug for themselves by taking multiple-award contracts the wrong way.
VA, GSA each pushes major IT acquisitions to next steps
The Veterans Affairs Department will award a $5 billion IT hardware contract in the next two months. GSA will release a request for information for cybersecurity tools in the coming days. Both are examples of a healthy and busy fourth quarter for acquisition.
