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Acquisition Policy News 
Top News
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- House presses VA for more details after cyber attacks
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- DoD maintains BRAC fight, despite opposition
- IRS official contradicts claims about reviews
- GSA to review all internal contracting practices after latest IG report
- Military plans would put women in most combat jobs
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- ICE Director John Morton stepping down
- Assaults increase on rangers, park police
- GAO: Agencies should expand TechStat reviews
- Lawmakers, industry press OFPP not to make strategic sourcing mandatory
- Classified cyber sharing program slow to take off
What's ahead for small business?
Tom Johnson, publisher of Set-Aside Alert talks about the challenges facing contractors.
July 2, 2012(Encore presentation August 20, 2012)
GSA's OASIS contract to streamline professional services offerings
The General Services Administration is months
away from releasing details of its
newest contract vehicle that will allow
agencies
to find professional services
solutions across disciplines. OASIS program
manager Jim Ghiloni gave a status update on the
contract.
June 26, 2012(Encore presentation July 10, 2012)
Election preview
Host Roger Waldron talks about the upcoming fall elections with former Virginia congressman, and Deloitte Federal Government Affairs Director Tom Davis.
June 19, 2012
GSA considers alternatives to track contractors
For decades, the General Services Administration has contracted with the company Dun & Bradstreet to provide unique identifying numbers for businesses. These numbers — called Data Universal Numbering System or DUNS numbers — allow GSA to track contractors and other recipients of federal funds. But the cost of using this service has grown from $1 million in 2002 to about $19 million per year under the current contract.
All things SEWP
Joanne Woytek, program manager of NASA SEWP talks about the government wide contract vehicle and its goals and missions for the future.
June 18, 2012(Encore presentation July 16, 2012)
Contractors experience limited communication between industry, agencies
IBM Federal General Manager Todd Ramsey busts myths about government procurement. Although well-conceived, he said current acquisition procedures do more harm than good.
DHS improving aim to stop counterfeits at the borders
The Homeland Security Department is taking a two-pronged approach to protecting the federal supply chain. The first addresses the DHS mission cargo crossing into the U.S. The second is an interagency effort to ensure the government is working together on investigations. DHS said seizures of counterfeit goods at the border increased by 20 percent in 2011.
Agencies given how-to guide for modular, agile IT contracting
Federal Chief Information Officer Steve VanRoekel and Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Joe Jordan released the guidance that highlights possible risks or challenges, and offers checklists, templates and other tools to make the move to this smaller, more outcome based approach easier for agencies.
Agencies, vendors ramping up to fight supply chain cyber threats
The White House, Congress, DoD and many others are trying to stem the tide of counterfeit products and software with malicious code from entering federal systems. The administration soon will release recommendations for how all agencies and vendors can improve the security of their products. DoD issued a memo in March requiring changes to how services protect their supply chains.
Suspension, debarment numbers don't tell full story
Despite mounting pressure from certain quarters of the government and Congress to more aggressively suspend and debar irresponsible contractors, some agencies only rarely, if ever, do so. Rob Burton, the former acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said data on suspensions and debarments isn't always an apples-to-apples comparison.
Suspension, debarment a 'business decision' for agencies
Agencies are using suspensions and debarments more often as a way to stop or prevent doing business with contractors who lie, cheat or just do shoddy work. David Sims, chairman of the Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee and a suspension and debarment manager at the Interior Department, gives an overview of the use of suspension and debarment governmentwide.
New OFPP administrator has sights set on workforce, 'buying smarter'
Joe Jordan has led the Office of Federal Procurement Policy for a little more than two weeks. But he's wasting no time setting priorities. Jordan spoke to In Depth with Francis Rose as part of Federal News Radio's week-long special report, Inside the World's Biggest Buyer.
Assessing acquisition rules a full-time pursuit
Rules and regulations are supposed to help the government make the smartest, fairest purchases are often complex. For Bill Woods, director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, federal procurement rules are a full-time pursuit.
Column: Finding answers to a better trained acquisition workforce
Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said the acquisition workforce is most important to improving how the government buys goods and services. He said with 55 percent of the current workforce eligible to retire by 2018, agencies and Congress have to work together to figure out how best to train and equip these employees to be successful.
Lieberman, Collins warn against slashing acquisition workforce
The two influential senators say the mistakes the Defense Department and others made in the 1990s during the last serious budget reductions can't be repeated this time around. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said budget cuts shouldn't be balanced on the backs of the acquisition workforce. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) added reductions in acquisition staff mean the government will pay more for goods and services.
Federal Drive interviews - June 12
This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.
Agencies taking a more disciplined approach to managing vendors
GSA, Commerce and others are using supply chain management techniques to buy smarter and more efficiently. Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steve Kempf said a recent survey of their contractors will help influence the next generation of schedules.
Analysis: Partisan climate stymies long-term acquisition improvements
Two former administrators of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Al Burman and Steve Kelman, discuss how acquisition reforms and improvements often fall prey to partisanship. One of OFPP's goals is not only to create acquisition policy, but systems that last beyond one administration. "You want to try to have continuity, as much as you can and keep better management of the procurement system out of partisan politics as much as you can," Kelman said. "If it's just an initiative — if it's forgotten in six months — it's never going to accomplish anything."
'Better Buying Power' already making waves in DoD acquisition
Steven Grundman, a Lund Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., and former deputy undersecretary of Defense for Industrial Affairs, provides his perspective on how the Better Buying Power initiative has shaped DoD procurement.
Q&A with Larry Allen
Larry Allen of Allen Federal joins host Mark Amtower to talk about changes in government procurement.
June 11, 2012(Encore presentation June 25, 2012)
