The VA, Affordable Care Act fees, and political conventions

On this week's Capital Impact show, Bloomberg Government analysts will discuss growth potential at the Veterans Administration, the Affordable Care Act's impact on drug companies, and a preview of the 2012 Democratic and Republican conventions.
August 23, 2012

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DHS' strategic vision for the future

Homeland Security Department Chief Procurement Officer Nick Nayak will talk about the agency's acquisition goals.
August 21, 2012(Encore presentation September 18, 2012)

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GSA targets small businesses for new IT contracts

The agency said it will release a draft request for proposals no later than Sept. 18 for the integrated professional services IT multiple award contract.

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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)

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Senators ask DoD to consider debarment for P&WC

Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to the Defense Secretary Panetta and Secretary of State Clinton asking them to consider further actions against contractor Pratt & Whitney Canada. P&WC pleaded guilty in June to illegally exporting military software to China.

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Veterans group calls for legislative fix to VA contracting rule

Vietnam Veterans of America alleges the Veterans Affairs Department's service-disabled veteran-owned business set aside program is keeping legitimately qualified companies from competing for VA contracts. The group advocates loosening a rule that requires service-disabled veterans maintain unconditional control of all business decisions.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Federal Drive interviews - Aug. 2

BGov's Kevin Brancato explains how tight budgets are reversing a trend from best-value to best- price in government contracting. And the GAO looks at the effectiveness of food recalls.

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VA not doing enough to verify service-disabled veteran owned firms

GAO highlights a need for tighter controls to fix the contracting program.

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After cuts, defense contractors report record operating margins

With a tighter defense budget and the threat of sequestration, defense contractors say they may have to lay off thousands of workers and look for business overseas.

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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.

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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.

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EXCLUSIVE: DHS directorate withdraws controversial vendor checklist

The National Protection and Programs Directorate said it would not put a contractor communication guidance in place that would have required agency leaders to answer 15 questions before meeting with companies. Industry experts said the draft guidance would have had a chilling effect on agency-contractor communication.

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Fed-backed company develops tool to scan smart phones for security gaps

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Multiple award contracts

Bloomberg Government Federal Business Analyst Brian Friel talks about why multiple award contracts have become so popular and where the government market is headed.
July 24, 2012

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