Search Tags:  Inside the Worlds Biggest Buyer

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.

Tags: In Depth , Francis Rose , acquisition , acquisition policy , suspension and debarment , Rob Burton , Venable law firm , industry , contracting , Industry Chatter , Jack Moore

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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.

Tags: acquisition , acquisition policy , acquisition workforce , Joe Jordan , OFPP , SBA , In Depth , Francis Rose , Jack Moore

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Strategic sourcing: Pennywise but pound foolish?

Some small businesses are calling into question the benefits of the Obama administration's strategic sourcing initiative. They say the agencies are mandating the use of the office supplies BPA and putting more than 500 Schedule 75 holders at risk of losing their business. GSA, which runs Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI), said there still are plenty of sales to go around as the BPA accounts for less than half of the $1.4 billion office supplies market.

Tags: acquisition , strategic sourcing , GSA , OFPP , Schedule 75 , Steve Kempf , Dan Gordon , Rick Vogel , Coast-to-Coast Computer Products , Bonnie Whittaker , Adams Marketing , Sam Bornstein , Bornstein and Song , Mick Mulvaney , Judy Chu , House Small Business Committee , Small business contracting , Jason Miller , Inside the World

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Agencies have much to learn from bid protest process

Joseph Petrillo, a federal contract attorney with Petrillo and Powell, agreed with a recent report that bid protests help to keep the federal government honest. Unfortunately, the 2,000 or so annual bid protests are just a drop in the bucket of the millions of possible protestable contract actions out there.

Tags: Joseph Petrillo , Federal Drive , Steven Maser , bid protests , contracting , management , acquisition , General Services Administration

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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.

Tags: acquisition , acquisition policy , best practices , industry , Mythbusters , Todd Ramsey , IBM , Keith BieryGolick

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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.

Tags: technology , David Heyman , DHS , White House , Supply chain management , Counterfeit products , Intellectual Property Rights Center , Jason Miller

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Is it always a good time time to sell to Uncle Sam?

The landscape of the government contracting world is changing faster than ever. Understanding what's happening now will help you understand what may be coming in the months and years ahead. Phil Kiviat, with Guerra Kiviat, a federal sales consulting firm, discusses if there's a good or bad time to sell to the government.

Tags: acquisition , industry , Guerra Kiviat , In Depth , Francis Rose

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Bid protesting system helps agencies police themselves

Steven Maser, a professor of public policy and administration at Willamette University, recently completed a study on the bid protest process. While he acknowledged that the number of bid protests were on the rise, he didn't necessarily think that was a bad thing for agencies and contractors.

Tags: Steven Maser , bid protests , acquisition , contracting , Federal Drive , industry , Michael OConnell

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Vendors start to see contracts slowing down with sequestration looming

Contractors warn of possible layoffs due to potential budget cuts. Some companies are in waiting mode to see what happens with Congress over the next six months.

Tags: Debbie James , SAIC , sequestration , budget , acquisition , Ruben Gomez , industry , contracting

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Better understanding of vendors' processes would go a long way

Bob Lam, a former partner with Accenture's Worldwide Public Services business practice, offers his take on how agencies could improve the acquisition process for vendors. Lam spent 30 years in the federal market. He says agencies need to better understand vendor processes and improve communication.

Tags: Bob Lam , acquistion , contracting , industry ,

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