Search Tags:  Inside the Worlds Biggest Buyer

Acquisition process not always seamless

As part of Federal News Radio's week-long multimedia special report, Inside the World's Biggest Buyer, Lee Dougherty a member of General Counsel, P.C.'s Government Contracts Practice discusses the suspension and debarment process.

Tags: Lee Dougherty , General Counsel P.C , acquisition , suspension and debarment , contracting , In Depth , Francis Rose , industry

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Chart: Federal acquisition workforce 2000-2010

A look at the increasing size of the acquisition workforce. Data is from the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Tags: acquisition , contracting , acquisition workforce

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Suspension and debarments rise amid pressure from Congress

Agencies are making greater use of their ability to declare contractors and individuals ineligible for work by the federal government. Some outside experts suggest the increase may be the result of hasty decisions.

Tags: contracting , industry , suspension and debarment , Air Force , Defense Logistics Agency , Crowell and Moring , Venable , McKenna, Long and Aldridge , Angela Styles , Rob Burton , Fred Levy , Normand Lussier , Steven Shaw , Jared Serbu

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NIH's GWAC adjusts to new procurement rules to cut waste, increase competition

The National Institutes of Health has more than a decade of experience under its belt administering a governmentwide acquisition contract (GWAC).

Tags: Mary Armstead , NIH , HHS , contracting , acquisition , GWAC , technology , workforce , Federal Drive

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List of contract vehicles quickly adds up

You have to have a very good business case if you want to add the long list of contract vehicles. Jim Williams managed a few of those vehicles as commissioner of the General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service. He's now a senior vice president at Daon.

Tags: In Depth , Francis Rose , Jim Williams , Daon , acquisition , contract vehicles

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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.

Tags: Bill Woods , GAO , Federal Drive , Tom Temin , Emily Kopp , acquisition , acquisition workforce , oversight , acquisition policy ,

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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.

Tags: acquisition , acquisition policy , contracting , Supply chain management , GSA , Steve Kempf , Raj Sharma , Censeo Consulting Group , Jason Miller

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DoD bolsters acquisition workforce in face of budget pressures

Tighter budgets and the threat of sequestration have not discouraged the Defense Department from increasing the size of its acquisition workforce, officials said. DoD is adding 20,000 employees to buy more efficiently.

Tags: acquisition , workforce , management , budget , DoD , Air Force , Navy , DLA , Army , Rene Thomas-Rizzo , Scott Harwood , Roy Wood , Tom Evans , Ruben Gomez ,

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Column: Acquisition workforce strategy is the answer to DoD's problems

Retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, a member of the Defense Business Board, said the decimation of contracting officers, program managers and others have put the military at a disadvantage in spending hundreds of billions of dollars. He said the answer to their problem is simple but hard to implement: a comprehensive plan to improve the acquisition workforce.

Tags: Arnold Punaro , DoD , contracting , acquisition , James Cartwright , John McCain , Defense Business Board ,

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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.

Tags: acquisition , oversight , Susan Collins , Joseph Lieberman , Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , acquisition workforce , training , Jason Miller

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