Contracts/Awards

  • Pre-judging an opponent is a sure path to making a mistake in contract negotiating. That's according to Tim Sullivan, a partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn. He's also authored the blog, "A Government Contractor's 10 Commandments." On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he tackled the 10th and final commandment: You shall not stereotype your opponent. That's one of the biggest mistakes a contractor can make.

    March 11, 2015
  • Military contractor requirements seem simple enough: Get the right material to the right location on time. Some contractors are better at it than others. It's true that you get what you measure, which is why the military branches have the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). They use it to create an incentive program to spur on suppliers. Bobby Smart, the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for Acquisition Integration, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain how the system works.

    March 11, 2015
  • A system that seeks to drive down pricing through constant comparison of individual transactions leads to a downward or death spiral in pricing that is inconsistent with the dynamics of the commercial marketplace, acquisition expert Roger Waldron says in a new commentary about the proposed rule.

    March 11, 2015
  • Gormley Group President Bill Gormley joins host Roger Waldron for a wide ranging discussion of interagency contracting, strategic sourcing and data collection through contracting. March 10, 2015

    March 10, 2015
  • Washington Technology Editor in Chief Nick Wakeman joins host Mark Amtower to discuss the top contracting stories in 2014, and what's ahead for contractors in 2015. March 9, 2015

    March 09, 2015
  • The General Services Administration spent almost two years listening to departments and contractors to improve how the Network Services 2020 program should work. The result is a draft Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions RFP that GSA released Feb. 28.

    March 05, 2015
  • Precise as it might be, sometimes contract language doesn't quite cover a particular situation. While it would probably make a contractor's life easier to just stick to the contract language, that's not always an option. Tim Sullivan is a partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn, and author of the blog, "A Government Contractor's 10 Commandments." On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he tackled the ninth commandment: Be prepared to reciprocate. It's not just the words on the page that matter; it's the relationship between a contractor and the government customer.

    March 04, 2015
  • OFPP Administrator Anne Rung will issue a memo in the coming weeks requiring agencies to rate vendors and for vendors to rate agencies on specific high-dollar IT procurements. Rung said OMB, GSA will hire experts to oversee vendor relationships for IT commodities.

    March 04, 2015
  • A proposed rule issued today would change the Price Reduction Clause that most contractors dislike and causes most of the False Claims Act lawsuits. Vendors have 60 days to offer comments and GSA will hold an industry day April 17.

    March 04, 2015
  • One of the most difficult things to learn is when and where to be flexible in terms of performing a contract, but it's critical if you want to succeed in the long run, says contracting expert Tim Sullivan in a new commentary.

    March 04, 2015
  • Van Hitch, senior advisor with Deloitte's Federal Consulting Practice, joins host Roger Waldron to talk about some of the IT acquisition challenges facing federal managers. March 3, 2015

    March 03, 2015
  • Arrow Electronics, Inc. signed a deal on Monday to acquire IT solutions provider immixGroup, Inc.

    March 03, 2015
  • Geoff Livingston, president of Tenacity5 Media will discuss the state of social media with host Mark Amtower. March 2, 2015

    March 02, 2015
  • A year after canceling its $2 billion training contract, the Office of Personnel Management is getting closer to finalizing what that new procurement vehicle will look like.

    March 02, 2015