Acquisition
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The trustees who oversee Social Security have released a mixed report on the program's solvency. Retirement will be okay until 2034. The disability trust fund, however, has just two more years. But what about the Social Security Administration itself? As a large agency responsible for delivering hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits each year, it also has long term challenges. Those hurdles are detailed in a study by the National Academy of Public Administration. Project Director Roger Kodat joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the major challenges at SSA over the next 10 years.
July 28, 2014 -
If you want to wave a red flag to get contractors' hackles up, just say the words, "lowest-price, technically acceptable." It may not sound like best value, but in a world of tough budgets, that's the way agencies are going. How can the strategy work for both sides? Kenneth Gilliland, an attorney with the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center spoke to Tom Temin at the National Contract Management Association World Congress at National Harbor. View photos and listen to more interviews from the conference.
July 28, 2014 -
Contracts are like marriages. Everyone enters into them optimistically and with the best intentions. But, they don't always work out. Sometimes an agency has to terminate a contract. Termination requires care, though. Jamie Sybert is a director, and David Kirschbaum is a principal at the accounting and contracts advisory firm Baker Tilly. They spoke with Tom Temin at the National Contract Management Association World Congress. They've got advice for clean separations. View photos and listen to more interviews from the conference.
July 28, 2014 -
It may seem crazy, but it's possible to get would-be federal contractors to bid against each other to drive prices down* That's the idea behind reverse auctions. All you need is the right platform. The General Services Administration operates the Government-Managed Reverse Auction Platform. Tom Temin spoke to Erville Koehler, a federal acquisition service regional 4 commissioner at GSA, at the National Contract Management Association World Congress at National Harbor. View photos and listen to more interviews from the conference.
July 28, 2014 -
Agencies released sustainability scorecards showing progress toward green goals. Overall, agencies have exceeded goals and reduced greenhouse gases, pollution and waste and increased renewables.
July 28, 2014 -
Chief legal counselor to NSA says intelligence disclosures may have set back efforts to improve nation's cybersecurity posture because of increasing unease about public-private cooperation, and that it's time to reexamine the digital privacy trust relationship between government and the public.
July 28, 2014 -
In this edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller shares news and buzz about the IT and acquisition communities.
July 25, 2014 -
Congress heads toward summer recess next week. As they leave town, federal employee issues seem to be on their minds more than normal. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Census. He chaired a hearing last week on the future of the General Schedule. On In Depth with Francis Rose he has the details about the recent hearing.
July 25, 2014 -
Senators say the Office of Federal Procurement Policy needs an attitude adjustment. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members are seeking reassurance from President Barack Obama's pick to lead OFPP that she would help deliver that change. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with details on Anne Rung's confirmation hearing. Read Jason's related article.
July 25, 2014 -
A new bill aims to give women-owned small businesses more opportunities to win federal contracts. The Women Small Business Procurement Parity Act would help agencies meet the goal of awarding 5 percent of all contracts to women-owned small businesses. Also, it would ensure that women get a fair shot at growing their businesses and create jobs. Kristie Arslan is executive director of Women Impacting Public Policy. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the new bill.
July 25, 2014 -
Anne Rung, President Obama's nominee to lead the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, detailed her three major priorities should the Senate confirm her. Lawmakers press Rung on improving communication between OMB and Congress, and how best to deal with the multi-sector workforce.
July 25, 2014 -
The Social Security Administration says its new $300 million IT system still doesn't work. SSA wants to replace outdated computer systems that contribute to its backlog of disability claims. The agency says outside consultants will try to get the project back on track, but it still has no idea when it will be ready to launch. Jeff Neal is senior VP of ICF International and former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He's tells Francis Rose on In Depth that it's not just IT projects, but all types of federal contracts that can be where good ideas go to die.
July 24, 2014 -
An unresponsive, or sclerotic contracting system is not a good fit for our fast-paced information world, says Jeff Neal, former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security.
July 24, 2014 -
The General Services Administration will add a special cloud category to its IT Schedule 70 contracting vehicle. GSA wants to consolidate the contract's cloud options under a specific special item number. Right now the agency lists the cloud options under a variety of different numbers, so agencies browsing the system can't find them all in one place. GSA says the new approach will help small agencies in particular. The cloud-specific number will have its own subcategories of cloud-specific services, too. GSA wants industry recommendations on how to do it: a request for information is out on how best to differentiate the types of cloud services Schedule 70 includes. The deadline for the cloud industry to respond to GSA's request for information is August 6th. You can find the RFI on Fed Biz Opps.
July 24, 2014 -
You've heard the expression, spend it or lose it. The approaching end of the fiscal year tends to stir federal agencies to use whatever acquisition money they have left. That causes a definite uptick in spending. Vendors don't want to miss out. They're already getting ready for what Bloomberg Government calls the end of year scramble. Quantitative Analyst Duncan Amos joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss when the activity picks up.
July 24, 2014