Acquisition

  • Host Mark Amtower discusses the SmartPay program with David Shea, Director of the Office of Charge Card Management, Federal Acquisition Service, General Services Administration. September 27, 2010

    September 27, 2010
  • The Army has been steadily increasing the amount of education and training it delivers online. Details from the Army\'s Phyllis Bailey

    September 27, 2010
  • How can the health care industry improve services, reduce costs and expand access? Jim Champy offers ways to bring innovation to health care in his book \"Reengineering Health Care.\" Champy, chairman emeritus of Dell Services Consulting, told In Depth that the time is ripe to retool the current system.

    September 23, 2010
  • Touching on the Japan\'s need to improve preparedness to deal with cyber attacks, Boeing says that the ministry is placing more emphasis on cyber security.

    September 23, 2010
  • The Indonesian government plans to order six more Russian-built fighter planes according to statements made by the country\'s air force Chief of Staff. Indonesia already has 10 of the aircraft, which are not enough to cover the country\'s airspace. Indonesia\'s acquisition of Russian weapons systems revives memories of the era when Indonesia had the largest navy and the most powerful air force in Southeast Asia, all provided by the Soviet Union. Indonesia retains many links to the US armed forces and has much US-supplied equipment. Having both US and Russian systems ensures something will be flyable irrespective of international political considerations.

    September 23, 2010
  • The General Services Administration freezes Schedule 75 to new vendors shortly after awarding a new strategic sourcing contract for office supplies. Small businesses say the combination of the two could have a detrimental effect on their ability to sell to the government. GSA expects to save $52 million a year across government from the BPA\'s lower prices.

    September 23, 2010
  • This week, host Larry Allen talks with Casey Coleman, Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration Sept. 21, 2010

    September 22, 2010
  • The goal is to encourage agencies to use the new blanket purchase agreements signed with 15 companies in June.

    September 22, 2010
  • A new report to Congress says OFPP will release new policies this fall to improve the management and use of multiple award contracts. One of the policies will require business cases for all multi- and inter-agency contracts. OFPP found that agencies spent more than $52 billion on these contracts in 2009.

    September 22, 2010
  • A Chinese national threw beer bottles at the Japanese consulate general in Guangzhou on September 9th, and Japanese school buildings were attacked in Tianjin . An anti-Japanese rally was held in Beijing on September 18th to protest the detention of the fishing boat captain held in Japan, after which ministerial contacts were severed between the two countries on the 19th. Public protests are never spontaneous in China. These harassment tactics signify that the fishing boat incident is now a serious international confrontation which continues to escalate. Precedent suggests there is an increased threat of violence against Japanese nationals in China.

    September 22, 2010
  • The General Services Administrations wants to gather data on federal contractors\' greenhouse gas emissions.

    September 21, 2010
  • The Department of Health and Human Services chose Verizon to provide data services under the Networx telecommunications contract.

    September 21, 2010
  • Pakistan Defense Minister Mukhtar said Pakistan does not want a war with India, but if India tried to impose a war behind the facade of a Kashmir dispute, then Pakistan would fully defend its territory. Mukhtar said India\'s concern over the presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit-Baltistan is incorrect. He said China is Pakistan\'s friend and has helped the country in tough times. He also said the Chinese troops were in no way interfering with Pakistan\'s sovereignty. Mukhtar\'s remarks sound a lot like an admission about the accuracy of the Indian accusations, implicitly confirming the presence of Chinese soldiers in far northern Pakistan.

    September 21, 2010
  • The GWAC is focused on providing health IT services along with other general technology functions. Vendors must have specific health IT capabilities to bid on the contract. NIH said a small business RFP of the contract will be issued soon.

    September 21, 2010