Contracting

  • Joanne Woytek, NASA SEWP program manager, said the space agency now plans to implement the next generation of the technology GWAC by May 1 after reexamining vendor bids. In the meantime, starting in March, SEWP will give agencies more information about what they buy, who they buy from and how they buy than ever before.

    January 09, 2015
  • NASA is still five months away from kicking off its next generation governmentwide acquisition contract known as SEWP 5. But that isn't stopping the space agency from rolling out a series of new initiatives to give customer agencies more data -- and context about their spending -- than ever before. Joanne Woytek, program manager of NASA SEWP, tells Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller about the status of SEWP V and where NASA is heading next.

    January 08, 2015
  • Bid protest numbers indicate things are getting worse. But the numbers also indicate things are getting better. Roger Waldron is the President of the Coalition for Government Procurement. He looked at the numbers, and on In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained why they can be getting better and worse at the same time.

    January 08, 2015
  • The first commandment of government contracting is "do your homework", according to contracting expert Tim Sullivan. He says, in part one of a 10-part series, the complex details of every procurement cycle demand preparation and understanding from federal contracting officers if they want to build successful programs. Ted Davies is CEO of Altamira Technologies. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained a host of federal business trends that can help your agency's contracting officers prepare for the next big project.

    January 08, 2015
  • Members of Congress from both parties have signaled they're ready to consider privatizing air traffic control, or at least changing how it's funded. One reason is the FAA's struggle to modernize the systems that support safe flight. Many in Washington are wondering whether the system would function more efficiently as a commercial entity. Trish Gilbert, executive vice-president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain NATCA members' concerns over the proposed switch.

    January 08, 2015
  • Stop us if you've heard this before. If you tell contractors bidding on a big procurement you're going to use Plan X for evaluating prices, you better use Plan X. Otherwise you could lose a protest. That's what happened to the Navy in a $2.5 billion program. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain more of what happened and the lessons learned in this week's Legal Loop.

    January 08, 2015
  • Congressman Elijah Cummings wants KeyPoint Government Solutions to provide him with a briefing and answers to 13 questions about the December cyber vulnerability that put more than 48,000 federal employees at a greater risk of identity theft.

    January 07, 2015
  • Digital technology has changed the way the private sector is doing business. Jeff Neal, senior vice president for ICF International, asks, "Is it too late for the government to catch up?"

    January 07, 2015
  • It may be called the Consumer Electronics Show, but the annual Las Vegas event has a lot to offer the government. From smart watches to faster phones to the Internet of things, there's plenty for enterprise CIOs to keep an eye on. Jamison Cush is the Executive Editor at Tech Target. He took a break from perusing the CES showroom floor to join Tom Temin on the Federal Drive and explain what's caught his eye.

    January 07, 2015
  • Tina Nunno, vice president and Gartner Fellow in Gartner's CIO Research group, tells the Women of Washington radio show that "power in the hands of good people is an amazing thing."

    January 07, 2015
  • Tom Davis, director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte, discusses his new book, and what can be done to end the partisan divide in Congress. January 6, 2014

    January 06, 2015
  • To cope with the complexity of government procurement, contractors tend to develop habits and rules by which they cope. The best ones echo the Boy Scouts: Be prepared. Tim Sullivan is a partner at Thompson Coburn and has authored the new blog, "A Government Contractor's 10 Commandments." He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the first commandment: Thou shalt do thy homework.

    January 06, 2015
  • Regardless of where a contractor is in the procurement cycle, he or she must prepare in advance for what is about to happen, says contracting expert Tim Sullivan. This commentary is part of a new 10-part series, 10 Commandments for Government Contractors.

    January 06, 2015
  • Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, and Bob Lohfeld, CEO of Lohfeld Consulting Group, join host Mark Amtower to talk about the top contracting stories in 2014, and what's ahead in 2015. January 5, 2015

    January 05, 2015