Contracting

  • Iraqi politicians recently made progress in breaking the political deadlock that had prevented formation of a government, despite a walkout by the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc. Parliament has reappointed Jalal Talabani as President and elected a Sunni Arab from the Iraqiya bloc as Speaker of Parliament. Talabani re-appointed Nuri al Maliki as Prime Minister, enabling him to begin selecting a cabinet. Some commentators have asserted a new government will help reduce sectarian violence. None have explained how that is likely to occur since the Sunni-backed party obtained no strong power position in the new political arrangement despite winning a plurality in the March elections.

    November 16, 2010
  • A leading House proponent of cybersecurity legislation is doubtful new cyber laws will pass during the lame duck session.

    November 16, 2010
  • A new survey from the Professional Services Council and Grant Thornton finds contracting officers don\'t always find new guidance helpful in how they do their job. Acquisition workers also say too much oversight is causing innovation to be muted.

    November 16, 2010
  • A FedScoops panel says telework may be a team sport.

    November 15, 2010
  • Acquisition oversight by agency inspectors general, the Government Accountability Office and Congress have muted a lot of the innovation by contracting officers. A new survey by the Professional Services Council and Grant Thornton finds most…

    November 15, 2010
  • L3 MPRI\'s Rick Kiernan explains the benefits both externally and internally for a company\'s involvement in their community.

    November 15, 2010
  • GSAAuctions.gov, the federal government\'s website for online auctions, set a new record in fiscal 2010, generating more than $250 million. Dave Robbins, Director of GSA\'s Office of Personal Property Management, joins Federal News Radio with the details. November 16, 2010

    November 15, 2010
  • How is the federal government using social media? Host Mark Amtower interviews Marc Hausman, CEO & president of the Strategic Communications Group. November 15, 2010

    November 15, 2010
  • An Afghan national army soldier recently fired on foreign troops at a military compound in Sangin district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, after which he sought refuge with the Taliban. A Taliban spokesman said they took him to a safe location. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force\'s press office said it had received information about the incident and had launched an investigation to ascertain its veracity. The ISAF will release further details once the investigation is complete. As noted previously, defection to the Taliban can be contagious. If it takes root among the Pashtuns, it could become unstoppable.

    November 15, 2010
  • Every federal employee is supposed to have a Secure ID card under HSPD-12, a Bush-era presidential directive. If an agency wants those cards made by another federal agency, there\'s only one choice: the GPO. GPO\'s Steve LeBlanc explains why.

    November 15, 2010
  • November 16th, 2010 at 12:00PM Work is something you do, not someplace you go. Federal Agencies are looking at Telework as a way to lower the cost of government, attract and retain top talent, enable emergency readiness plans, lower their carbon footprint, and take advantage of technology improvements to work more efficiently. The current administration recognizes the opportunity to leverage telework to solve some of the government\'s greatest challenges, and has long championed the economic and social benefits of telework expansion. FedsTelework, a FedScoop production, is pleased to bring you a panel discussion with Government IT leaders including Bill Piatt from GSA and Pamela Budda from DOD to discuss telework solutions in the federal government.

    November 12, 2010
  • The service issued a memo detailing a common operating environment architecture as part of a broader software transition strategy. The strategy builds on the experiences of the Apps for the Army program. The service is developing plans for Apps for the Army 2 next summer focusing on industry-created software.

    November 12, 2010
  • Federal agencies tend to favor brands they know, Washington Business Journal reports. FAR is supposed to eliminate brand preference, but that doesn’t always happens, one industry expert said in the article. “I think concern about…

    November 12, 2010
  • A new memo from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy gives agencies until June to determine whether the number of contractors performing services is appropriate. First, however, agencies must develop a service contract inventory and make it public. OFPP said for agencies to initially focus on professional and management services and technology services.

    November 12, 2010