Budget

  • Defense Department Comptroller Michael McCord sent a reprogramming request to Congress in July asking to move money around to help pay for identity protection and data breach services as well as higher costs for security clearance background investigations.

    August 25, 2015
  • The Defense Department is working on new training and guidance to help its contracting officers decide whether potential contracts are worth the price. The Government Accountability Office sampled 32 commercial contracts. DOD contracting officials asked for cost, pricing and other information to help them determine if contracts were reasonably priced for 12 of them. Bill Woods is director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at GAO. He said it's too early to say whether the Pentagon's training and guidance is working, but he tells In Depth with Francis Rose that contracting officers DO have some challenges.

    August 24, 2015
  • Congress gets back from recess Sept. 8. Rumors are already flying over what kind of budget resolution Congress will consider. Bloomberg Government reports House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) is working with the Office of Management and Budget on a list of non-spending items that would get attached to a short-term continuing resolution. It would keep the government open after the end of the fiscal year. Tamar Hallerman is an appropriations reporter at Roll Call. She tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the likelihood of a short term CR, and news of a possible year long CR.

    August 24, 2015
  • The time to move from contract award to full implementation under the continuous diagnostics and mitigation (CDM) program will force agencies to decide whether to spend money on new tools or wait for those coming from DHS.

    August 24, 2015
  • An updated report from the Office of Management and Budget states that agencies face $1.8 billion in governmentwide cuts if sequestration kicks in unless Congress lifts spending caps.

    August 21, 2015
  • Senate Democrats want to launch bipartisan budget talks now. Wait any longer, they say, and it could be too late to stave off cuts or even a government shutdown.

    August 18, 2015
  • Ray Bjorklund, president of BirchGrove Consulting, discusses procurement spending in fiscal year 2015 and purchasing patterns across the federal government. August 18, 2015

    August 18, 2015
  • Two free training programs from the Department of Veterans Affairs won't only help veterans find new careers. They could be a road map to how agencies run pilot programs and prioritize decisions. Rosye Cloud is the acting director of the Office of Transition, Employment and Economics and a senior advisor for veteran development at the Veterans Affairs Department. She tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the programs work and what your agency can learn.

    August 14, 2015
  • The list of items likely to spark major fights — or at least some distraction - once Congress returns is growing. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promises no more government shutdowns. Democrats called for budget negotiations to start last month. But Roll Call reports Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said no debates have started yet. Tom Shoop is editor in chief at Government Executive magazine. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that McConnell is making a promise that he doesn't have the power to keep.

    August 14, 2015
  • Agencies will soon have an easier time buying telecom, cloud and other network services. The General Services Administration is working on the first of a few successors to its Networx contracts. Network Services 2020 Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions is offering agencies a more flexible buying market. Bob Woods is president of Topside Consulting and former commissioner of the Federal Technology Service at GSA. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the differences between the current Networx contracts and NS 20-20 Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions.

    August 14, 2015
  • The aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford will be the first ship of the Navy's new carrier design. The Defense Department will use the Ford for shock tests instead of waiting for the second ship in the series — the John F. Kennedy — to be complete in about five years. Bryan Clark is senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and former Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what the Pentagon's decision means for the ship and for the whole carrier fleet.

    August 12, 2015
  • Outgoing Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno warns today, as he leaves his uniform behind, the military is risking its long-term viability to meet short-term demands. He’s worried about the Army’s readiness to engage in complex fights — its overall size — and a continuing squeeze on acquisition funding. More from Federal News Radio’s DoD reporter Jared Serbu.

    August 12, 2015
  • GSA signed a 15-year lease for a 625,000 square foot building on Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia.

    August 12, 2015
  • Secretary Jeh Johnson is reorganizing the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and elevating the role of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). He named Andy Ozment and John Felker to run the NCCIC.

    August 10, 2015