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Another in a series of executive orders that affect the way vendors sell to the Federal government may be imminent. Pressure is mounting on President Obama to act the same way he acted on the minimum wage contractors pay employees and the amounts contractors pay men and women doing the same job. David Hawkings, senior editor of Roll Call, writes about the third area on his Hawkings Here blog and tells In Depth with Francis Rose the contracting regulation trifecta may come in very soon.
The Defense Department issues far more sole source contracts than any other agency. Full and open competition is supposed to be the holy grail of awarding Federal contracts. Figuring out when sole source contracts are OK and when they're not is drawing attention from Congress. Belva Martin, director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, tells In Depth with Francis Rose about a new report that says little competition isn't always a good thing.
Your next pay raise might be bigger than the 1 percent raise President Obama requested in his fiscal 2015 budget request last month. But the operative word there is "might." Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey spells it out in his column today titled "3.3 pecent pay raise: What are the odds?"
Today's Combat Air Force has the fewest bombers and fighters and the oldest aircraft ever. The Defense Department and Congress are hitting a sweet spot to fix that, according to two experts in military aviation. Mark Gunzinger, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, writes about the future of the Air Force with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, now a senior scholar at the Air Force Academy. Gunzinger talks to In Depth with Francis Rose about revamping the Air Force for the next fight.
An independent commission to make recommendations about the restructuring of the Army isn't meeting with much welcome from Army leaders. But it does have some support. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, president of the National Guard Association, is one of the most outspoken advocates for the outside commission. He told In Depth with Francis Rose the Army needs an outside look before it downsizes.
The Defense Health Agency is on a mission to improve health, wellness and readiness across the DoD workforce. It wants to fight obesity and destructive behaviors like smoking and alcohol abuse. Capt. Kim Elenberg is program manager for Population Health, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. On this week's episode of our Agency of the Month radio show, she tells Federal News Radio's Lauren Larson about Operation Live Well. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
The Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology National Labs play a big role in defending the United States against threats anywhere and at anytime. The labs conduct research and tests to evaluate new technologies. Jamie Johnson, director of the Office of National Labs at DHS, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the latest findings from the labs.
The Patent and Trademark Office is making an annual program out of a successful one-year initiative. It wants to find and reward inventors whose products and services benefit humanity. Competitors in the "patents for humanity" program can win several prizes, including a fast track for their patent application. The 2013 awards recognized 10 recipients in five different categories. The agency is now accepting applications for this year. Edward Elliott, an attorney adviser at USPTO, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the program.
In the military, combat experience helps you climb the career ladder. The lack of it can set you back. As the United States enters what is believed to be an era of peace, what does that mean for young cadets' job prospects? Will they be relegated to second-tier jobs behind those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan? Army Lt. Gen. David Barno (Ret.), a senior fellow and co-director of the Responsible Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, explained the promotion system to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, the State Department will build a new training center, and the Navy refuses to let dozens of transportation workers onto bases.
Karen Frank and Tim McDonough discuss the Hospice of the Chesapeake's programs such as the final salute for veterans, bereavement counseling for grieving family, and both in-home and residential services for terminally ill patients.
Gerald Moore, Michigan district director for the Small Business Administration, will talk about the business climate in the city of Detroit and what the SBA is doing to help companies located there. April 18, 2014
If you notice your colleague has a flat top, there might be a good reason for that. Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey writes in his column that Federal flat tops hit you and your coworkers in the wallet.
In spite of a lot of unhappiness among vendors, the Defense Department shows no signs of backing down from a controversial decision it made last month: requiring its contracting officers to do their own pricing homework before they make a purchase from GSA's schedules program. Federal News Radio's DoD reporter is writing about that as one item in this week's edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook.