The process to ensure veterans are receiving contracts from the VA is actually shutting out some veteran business owners. But the VA says it inherited a large responsibility quickly and has since made great strides in improving its verification program.
Contractors warn of possible layoffs due to potential budget cuts. Some companies are in waiting mode to see what happens with Congress over the next six months.
Bob Lam, a former partner with Accenture's Worldwide Public Services business practice, offers his take on how agencies could improve the acquisition process for vendors. Lam spent 30 years in the federal market. He says agencies need to better understand vendor processes and improve communication.
Despite mounting pressure from certain quarters of the government and Congress to more aggressively suspend and debar irresponsible contractors, some agencies only rarely, if ever, do so. Rob Burton, the former acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said data on suspensions and debarments isn't always an apples-to-apples comparison.
As part of Federal News Radio's week-long multimedia special report, Inside the World's Biggest Buyer, Lee Dougherty a member of General Counsel, P.C.'s Government Contracts Practice discusses the suspension and debarment process.
Steven Maser, a professor of public policy and administration at Willamette University, recently completed a study on the bid protest process. While he acknowledged that the number of bid protests were on the rise, he didn't necessarily think that was a bad thing for agencies and contractors.
BGov Analyst Brian Friel spoke to The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about Bloomberg Government's top 200 government contractors list.
Agencies are making greater use of their ability to declare contractors and individuals ineligible for work by the federal government. Some outside experts suggest the increase may be the result of hasty decisions.
The four acquisition decisions the service will make in the coming months are the first fruits of a task force the Army created to pursue large-scale solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and waste-to-energy facilities on its bases.
Agency introduces the new Demand Based Model that will focus resources on the products and services agencies need and want the most. GSA plans on closing two schedules and parts of 14 others to new offerors. GSA also will cut vendors who do little or no business on the schedule to help reduce administrative costs.
Ever since 2003, contractors have played a major role in the contingency operations in Iraq. But with the transition to a State Department-led diplomatic mission there, some analysts believe contractors will play an even more central role. As part of the special series, Trial by Fire: Overseas Contracting in Transition, Federal News Radio examines how industry fared in the DoD-to-State handoff and whether State's enhanced role spells new opportunities for contractors.
Federal Technology Analyst Jason Wilson sizes up the defense cyber market. Defense Financial Analyst Sopen Shah looks at potential targets for mergers and acquisitions. Data Analyst Peter Brusoe looks at how federal contractors are donating money this campaign season.
Defense Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter said for every dollar lawmakers add to the military's budget or for every program they continue that the Pentagon wants to cancel, it requires cuts elsewhere. He also called sequestration irrational and said DoD is not planning for it.
Federal Chief Technology Officer Todd Park said the goal of the innovation fellows program is not for private sector experts to tell them what to do and do it, but mash-up with government innovators to tackle a long-standing challenge. Each of the five projects has specific milestones in the next six months.
Bid protests of government contracts have been on a steady rise over the past decade.