Smith Pachter McWhorter

FILE - An American flag flies in front of the facade of Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems facility, in Woburn, Mass on June 10, 2019. China said Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, it will impose new sanctions on U.S. defense contractors Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin due to their arms sales to Taiwan, stepping up a feud with Washington over security and Beijing’s strategic ambitions. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Even big, old-line contractors run into trouble with Defense cost accounting rules

A dispute between the Defense Department and old-line contractor Raytheon shows how tricky the rules are for cost accounting. In one recent case, Raytheon…

Contracting

A federal court decides when a contractor size rule actually takes effect

Contracting

Fixed-price contracts mean exactly what they’re called: FIXED-price

Contracts/Awards

How government email systems screw up contract bid solicitations

Acquisition Policy

Amelia Brust/Federal News Network

How two letters of the alphabet blew an award protest into a court case

Contracts/Awards

Why contract award debriefings are no mere formalities

Contracting

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

An aerial view of the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia.

Pentagon offers a shred of hope for inflation relief on fixed-price contracts

Acquisition Policy

Without good data, it’s tough to plan complicated procurements

Contracts/Awards

Government be warned: Contractors do not have to keep cost reimbursement records forever

Contracting

The US might be out of Afghanistan, but an Army contract dispute rolls on and on

Acquisition

A contractor prevailed in court when the government tried to snitch its IP

Contracting

When key personnel really do matter in bidding for federal contracts

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. It’s…

Contracting

A recipe for bid protests

When the army awarded a major contract for communication support services in U.S. Central Command without explaining itself, the Court of Federal Claims…

Contracting

Defense Logistics Agency, Moody Air Force Base, troops

Disability employer was a mandated source for body armor, but DLA opened up bids to others

Contracts/Awards

When the government establishes a mandated source of supply, that means there’s no way around it. That’s what the Defense Logistics Agency found when it issued a solicitation for body armor parts.