Acquisition

Procurement experts weigh election results

Shifting political balance in Congress could bring changes to procurement, IT.

Acquisition

IT innovation might be at risk under new Congress, former Rep. Davis warns

Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) predicts that the new House GOP majority will be zealous in scrutinizing agency IT innovations for possible cuts.

Acquisition

White House vows to reduce improper payments

White House officials respond to a report that details billions in improper payments to dead people.

Acquisition

IRS to manage Treasury procurements

The Treasury Department and the IRS have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin shifting procurement to the IRS.

Acquisition

DOD, GAO differ on measuring the workforce

Given the scale and value of DOD’s acquisitions and spending, GAO said defense officials would benefit by linking training to performance.

Acquisition

IG: EPA faces acquisition workload issues

Officials say they've had no specific contract work unduly delayed or not awarded because of the current workload.

Acquisition

Coalition for Government Procurement gets government insider as head

The Coalition for Government Procurement has chosen a new president.

Acquisition

Focus on error-prone contractors to find improper payments, HHS IG says

Medicare could do better at identifying improper payments by looking to providers who are most likely to make errors, according to the Health and Human Services inspector general.

Acquisition

New DOD contracting rules put small businesses in harm's way

A crackdown on DOD contracting could deal a blow to small businesses, and the potential impact goes far beyond the viability of a few organizations.

Acquisition

Small-biz contracting: The nightmares continue

Another case of alleged misdoings in small-business contracting could keep contracting officers awake at night.

Acquisition

SBA to launch small business program for women

SBA officials are setting up procedures to help woman-owned small businesses gain more access to the federal contracting marketplace.

Acquisition

Technical knowledge and government IT professionals: An oxymoron?

Do government IT pros have the expertise to know a good technical idea when the see it? And, even more importantly, can they distinguish between suggestions that are self-serving from those that are in an agency's interest?

Acquisition

More debate about pre-RFP talks between government, industry

Blogger Steve Kelman responds to comments he received on a recent blog post about the sensitive nature of government-industry communications.

Acquisition

More guidance coming on time-and-materials contracting

Contracting officers have been confused about how time-and-materials contracts work and how to justify them.

Acquisition

DOD dropped the ball on workforce reviews, GAO says

DOD officials might have lost an opportunity to build for the future, GAO officials wrote in a letter to congressional committees.

Acquisition

SSA's tracking of computer buys is a mess, IG says in report

It's not possible to know if the Social Security Administration overpaid or underpaid for some computers because the recordkeeping is so poor, according to a new report.

Acquisition

DOD aims for acquisition overhaul

Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plans call for increased vendor competition, better contracts and a reinforced acquisition workforce.

Acquisition

$1B in stimulus money at VA poorly tracked, IG says

The inspector general is taking the Veterans Health Administration to task for gaps in its oversight of contractors receiving economic stimulus law funding.

Acquisition

House passes bill to keep GSA skeds open to state, local agencies

The House backs programs that open schedules contracts to state and local governments in case of emergencies.

Acquisition

Army rebuilds acquisition workforce to meet Pentagon reforms

New tactics to save money demand better business arrangements and contracts, and a skilled workforce that can negotiate them, officials say.