Acquisition

Public-private group envisions 'acquisition of the future'

AOF brings together government and industry in an effort to chart a new course for acquisition overhaul efforts.

Acquisition

CBP offers 'explanation plus' to losing bidders

The plan is to tell vendors who fail to win a contract why they lost, within the constraints of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, rather than just telling them that they did.

Acquisition

News and notes from FOSE

Highlights from the first day at the FOSE conference.

Acquisition

Developing a course on procurement management -- seeking advice!

Steve Kelman notes the severe lack of research on government procurement, and is looking for the gaps that most need to be filled.

Acquisition

OMB plans Digital Service to improve IT delivery

Tech professionals would serve in government for two- to four-year rotations on a full-time basis, possibly supplemented with private sector professionals pitching in a given project for a month at a time.

Acquisition

NIST eyes IT asset management for financial services industry

The agency and its partner, the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, are looking for collaborators on a model system to guard against cyberattacks.

Acquisition

FAR Part 1: 'If it's not prohibited, it's allowed'

Steve Kelman reflects on what could be the most important sentence in the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Acquisition

Balderson to lead Northrop Grumman contracting

Diane Balderson was most recently head of contracting for the Naval Air Systems Command.

Acquisition

Pentagon ponders making IT subject to same rules as weapons

Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall and Sen. Joe Donnelly used an Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss the possibility of using the same cost guidelines for IT and weapons systems.

Acquisition

Storehouse of procurement numbers could aid Data Act implementation

Information gathered as part of the reverse auction process could provide the type of granular data that's hard to come by.

Acquisition

Seeking some common ground

Federal IT is difficult enough without viewing agencies and industry as zero-sum adversaries, writes FCW's Troy K. Schneider.

Acquisition

Lawmakers push consolidation of small business preference process

Under current law, the VA runs its own Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program, and the SBA handles those duties for all other agencies.

Acquisition

Improved Pentagon acquisition requires tolerance of risk

Overhauling the defense acquisition process is a national security imperative in tight budget times, argues a consultant and former Marine major general.

Acquisition

Industry, agencies talk small business obstacles

Programs aimed at cutting through the weeds of the procurement process can help, but many small vendors feel other federal efforts are stacked against them.

Acquisition

IBM gears up for Pentagon health push

With a major electronic health records procurement looming, IBM is growing its federal health IT footprint.

Acquisition

HealthCare.gov -- more agile, please

Draft requirements for the site's next contract stress open source, iterative development and maintaining the financial back-end platform.

Acquisition

Masiello talks pricing, LPTA and long-term contracts

The Air Force general told an AFCEA audience what vendors can expect on future acquisition efforts.

Acquisition

GSA touts new mobile management resource

Mobile Lifecycle & Expense Management can save 25 percent or more, GSA says.

Acquisition

DOD aims to improve procurement communications

Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Katrina McFarland tells industry that draft requirements could be shared earlier in the process.

Acquisition

How can we improve the use of past performance in contracting?

Steve Kelman responds to Jaime Gracia's comments on problems with the current system.