Quick Hits

*** The General Services Administration clarified last week that an exception to procurement rules that allows certain contractors to buy needed items on federal schedules has expired. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 51 Deviation Authority expired on Oct. 23, GSA said in a Jan. 17 blog post. Vendors are now asked to use the Order Level Materials special item number to procure items needed for delivery on federal contracts and task orders. The change eliminates a redundant authority and is designed to remove an extra step in making needed purchases.

*** Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a think tank audience last week that the way defense contractors build software is "just a nightmare." Speaking Jan. 17 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Hyten said that the Defense Department's Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) -- led by Hyten -- must make changes in order to support rapid software delivery that aligns with what is seen in the private sector.

"The JROC is an industrial-age model, not an information-age model," Hyten said. "We have to change it. We have to change the structure."

*** Amando Gavino, the director of a key technology acquisition office at the GSA's Federal Acquisition Service, has left the agency, multiple sources told FCW. The agency declined to comment. Gavino was director of the Office of Information Technology Services for the Information Technology Category at FAS, which oversees the Alliant 2 governmentwide acquisition contract. Federal News Network broke the news of Gavino's departure on Jan. 20.