Contracts
FAR Overhaul targets commercial buying and negotiations in newest rewrite
Parts 12 and 15 have revisions ready for industry to read, while two other parts of the Federal Acquisition Regulation are deleted entirely in a push to increase competition.
DHS sets fast-track schedule for network, cloud and cyber consolidation vehicle
The Homeland Security Department is working against a compressed timeline to make awards for this contract to centralize IT operations at headquarters and across components.
‘We have to throw technology at the cyber problem,’ Pentagon CIO says
Defense Department Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies said the Pentagon has to focus on “leveraging the fantastically skilled people that we have in a much more effective way.”
CMMC's Phase 2 suspension locked in with binding regulation
A new class deviation moves the pause on third-party assessments for this security standard from policy to an enforceable rule.
Pentagon unveils first of two solicitations for its next big cloud contract
The hyperscalers can now start working on proposals for their portion of the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability recompete, while a second contract is in-the-works to cover everything else.
Former CISA employee pleads guilty to defrauding government with secret contractor jobs
Prosecutors say Richeline Fung secretly held contractor jobs tied to six agencies and claimed up to 33-hour workdays while working full time for the federal cyber agency.
Industry offers government a playbook for handling OneGov expirations
Some deals offering federal agencies significantly discounted access to software are set to expire at the end of the month.
Contractor may have used AI to falsify payment dispute financial documents, appeals board finds
A legal expert told Nextgov/FCW the possibility underscores how the federal government is “fully unprepared for how bad” AI-driven procurement fraud is going to get.
VA boosts EHR modernization contract with Oracle by $17B
The modified agreement raises the contract’s total value to just under $27 billion.
CISA contemplates whether to hire security software buying help
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a sources sought notice that describes its desire to bring in a company that can help manage enterprise license and materials purchases.
FAA brings in AT&T for network modernization program
The Federal Aviation Administration is developing a potential 15-year contract with AT&T to support the overhaul of the air traffic control system.
Palantir’s no-bid pipeline just got bigger
A new $244M Pentagon memo skips the Federal Acquisition Regulation's process for sole-source justifications and urges agencies to find ways to work with the company.
DISA sets release date for follow-on cloud solicitation
The Defense Information Systems Agency is pushing to expand its $9 billion cloud vehicle beyond the big four hyperscalers.
DHS wraps up Oracle's Cumulus cloud contract
The Department of Homeland Security has two more hyperscaler awards to finalize before it can move ahead on a separate competition for this enterprise cloud program.
Contractor alleges Army inappropriately used AI to make $450M contract award
An industry lawyer anticipates more bid protests will likely allege that agencies misused AI in the procurement process but that could be hard to prove if agencies don’t report their use of AI as “high-impact.”
Acquisition overhaul is providing needed ‘discretion’ for tech adoption, procurement chief says
“If it's not in the FAR, and it doesn't tell you you can't do it, then you should consider it,” Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Kevin Rhodes said.
GSA is eyeing OneGov savings beyond software and tech, official says
GSA Deputy Administrator Mike Lynch noted that many of the roughly two dozen firms participating in the OneGov initiative “offer multiple products to federal government,” meaning that the strategy can ultimately lead to a broader range of cost savings.
GSA’s draft AI procurement rule has improved but needs further reforms, contractors say
Contractors have until Aug. 3 to give GSA feedback on a proposed overhaul to large language model procurements.
DOD suspends CMMC Phase 2, launches 60-day ‘reform’ review
Citing prohibitive costs for small and mid-size contractors, the Defense Department will keep Phase I self-assessments in place while a new task force studies the cyber and supply chain security program's future.
OPM’s HR systems award clears protest window
None of Oracle’s competitors have filed objections to the $396 million Federal HR 2.0 contract.
