Federal agencies that make late interim payments to contractors on cost-reimbursement contracts now are required to pay an interest penalty, according to an Office of Management and Budget final rule.
IBM Corp. is adding new programs and expanding the colleges and universities available through its eArmyU contract to provide e-learning services to the Army.<rb>
The Small Business Administration and the Defense Department last week took the first step toward completing the Business Partner Network for government contractors. SBA integrated its small business database, PRO-Net, with DOD's Central Contractor Registration system.
The General Services Administration is combining some operations of the Federal Technology Service with the Federal Supply Service, including moving IT contracts from FTS to FSS.<br>
The Office of Management and Budget did not collect complete business case information before selecting its 24 e-government initiatives, a new report concludes.<br>
The number of businesses and homes with high-speed connections to the Internet grew 27 percent in the first six months of 2002, the government reports.<br>
E-Government Act of 2002, which many believe is the most sweeping legislation since Congress passed the Clinger-Cohen Act six years ago, was signed into law today.<br>
Customer satisfaction with federal government Internet sites is slightly ahead of rankings given to private-sector sites, according to a new survey.<br>
<FONT SIZE=2>The federal government is extending its buying power to state and local governments through a small provision in the E-Government Act of 2002, which Congress passed last month.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Last April, the congressionally mandated panel to review and recommend changes to the process for public-private competitions for government activities issued its report. The report included several recommendations to reduce the advantages that government employees hold when competing with industry under the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A-76. In November, OMB released for public comment major proposed revisions to Circular A-76. </FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>The General Services Administration will lower the fee it charges to use the Federal Supply Service schedules to 0.75 percent from 1 percent of a contract's value. The new fee structure will go into effect Jan. 1, 2004. A General Accounting Office report in July found that the GSA schedules program had a surplus of more than $56 million in 2001. In fiscal 2002, agencies spent a record $22 billion on the schedules, and GSA earned about $210 million in fees.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Information technology projects at the Immigration and Naturalization Service have not received needed oversight by the Justice Department, according to a report from the General Accounting Office.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Information technology industry executives are hopeful that the Bush administration's move to a new process for competing federal work will give them a better chance to win competitions with public-sector bidders.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Once signed into law, the Electronic Government Act will reinforce the importance of information technology-enabled government services and ensure e-gov programs will continue from year to year, according to government and industry officials.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>The White House has no plans to relax its control over the budget process that many in government view as a power grab by the Office of Management and Budget.</FONT>
James Flyzik, senior adviser in the federal Office of Homeland Security, says he will join two other former government-IT market veterans to form a consulting firm after he retires next week.<br>
A federal court issued a stay Dec. 10, prohibiting the Pentagon from withholding payments on government contracts worth $2.3 billion from two major defense contractors.<br>
