The federal Office of Management and Budget has released a second inventory of jobs that could be opened to public-private competition under Circular A-76. <br>
Northrop Grumman and TRW, in discussions with the Justice Department over their proposed merger, believe an acceptable consent decree can be reached within the next several days.<br>
The General Accounting Office is set to release a report on the cross-agency collaboration of the Bush administration's 24 e-government initiatives, according to speakers at an industry sponsored event Nov. 20.
The United States, United Kingdom and Canada have combined political leadership with communications infrastructures to create the best environments for e-commerce in the world, according to a new study from consultant firm Booz Allen Hamilton.<br>
The Bush administration's latest scorecards rating agency performance on five key management initiatives contain mixed results, with eight agencies improving in one or more initiatives, and two faltering in one initiative.<br> The quarterly scorecards measure the status and progress of 26 departments and agencies in achieving the president's goals in five areas:
For a second year, federal government computer systems received an overall failing grade for security as Rep. Steve Horn issued his annual report card.<br>
Something was different at this year's annual meeting of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Not just one, but two heavy hitters from the Bush administration gave keynote speeches.
The House has unanimously passed e-government legislation that would set up a new Office of E-Government within OMB to improve coordination and deployment of information technology.<br>
<FONT SIZE=2>* More accountability of senior agency managers for improving opportunities for small businesses. Quarterly reports will be required by the Office of Management and Budget. </FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>The Bush administration's new plan to help small businesses by unbundling large federal contracts is generating cautious optimism among small players, but it is uncertain how the proposal will affect large contractors.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Responding to complaints from small business executives, two federal agencies are working to close a loophole in the General Services Administration's multiple-award contracts, including GSA schedules, that has allowed some large contractors to win contracts set aside for small businesses. </FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>The National Governors Association is preparing a homeland security report to help guide state and local governments on issues ranging from bioterrorism and public health to emergency communications and disaster response.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>On Oct. 21 Office of Homeland Security Chief Information Officer Steve Cooper joined officials from seven states in State College, Pa., to discuss how they might share criminal justice information with each other and the U.S. government. The site was a natural choice because Pennsylvania boasts one of the nation's most advanced criminal justice information sharing systems with its Justice Network.</FONT>
A draft of the Bush administration's revamped Circular A-76 shortens the time frame for public-private competitions and allows for consideration of factors other than lowest cost when making a contract award.<br>
The Navy-Marine Corps Intranet project is beginning to hamper the ability of some Navy installations to plan and budget for their information technology costs, according to a new report by the General Accounting Office.
The Bush administration Oct. 30 released its plan for unbundling large federal contracts, calling for increased accountability of high-level agency officials in eliminating unnecessary contract bundling and mitigating the effects of necessary bundling on small businesses. The new plan is part of the administration¡¦s strategy to give small businesses more opportunities to win federal work.
The Defense Acquisition Regulations Council published a final rule requiring contracting officers to first review the defense inventory for commercial software and maintenance services before checking elsewhere.
<FONT SIZE=2>Replacing paper forms with electronic ones doesn't merely mean mocking up a cyberspace replica of the paper version -- not if an agency wants to truly realize the productivity gains of e-records.</FONT>
Questions frequently arise, particularly among subcontractors asked to provide proprietary technology to government prime contractors, about conflicts of interest between the prime contractor's role as contractor and its role in helping define the agency's requirements.
