More collaboration means more competition, OMB official says

By opening discussions with vendors, officials can learn what other companies can offer them, instead of sticking with the current vendor, an official says.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

OFPP mythbusts government-industry communications

Yes, contractors and agencies are allowed to talk. Steve Kelman has some thoughts.

Army halts insourcing initiatives

Proposals now must be fully documented and justified before they get senior officials' approval.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Professional, service contracts will come up short in 2012 budget

The 2012 budget is expected to be lean, and details of some of the proposed cuts are beginning to emerge.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Contracting officers get too friendly with contractors, senator says

Contracting officers lose objectivity because they are too friendly with companies, McCaskill says.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

POGO argues for release of past-performance information

Government officials continue to withold data on past performance in Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, but watchdog group wants more disclosure.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Experiments to improve public-sector management

Steve Kelman proposes running experiments to test different approaches to public-sector management.

Opinion

Bring accountability to contract protests

Government and industry need to take a new approach to procurement before bid protests spiral out of control, writes Jaime Gracia.

  • By Jaime Gracia

New regulatory strategy aims to help small businesses

Obama directed agency officials to consider the economic effects of federal regulations on small businesses.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Agencies schooled to be vendor-neutral in RFPs

Officials have reminded agency purchasers about value-neutral IT purchases after a federal judge ruled that the Interior Department decided to buy software from Microsoft while other capable companies were interested in the work.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Google wins: Interior forbidden to award noncompetitive contract to Microsoft

Interior Department officials began considering awarding a contract to Microsoft too early in the contracting process, judge writes.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

NIH agency tests waters with hybrid procurement

NIEHS is planning an enterprise IT services deal in which the contractor could provide support through a variety of procurement approaches.

  • By John Stein Monroe

IRS announces TIPSS-4 winners

TIPSS-4 contractors will provide support services to help the IRS maintain and update its large portfolio of legacy tax systems.

  • By John Stein Monroe

The year in cartoons: Security certifications, insourcing and light bulb procurements

FCW cartoonist John Klossner selects his favorite editorial cartoons from 2010.

  • By John Klossner

What key spending provisions will rise again in new Congress?

What will happen to the new insourcing policies, proposed federal pay freeze and agency IT budgets, now that the Senate omnibus funding bill has been withdrawn?

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Senate takes step toward better acquisition

Upgrading the institute and making sure it has enough money will ultimately lead to more effective oversight of government contracting, the measure's backers say.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Sold to the lowest bidder: Reverse auctions play cost-savings role for agencies

Interest grows in reverse auctions as agencies look for efficiency and cost savings.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Why OMB’s IT reform plan just might work

Blogger Steve Kelman finds a lot to like in OMB’s new IT reform report.

Better requirements -- at the task-order level

Agencies will do a better job of getting what they need to meet their requirements if they define those requirements in task orders, rather than trying to map out everything in the initial RFP, suggests Steve Kelman.

Buying fast, buying better

Acuqisition professionals should strive for accuracy, but not at the expense of speed, writes Steve Kelman.

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