EPA slapped for being tardy with contractor evaluations

EPA's contracting officers were roughly four months late turning in their contractor performance evaluations, a new report says.

Has outsourcing gone too far?

The Obama administration thinks so, and it is determined to put more work into the hands of federal employees.

Obama increases focus on small-business contracting

The president has created task forces to focus on small-business contracting problems and opportunities for companies owned by service-disabled veterans.

DOD proposes new conflict of interest rules

Defense officials proposed new definitions for various types of conflicts of interest.

SBA leader vows to crack down on small-business fraud

SBA plans to become more aggressive in suspending and debarring companies from receiving federal contracts, the agency's administrator tells a House committee.

GSA chief of staff job is no longer open

The General Services Administration has picked its next chief of staff from within its ranks.

TSA contractors performed government-only work, IG concludes

TSA allowed contractors to review invoices for other contractors in apparent violation of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to a new report from the Homeland Security Department inspector general's office.

Contract rules need IT security standards, official says

A defense official has recommended changing the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require contractors' IT products to meet minimum security standards.

Smaller task orders on IDIQ services contracts?

A move away from contracting bundling could provide agencies with more flexibility in how they develop and field systems, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

House panel proposes more defense contracting reforms

The IMPROVE Acquisition Act would improve competition, financial management and workforce issues and save $135 billion over the next five years. backers say.

NIH prepares to fight for contract authority

NIH plans to meet with OFPP about its GWAC authority, but NIH's acquisition director expresses confidence that it will keep its governmentwide contract.

DOD gets authority to limit contract competition

Defense Department officials today adopted a rule that grants DOD authority to limit competition for contracts when buying to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HHS awards $267M for health IT regional centers

The Health and Human Services Department funds centers designed to help doctors and rural hospitals use health IT.

Obama warns contractors: Report ARRA money or else

The president says contractors failing to report information must be held accountable by all agencies to the fullest extent of the law.

Advocacy group sues government over contract data

A small-business group is concerned the loss of historical contracting data could prevent future investigations.

GSA could be trying to kill rival agency contract

GSA urged procurement officials to deny the NIH its GWAC authority, raising an old question.

Administration hopes for ripple effect from outsourcing policy

The administration wants a workforce that can carry out the government's operations and reduce the reliance on contractors.

Is GSA gunning for other GWACs?

Blogger Steve Kelman argues that the federal government is better off having GSA compete with other agencies for acquisition business.

OFPP proposes tests for deciding when to outsource work

OFPP publishes proposed policy to help agencies decide when work should be outsourced to contractors.

Is the acquisition workforce too small -- or too big?

In response to a recent article, a reader suggested that the Obama administration is trying to solve the wrong problem in government acquisition.