Austerity best served with a healthy dose of collaboration

Columnist Stan Soloway says the best way to weather the coming years of government austerity is for agencies and contractors to collaborate on the best and most cost-effective solutions.

Will DOD's 2012 budget request answer industry's questions?

Contractors are anxious about the Feb. 14 Defense Department budget submission. What are they hoping to see in Gates' 2012 funding request?

Contractors put more focus on being focused

Editor Nick Wakeman sees increasing signs that government contractors are shedding noncore businesses to focus on what they do best.

DOD budget cuts target contractors, IT programs

Reductions to personnel, IT and major weapons programs are DOD targets as the Pentagon faces $13 billion less than requested in the fiscal 2012 budget.

Gates prepares more details on cuts to the defense budget

Defense Secretary Robert Gates reportedly will brief lawmakers Thursday with the latest update on his ambitious plans for cutting Pentagon spending.

Funding rules might challenge Obama IT reform effort

When Federal CIO Vivek Kundra unveiled the White House IT management reform plan earlier this month, he said one of its toughest elements would be aligning the budget process with the technology cycle.

Federal shutdown a possibility

The federal government's money runs out at midnight Dec. 18 unless the Senate takes quick action.

Panel recommends slashing federal workforce to help with deficit

The White House-led debt-reduction panel recommends cutting the federal workforce, changing the tax code and imposing annual limits on war spending, among other things, in order to save $4 trillion by 2020.

Intelligence operations carry $80B price tag

The government has released the topline budget for intelligence operations for the first time.

The perils of congressional procrastination

The fallout from delays in appropriations from Congress is enormous, says Stan Soloway of the Professional Services Council.

Are you on OMB's high-risk list?

When the White House released a list of 26 high-risk information technology projects on Aug. 23, federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra was quick to point out that it wasn’t a hit list. But now some of the biggest names in government are under a microscope.

Gates details plans to slash DOD budget

In his aggressive efforts to save money, Defense Secretary Gates is targeting a number of DOD offices and organizations, including one major command, IT infrastructure and several senior positions.

Is the intell market out of control?

Editor Nick Wakeman kicks off a discussion about the findings of a new Washington Post series on the explosive growth and the lack of comprehensive management of intelligence agencies.

'Fiscal cancer' threatens government market

Tough times and tough decisions lie ahead as the government begins to wrestle with how to get its soaring budget deficit under control.

Pentagon tightens reins on contractors

The Defense Department wants its contractors to become more efficient as part of a larger DOD strategy to address declining budgets.

DOD aims to slash budget by $100B to pay for war

The Defense Department is looking to trim $100 billion over the next five years from existing programs, allocating those funds to combat operations and capabilities.

Private financing initiatives might lessen agency budget woes

Private finance initiatives are an effective way to relieve budgetary pressure and enable agencies to move forward with infrastructure improvements, writes Stan Soloway.

A practical way to spice things up for new contracting employees

Give high-school grads some of the routine work, so the specialists can engage their minds with bigger challenges.

HHS budget highlights IT initiatives

The Health and Human Services Department's proposed $81 billion discretionary budget for fiscal 2011 includes a few nuggets of increased IT spending.

VA freezes IT budget for 2011

The Veterans Affairs Department is looking at a flat level of $3.3 billion for information technology in fiscal 2011, but managed some increases for benefits automation and telemedicine.