Business development rule No. 1: Gather intelligence

Sound business development requires purposeful interaction and dialogue with the customer.

Rising Stars shine brightest on the toughest problems

Rising Stars program recognizes people early in their careers who are having a positive impact on the government.

OMB wants employee, contractor balance

Agencies should find the best balance between contractors and employees in their workforces, the Office of Management and Budget says.

The hunt is on for cyberwarriors

A new program tries to find young people that could meet the government's need for more highly skilled cybersecurity professionals.

Former Harris exec named as chief operating officer at Applied Signal Technology

Former Harris Corp. executive Mark Andersson has joined Applied Signal Technology Inc. as chief operating officer.

Survey: IT salaries getting pinched in 2009

The general economic downturn is leaving its mark on information technology salaries, according to an independent study.

Strong guidance needed for insourcing

The hot button issue of insourcing is creating unease, especially in the Defense Department, where weak guidance has produced a sense of confusion among the various components.

7 deadly sins of business development

Small businesses face a new competitive environment and must guard against missteps that suffocate business development.

How DOD's certification program works

DOD published a manual describing various job categories, including technical and management positions, and the different certifications that meet the training requirement. Here are a few examples.

Mandatory cyber certification: What good is it?

A debate rages over a Senate proposal to require certification or licensing for all cybersecurity professionals who work on government information systems.

Deepwater gets new acquisition chief

The Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate has a new rear admiral in charge — Ronald Rábago.

ManTech names Prior as president

ManTech today announced that Larry Prior is its new president and chief operating officer, replacing Robert Coleman.

Poaching employees hurts contractors and agencies alike

Government agencies and contractors should set aside their heated competition over skilled workers to keep costs down and prevent excessive turnover.

E-Verify on hold again as administration reviews rule

The E-Verify rule for contractors will be postponed until September, according to TechAmerica.

House bill would require competition on TSA biometric contract

The pending House bill would make the TSA put up for competitive bid a longstanding, sole-provider contract for processing fingerprints for backgrounds checks on aviation workers.

Senate bill would suspend competitive sourcing

Federal agencies would be encouraged to bring previously contracted work in-house under a new bill introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

E-Verify deadline postponed again

The Homeland Security Department has extended until June 30 the deadline for contractors to begin using the employment verification system.

Chertoff security firm hires Hayden, three others

Michael Hayden, a former CIA director, and three former DHS officials join The Chertoff Group security advisory firm.

H-1B petitions fall short of cap

U.S. immigration authorities have received only 42,000 H-1B visa applications in the latest tally.

POGO: Penalized contractors kept winning contracts

A government watchdog group says some contractors kept winning federal work despite being banned from getting that work.