Budget cuts won't stop DOD IT spending in 2012, forecast predicts

DOD's appetite for IT expected to be diminished, but still healthy

  • By Amber Corrin

How the $16 muffin story harms the discourse

The story of conference muffins costing $16 each, a recently iconic mental image of government waste, is false -- and Steve Kelman explains why spreading such stories is harmful.

Other cartels that might alarm the former federal CIO

Conspiracy-seekers might not have to look very far to find cause for concern.

Listening in on GovLoop

Steve Kelman takes time to hear what the GovLoopers are saying.

Air Force procurement contests take wing

The Air Force discovers the value of contests as a route to innovation.

What does the $16 muffin really mean?

Attention to allegedly overpriced conference muffins gives a false image of the reasons for the deficit, writes Steve Kelman.

Obama wants small businesses paid in 15 days

The faster payments will give small businesses more confidence in cash flow, officials say.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Share-in-savings for energy-saving contracts -- how headquarters contracting shops can help

A specifc share-in-savings contract avoids termination liabilities.

Agencies don't account for all program costs, experts say

Auditors at GAO found that several agencies with interagency contracts and those that help with acquisitions don’t carefully account for all the costs of their programs.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Buying commercial items is back -- or is it?

Some ideas for saving costs would be good ideas even when budgets aren't tight, writes Steve Kelman. Buying commercial items is one of them.

Why is GAO's glass so often half empty?

GAO reports often take a pessimistic tone about what could be seen as good news. Steve Kelman wonders why.

5 keys to improving federal procurement

Fixing the fundamentals is more important than introducing innovation, one reader argues.

Kundra's 'IT cartel:' Fact or fiction?

Outgoing Federal CIO says a cartel of contractors holds back progress in federal IT. Is he right, or on shaky ground? Our readers speak up.

Regulatory reforms to hit competition, communication

President Barack Obama ordered agencies to modernize and increase the transparency of their regulation of industry and commerce.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Defense agencies adjust procurement thinking

At a time when the government is drawing borders around contractors, some defense IT officials are pinning their technology hopes on their close partnerships with companies.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Interior reconsiders future of assisted services branch

Interior's IG questions the usefulness of the Acquisition Services Directorate in Sierra Vista, Ariz., saying its risks might outweigh its benefits.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Procurement contests pooh-poohed by an unlikely source

Steve Kelman is disappointed in an attack on federal procurement competitions from a source he never would have expected.

OMB steps up hunt for fake products

The Obama administration's anti-counterfeit working group is looking for gaps in legal authority and regulation that may undermine how officials can check on the quality of products the government buys.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Vendors gripe at contracting conference

Steve Kelman found the opening sessions of the National Contract Management Association World Conference to be 'whining and self-serving'

Government gets a B in 2010 small-business contracting

The government awarded $97.9 billion to small businesses in 2010, compared to $96.8 billion in 2009.

  • By Matthew Weigelt
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