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.
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.
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.
Contracting officers get too friendly with contractors, senator says
Contracting officers lose objectivity because they are too friendly with companies, McCaskill says.
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.
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.
New regulatory strategy aims to help small businesses
Obama directed agency officials to consider the economic effects of federal regulations on small businesses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The year in cartoons: Security certifications, insourcing and light bulb procurements
FCW cartoonist John Klossner selects his favorite editorial cartoons from 2010.
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?
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.
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.
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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