Contractor IDs: A lesson from Harry Potter

FCW cartoonist and blogger John Klossner has a solution for feds concerned about identifying who's a fed and who's a contractor.

Why not more software reuse?

Blogger Steve Kelman believes the federal government could make big gains by making it a priority to reuse software wherever possible.

White House promises major changes to IT management

The federal government is doing a major rehab on how it oversees and manages the $70 billion in annual IT spending.

Acquisition workforce gets half-hearted support, survey shows

A new survey shows a widening chasm between the trajectory of policy and what acquisition workers see as benefits.

NARA e-mail service on the fritz

Efforts to replace faulty network equipment have been complicated by problems with U.S. trade law.

Air Force creates new acquisition office

Small business is set to remain a top priority as the Air Force works to improve its contracting, purchasing and requirements processes.

Officials recognize breakthroughs in bulk buying

Agencies, acting differently and under new pressures, are reconsidering strategic sourcing's benefits.

Procurement experts weigh election results

Shifting political balance in Congress could bring changes to procurement, IT.

IT innovation might be at risk under new Congress, former Rep. Davis warns

Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) predicts that the new House GOP majority will be zealous in scrutinizing agency IT innovations for possible cuts.

DOD acquisition officials see trade-off problem

Best-value trade-offs are time-consuming and a sticky subject, especially when they involve complex contracts, a lot of money and bid protests.

Delivering IT projects in quick increments: 23rd time's the charm?

Perhaps the recent recommendations by a TechAmerica panel finally will inspire agencies to take a more agile approach to system development, writes FCW blogger (and commission co-chairman) Steve Kelman.

Coalition for Government Procurement gets government insider as head

The Coalition for Government Procurement has chosen a new president.

How to improve procurement: Stop talking about requirements

Federal agencies would do themselves a favor if they stopped thinking in terms of requirements and started talking about user needs, writes consultant Ray Kane.

One more time: Contract management needs to be a core competency of government

Federal agencies waste a lot of time and money on large government IT projects because they lack the necessary management expertise, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

SBA to launch small business program for women

SBA officials are setting up procedures to help woman-owned small businesses gain more access to the federal contracting marketplace.

Contractors behaving badly: Report exposes labor law violations by IT vendors

Government Accountability Office auditors find that half of the 50 largest assessments handed out by the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division between fiscal 2005 and 2009 were charged to 20 federal contractors.

Technical knowledge and government IT professionals: An oxymoron?

Do government IT pros have the expertise to know a good technical idea when the see it? And, even more importantly, can they distinguish between suggestions that are self-serving from those that are in an agency's interest?

More debate about pre-RFP talks between government, industry

Blogger Steve Kelman responds to comments he received on a recent blog post about the sensitive nature of government-industry communications.

DOD drives deeper wedge between feds and contractors

A new Defense Department rule that requires service contractors to identify themselves as such could exacerbate existing tensions in the federal workplace.

Improving federal IT acquisitions

Blogger Steve Kelman contends vendors should make experts available to provide comments or suggestions on technical or contracting strategy issues during the contract bidding process.