Contract Management News

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2013

June

Building Shared IT Services for Federal Agencies Located Overseas — June 17, 2013
There are some 40 federal agencies with offices in foreign countries that traditionally have maintained their own Internet, email and computer systems, and that have paid separately for support services and security, resulting in extra costs and needless duplication.

Businesses Know That D.C. Offers an Outstanding Opportunity for Growth — June 17, 2013
A secondary headline to The Post’s June 11 editorial “Outlawing business” stated, “Bad legislation by the D.C. Council threatens to run retailers out of town.”

GSA Owes $3 Million to Cancelled Schedules Contractors — June 17, 2013
The General Services Administration’s multiple-award schedules were in the headlines recently, and not in a good way.

Pratt & Whitney to Pay for F-35B’s Grounding, Executive Says — June 17, 2013
United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney unit and its subcontractors will pay the entire cost of grounding the Pentagon’s F-35B fighters in January because of a propulsion-system flaw, the unit’s top official said.

Shrinking Defense Dollars and Biofuels — June 17, 2013
After nearly four months on the job, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel finds himself in an unenviable position.

U.S. Air Force Says Arms Sales Doubled in Two Years, More Gains Likely — June 17, 2013
U.S. Air Force arms sales to international buyers doubled over the past two years and further increases are likely.

U.S. Arms Companies See Rising Foreign Demand — June 17, 2013
U.S. arms makers see rising foreign demand for fighter jets, missile defense systems and other weapons as countries modernize their forces and U.S. officials, facing tighter budgets, encourage allies to invest more in intelligence gathering and aerial refueling equipment.

Boeing Seeks KC-46A Tanker Exports as Talks With Buyers Progress — June 16, 2013
Boeing Co. (BA), the world’s largest planemaker, is in talks with several potential buyers for its KC-46A aerial refueling tanker as it aims to make the aircraft available for export one year ahead of its 2018 target.

Virtual Economies and Currencies: Additional IRS Guidance Could Reduce Tax Compliance Risks — June 15, 2013
Transactions within virtual economies or using virtual currencies could produce taxable income in various ways.

Bill Would Reverse Green Initiatives for New Federal Buildings — June 14, 2013
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill to repeal a law requiring federal buildings to use less fossil fuel generated energy, saying the provision is detrimental to the coal industry.

CIA Gave Amazon a Leg Up on Cloud Deal — June 14, 2013
The CIA gave Amazon an unfair advantage when it agreed to weaken security requirements on a $150 million contract for a massive intelligence community computer cloud it had already awarded to the Web giant, an auditor said Friday.

Contracting Officers Play Key Role in Greening Government — June 14, 2013
Training contracting officers ranks as the Small Business Administration’s top effort toward meeting federal sustainability goals, chief operating officer Paul Christy said.

Contractors Frustrated With Cuts to Bio-Based Purchasing Program — June 14, 2013
An Agriculture Department program that helps agencies buy environmentally friendly products made from biological or agricultural materials suffered a setback in January when Congress failed to extend funding that would allow it to test new products.

House Backs IT Buying Overhaul — June 14, 2013
The House on Friday passed a bipartisan plan to overhaul the way the government purchases and manages information technology, as part of a major defense policy bill.

Online Tool Helps Agencies Buy Green — June 14, 2013
For agencies that need a little guidance on how to buy green, there is some help.

Three Agencies Shuttered Friday Due to Furloughs — June 14, 2013
Three federal agencies are shut down Friday due to sequestration-induced employee furloughs.

Fallout from Recent Controversies Hurts Federal Workers — June 13, 2013
Uncle Sam’s reputation has taken a beating lately, and it’s his staff that will feel the pain.

Not Happy At Your Job? Your Company is Paying For It In Innovation Potential — June 13, 2013
When your employees aren’t happy, it’s a safe bet your bottom line isn’t either.

3 Tips to Make Change ‘Stick” In Your Organization — June 12, 2013
Government is challenged by the increasing need to embrace organizational change. All types of change.

Bankers, Business Owners Offer Starkly Different Takes on Loan Availability — June 12, 2013
Business owners, bankers and federal officials have starkly different views on whether capital is readily available to small businesses, and among those who think the government must help bolster lending and investing, there is little consensus about the best approach.

Contractor Work on $2 Billion NSA Computer Compounds Is Kept Quiet — June 12, 2013

Federal Consolidation Effort Uncovers Additional 3,000 Data Centers — June 12, 2013
Three years into a five-year program aimed at consolidating hundreds of federal data centers, the administration still does not know how many data centers it owns and operates.

GSA Sales of Excess Federal Property Heat Up — June 12, 2013
On May 13, the General Services Administration accepted a bid of nearly $3.3 million for the 221,000-square-foot James F. Battin Courthouse in Billings, Montana.

Pentagon Leaders Put Support Contractors on Notice for Deep Cuts — June 12, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his top budget deputy on Tuesday signaled they intend to make deep cuts in contractor personnel who help manage programs in almost every sector of the Pentagon bureaucracy.

Pentagon Preparing Two Budget Plans for Fiscal 2014 — June 12, 2013
The Pentagon is planning for two scenarios in fiscal 2014 because the outcome of budget negotiations between the White House and Congress remains uncertain.

Pentagon Will Soon Count Contractors – At a Cost — June 12, 2013
The Defense Department has a tough time counting the number of service contactors it employs because it contracts for the service, not for personnel.

Program Managers Too Scarce in the Federal Government, Survey Concludes — June 12, 2013
The key to curbing government waste and duplication lies in training more specialists in program management.

Tech Hiring Binge May Pose Security Risks for Government — June 12, 2013
Among the more curious revelations to emerge from the recent NSA leak saga is how a 29-year-old high school dropout landed a $122,000 job in a sensitive government program.

When is a Federal Program Actually a 'Program'? — June 12, 2013
Several new studies demonstrate the difficulty of defining what constitutes the “atom” of a federal program, but a recent Washington Post article begins to uncover why it is so elusive, much like finding sub-atomic particles in physics.

Agencies Aren't Honest About Tech Spending and Risks, Auditor Says — June 11, 2013
Better information technology management could save taxpayers $10 billion within five years, the government's top technology auditor told lawmakers Tuesday.

Ask Us for More Money to Fill Defense Budget Holes, Senator Says — June 11, 2013
A lawmaker on Tuesday encouraged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to file a supplemental budget request to fill fiscal 2013 budget holes caused by higher wartime costs and sequestration.

Boeing Scores Over $10 Billion in U.S. Aircraft Orders — June 11, 2013
Boeing Co (BA.N) has won two multibillion dollar U.S. orders for its Chinook helicopters and the V-22 Osprey it builds with Bell Helicopter.

DoD Seeks Public Input on Contract Obligations Concerning Fake Parts — June 11, 2013
The US Department of Defense is hosting a public meeting to obtain the views of experts and interested parties in government and the private sector regarding the electronic parts detection and avoidance coverage proposed for inclusion in DoD procurement guidelines.

Has Sequestration Hit Defense Contractors Hard Enough? — June 11, 2013
A lawmaker on Tuesday pressed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on the high price-tag of contractors as part of the Pentagon’s workforce.

Lawmakers Peeved Contractors Like Edward Snowden Pulled in Six-Figure Salary — June 11, 2013
Lawmakers on Tuesday cited the National Security Agency contractor who leaked top secret information about the agency’s telecommunications surveillance program as a consequence of a bloated, expensive contract workforce.

More Reliable Cost Estimates and Further Planning Needed to Inform the Marine Corps Realignment Initiatives in the Pacific — June 11, 2013
The Department of Defense's (DOD) preliminary cost estimate for its current realignment plan is not reliable, because it is missing costs and is based on limited data.

Pentagon Releases Report on Sequestration Cuts’ Effects — June 11, 2013
The Pentagon sent Congress a report providing details of $37 billion in sequestration cuts affecting defense contractors from Lockheed (LMT) Martin Corp. to Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII)

The Performance Opportunity in the Budget Crisis — June 11, 2013
The Obama administration seeks to “put in a management framework that can survive this budget climate and different administrations,” which is what is called for in the 2010 Government Performance and Results Modernization Act.

What Do We Really Mean by 'Government Accountability'? — June 11, 2013
Recent legislation imposes new accountability requirements in the form of more reporting.

1-Bell, Boeing to get Rrder for 99 More V-22 Ospreys — June 10, 2013
The U.S. Navy plans to sign this week a five-year contract valued just under $6.5 billion to buy 99 new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc, the program's manager said in an interview on Monday.

America's Outsourced Spy Force, by the Numbers — June 10, 2013
Edward Snowden wasn't your traditional spy.

Contractors to Handle Marines Corps' Cyber Arsenal — June 10, 2013
One-third of the 1,000 personnel slated to handle cyber weapons for Marine Corps troops overseas will be contractors.

Defense Bill Calls for Reducing Number of Generals, Flag Officers — June 10, 2013
Lawmakers are calling on the Pentagon to cut back on its general and flag officers.

Defense Civilians Make Last Ditch Effort to End Furloughs — June 10, 2013
Beleaguered federal employees have taken to the White House’s petition website to challenge the Pentagon’s decision to furlough most of its civilian workforce for 11 days in fiscal 2013.

Federal Workforce Dips 20 Percent Since May 2010 Peak — June 10, 2013
The total federal workforce dropped by 14,000 employees in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said June 7, bringing the government’s staffing levels to its lowest point in more than five years.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on June 16, 2013 — June 10, 2013
Episode 36 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: "Market Intelligence & Communications."

IG: Managers at GSA Greased Contracts for Favored Vendorse Last Three Months. — June 10, 2013
Two years ago, Virginia-based information technology contractor Carahsoft Technology Corp. was in a heated negotiation over the renewal of one of the General Services Administration’s largest IT contracts.

Investigators Looking Into How Snowden Gained Access at NSA — June 10, 2013
Counterintelligence investigators are scrutinizing how a 29-year-old contractor who said he leaked top-secret National Security Agency documents was able to gain access to what should be highly compartmentalized information.

NSA Contractor: 'I know I have done nothing wrong' — June 10, 2013
A 29-year-old former CIA employee who admitted responsibility Sunday for one of the most extraordinary leaks of classified information in U.S. history told the Guardian he exposed the documents because he thinks Americans should know how the government has intruded on their privacy.

NSA Leaks Put Focus on Intelligence Apparatus’s Reliance on Outside Contractors — June 10, 2013
The unprecedented leak of top-secret documents by National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden raises far-reaching questions about the government’s rush to outsource intelligence work to contractors since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Pentagon Five-Year Cybersecurity Plan Seeks $23 Billion — June 10, 2013
A Pentagon cybersecurity budget outline calls for spending almost $23 billion through fiscal 2018, as efforts are expanded on initiatives from protecting computer networks to developing offensive capabilities.

Social Security Taps EMC for $210 Million Sole Source Storage Award — June 10, 2013
The Social Security Administration plans to beef up its mainframe disk storage capacity with hardware from EMC Corp. under a $210 million sole source contract.

Well-Managed Agencies Turn Tough Times Into Opportunities — June 10, 2013
Automatic budget cuts, agency furloughs, a third year of a civilian federal pay freeze—the government’s list of challenges and employee morale busters is lengthy.

Editorial: DoD Must Cut Overhead, Personnel — June 9, 2013
Three years ago as Defense Department spending was poised for a downturn, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates launched a broad efficiency drive to cut staffs and stretch dollars.

Instead of Replacing Legacy Systems, Modernize Them — June 9, 2013
Continuing resolutions. Sequestration. Furloughs. We are all being inundated with the gloom and doom of what’s next in government.

Pentagon Green Energy Award Tops $19 Billion in May Contracts — June 9, 2013
The Pentagon bucked the automatic budget-cutting trend last month by going green.

Workforce Cuts Today May Cost Taxpayers More in Long Term — June 9, 2013
For federal employees and those following the government, it’s rare if the conversation these days doesn’t turn at some point to the budget and sequestration.

Analysis: Slashing Government Jobs Hurts the Unemployment Rate — June 7, 2013
Today, the Labor Department announced that the U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged in May at 7.6 percent.

Improved Oversight of Independent Living Services and Supports Is Needed — June 7, 2013
Of the 9,215 veterans who entered the Department of Veterans Affairs' Independent Living track within the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program in fiscal years 2008 to 2011, most were male Vietnam era veterans in their 50s or 60s.

Key Principles for Leveraging Nonfederal Resources — June 7, 2013
Four factors facilitated the ability of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Gallery of Art, Presidio Trust, and Smithsonian Institution to leverage nonfederal resources: (1) unique legal authorities and management flexibilities; (2) benefits received from these congressionally chartered organizations' (CCO) federal status; (3) governing boards that provided management and oversight; and (4) informal networks that enabled CCOs to share lessons.

Top 10 Cities For Small Business Employees — June 7, 2013
It turns out small businesses aren't just competing with other local companies for top talent, they're also competing with other cities.

As Arms Sales Fade, Aerospace Contractors Chase Commercial Customers — June 6, 2013
The aerospace and military industries, faced with lackluster sales of military equipment as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, are turning their attention to the soaring market for commercial jets.

GAO Advises CIA to Renegotiate $600M Cloud Contract — June 6, 2013
The Government Accountability Office ruled Thursday the CIA should reopen negotiations on a $600 million cloud computing contract that the agency had awarded to Amazon Web Services.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on June 9, 2013 — June 6, 2013
Episode 35 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: "Harnessing People for Success."

Government Performance Site Failed to Follow Its Own Advice — June 6, 2013
A government website designed to track whether agencies are making the best use of their resources has failed to follow some best practices of its own, an auditor said Thursday.

Leading Practices Should Guide the Continued Development of Performance.gov — June 6, 2013
The GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 requires Performance.gov to provide program and performance information accessible to the public and members and committees of Congress.

A Step Backwards: Small Business Firings Outpace Hirings for the first Time This Year — June 5, 2013
Small business lending and optimism are on the rise, according to several recent reports.

DoD Looking at Sequestration Impact to 2014 Budget — June 5, 2013
Pentagon officials in the coming weeks will examine how to modify the US Defense Department’s 2014 budget proposal if sequestration spending caps remain in place.

GSA Managers Faulted for Overruling Contracting Officers — June 5, 2013
Acquisition managers at the General Services Administration "undermined the integrity of the procurement process" when they overruled underlings and altered the administration of $900 million in multiple award schedule contracts with major software firms, an audit found.

GSA and Trump Ink Final Deal on Washington Old Post Office — June 5, 2013
The General Services Administration on Wednesday announced a final agreement with the Trump Organization to lease the historic but half-vacant Old Post Office Building on Washington’s Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest.

IG Finds GSA Interference in Contract Negotiations — June 5, 2013
General Services Administration managers strong-armed their own contracting officials during negotiations with three large technology contractors, ultimately forcing the agency to pay higher prices while demoralizing acquisition staff, according to a watchdog report.

IRS Contractor Loses SBA Certification — June 5, 2013
The Small Business Administration has revoked the Historically Underutilized Business Zone status of a contractor that has come under congressional scrutiny over nearly $500 million in IRS contracts from last year.

Pentagon Issues Priority List for Summer Furlough Period — June 5, 2013
Defense Department policy employees have received an updated list of priorities for the period this summer when most civilians will be furloughed one day a week.

Warplanes to Tankers Delayed by Contested U.S. Contracts — June 5, 2013
The U.S. Air Force was set to deliver aircraft to the Afghan military in April. Its suppliers have just started building them.

DOJ Warns of Fallout in Army-KBR Contract Dispute — June 4, 2013
The outcome of a court battle between the Army and KBR over the final stages of LOGCAP III, the largest government services contract in U.S. history, could affect tens of thousands of federal contracts while creating "enormous uncertainty" for vendors and the government alike, according to the Justice Department.

Don Perkins Named Huntington Ingalls Division Contracts, Pricing VP; Tom Stiehle Comments — June 4, 2013
Don Perkins, formerly contracts director at Huntington Ingalls Industries from 2002 to 2009, has rejoined the company as vice president of contracts and pricing for its Ingalls Shipbuilding division.

Green Energy Deal Tops $23 Billion in May Awards — June 4, 2013
A group of companies, including a unit of the German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG, won the U.S. Defense Department’s biggest contract last month, a potential $7 billion deal for alternative energy.

NCMA Executive Director on the OMB Meetings Protocol Announcement — June 4, 2013
Please note the following very positive news in the ongoing effort to ensure government participation in association meetings and conferences. Late last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued new guidance to all federal agencies acknowledging the need for federal employees to attend mission-related activities and provides some best practices for approving travel and registration expenses. OMB makes clear that federal agencies are encouraged to attend events that support their agencies’ mission. Here is the OMB guidance.

Navy Acquisition Chief Branch Discusses Procurement Strategies — June 4, 2013
This week on Off the Shelf, Elliott Branch, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition and Procurement discusses the Navy's procurement strategies.

Financial Firms Face New Clampdown — June 3, 2013
Led by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the 10-member Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) voted during a closed meeting to move forward with plans to designate “an initial set” of undisclosed firms, Treasury spokeswoman Suzanne Elio said.

Huntington Ingalls, General Dynamics Win U.S. Navy Orders — June 3, 2013
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (HII.N) beat out General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) for a larger share of a $6.1 billion U.S. Navy order for nine new DDG 51 destroyers, scoring a $3.33 billion deal for five ships that carries a 14 percent profit.

New Contract, Policies Speed Adoption of Mobile Devices — June 3, 2013
If you use your smartphone for work, your agency may be willing to buy a service plan for your personal device — under a new General Services Administration contract awarded last month.

Pentagon, Regional Staffs Growing Despite Orders to Trim Personnel — June 3, 2013
The size of the Pentagon's vast oversight organizations grew by more than 15 percent from 2010 to 2012, despite efforts to pare down the Defense Department's bureaucracy, an analysis by sister publication Defense News has found.

The Right Worker Mix — June 3, 2013
The Defense Department, facing a future of sharply reduced budgets, isn’t fast enough off the dime when it comes to getting the right mix of civilians and contractors, the Government Accountability Office said.

Think Tanks Urge More Cuts to DoD Civilian Workforce — June 3, 2013
The Defense Department should cut its 800,000-strong civilian workforce as one of several steps to preserve military preparedness during a long-term budget crunch, 25 former government officials and other experts from across the political spectrum said in a letter Monday.

U.S. Manufacturing Index for April Unexpectedly Declines — June 3, 2013
The nation’s manufacturing output unexpectedly shrank to its lowest level in four years in May, according to a new report, as slowing export growth and tight fiscal policy caused factories to slow production.

‘Rightsize’ Defense Civilian Workforce, Analysts Say — June 3, 2013
A group of Washington think tank analysts on Monday encouraged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and congressional leaders to “rightsize” the Pentagon’s civilian and contractor workforce to contain rising personnel costs and bloat.

Flying Blind: The Impacts of Sequesters — June 2, 2013
Federal agencies are in the throes managing more than $85 billion in cuts for the remainder of fiscal 2013.

It’s Official: Obamacare’s Small-Business Exchange is Partially Delayed — June 1, 2013
A few months back, the Obama administration took flak for initial plans to delay part of Obamacare's small-business exchange.

May

4 Trends Shaping the Tech-Driven Workforce of the Future — May 30, 2013
The FOSE convention was held this month, and I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on the future of the workforce—specifically how technology is changing the work environment and will enable people to succeed within it.

Agencies Again Must Come Up With 5 Percent in Spending Cuts — May 30, 2013
Newly installed White House budget director Sylvia Burwell on Wednesday instructed all agency heads to prepare for a 5 percent spending reduction in budget submissions for fiscal 2015, on top of the 5 percent cuts already planned for the yet-to-be enacted fiscal 2014 budget.

Agencies Should Plan for up to 10% Cut in FY15, OMB Says — May 30, 2013
Agencies’ fiscal 2015 budget requests should be 5 percent below the amounts President Obama outlined for them in April, Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Burwell said in instructions released Wednesday.

Defense Contractors Vastly Outnumber Troops in Afghanistan — May 30, 2013
For every U.S. service member serving in Afghanistan, there are 1.6 Defense contractors on the ground (and on the payroll) in supporting roles.

EPA Trims Furloughs by Three Days — May 30, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency has cut three furlough days from the total its employees must take, according to an internal memo.

Enhanced Oversight of the AbilityOne Program Needed — May 30, 2013
Federal agencies need to exercise strong oversight to promote effectiveness and efficiency and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse--especially in a federal procurement program such as this, which is exempt from full and open competition requirements.

In Small Business, the Real Danger Is Not Making Enough Time — May 30, 2013
I opened my first store in 2003. It was a wine store in Fort Greene in Brooklyn, called The Greene Grape and I realized pretty quickly that I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into.

Obama to Seek Much Lower Cap on Contractor Exec Pay — May 30, 2013
Federal contractors would see sizable cuts in government reimbursements for employee salaries under draft legislation the White House plans to send Congress next week.

One Solution to Sequestration: Slash Tens of Thousands of Defense Jobs — May 30, 2013
The Defense Department could manage long-term budget cuts from sequestration by massively reducing its civilian workforce, according to teams of analysts from Washington-based think tanks.

Some Federal Contractors Soon Can Get Nearly $1 Million a Year — May 30, 2013
Uncle Sam will soon pay individual private contractors almost $1 million a year, more than twice President Obama’s salary.

Additional Steps Needed to Help Determine the Right Size and Composition of DOD's Total Workforce — May 29, 2013
Since fiscal year 2001, the Department of Defense's military and civilian workforces peaked in fiscal year 2011 at 3.1 million personnel combined, and is projected to decrease over the next five years to below the fiscal year 2001 level of 2.9 million.

Apple Hires Former EPA Chief Lisa Jackson for Environmental Efforts — May 29, 2013
Apple has hired former EPA Chief Lisa Jackson to oversee environmental activities at Apple, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at AllThingsD’s D11 conference on Tuesday night.

DoD IG: Sequester Impedes Oversight — May 29, 2013
The inspector general in charge of uncovering fraud and waste at the Pentagon says the sequester won’t force any furloughs in his office, but a hiring freeze, scaled-back overtime and other cuts will hurt oversight work.

DoD Reports Modest Increase in the Total Cost of Major Acquisition Programs — May 29, 2013
The total cost of 78 selected DoD major acquisition programs, reported in the December 2012 Selected Acquisition Report, increased by a modest $39.8 billion or 2.4 percent since December 2011.

IG: USPS Underusing Plan Intended to Cut Labor Costs — May 29, 2013
The U.S. Postal Service is not taking full advantage of a union-approved plan intended to cut labor costs, a new inspector general audit shows.

More and More Americans are Feeling the Effects of the Sequester — May 29, 2013
Back in April, lawmakers had a brief moment of panic over the sequester.

Pentagon Begins Notifying Workers of Their up to 11 Furlough Days — May 29, 2013
The Department of Defense has begun delivering furlough notices to civilian employees, who are scheduled to start taking up to 11 unpaid days beginning July 8.

Sequester Not Biting District Yet — May 29, 2013
In the months since the automatic federal spending cuts known as the sequester took effect, the Washington area has added 40,000 jobs.

Think Tanks Advocate Defense Cuts Congress Rejects — May 29, 2013
Four diverse defense think tanks had a simple message for Congress on Wednesday as they tackled the complicated task of cutting $500 billion from the Pentagon under sequestration: the status quo is unworkable.

Wonkbook: If Austerity is So Bad, Why is the Economy Doing So Well? — May 29, 2013
Here are some numbers that make you go “wow.” The S&P 500 has risen more than 25 percent over the last year.

Cost of Modernized GPS Ground Control System Soars by $3.4 Billion — May 28, 2013
The cost of a modernized ground control system for Global Positioning System satellites has increased $3.4 billion above its original $1.4 billion price tag, the Pentagon reported.

Department of Defense Needs a Strategic Approach to Contracting for Health Care Professionals — May 28, 2013
The military departments--the Army, Navy, and Air Force--generally use competition and fixed-price contracts when contracting for medical professionals.

Is Washington a ‘City That Produces Almost Nothing of Actual Economic Value'? — May 28, 2013
Sen. Mike Lee made this comment as he tangled with a fellow Republican, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, about whether to appoint members of a conference committee to negotiate a nonbinding budget blueprint with the House.

Pratt & Whitney Finalizes $1 Billion F-35 Jet Engine Deal — May 28, 2013
Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, on Tuesday said it finalized a $1 billion deal with the Pentagon for a fifth batch of engines for the single-engine Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet.

Reports: Former EPA Administrator Jackson heading to Apple — May 28, 2013
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Tuesday that the technology giant has hired former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to head its environmental efforts.

The Economy is Holding up Surprisingly Well in a Year of Austerity — May 28, 2013
A U.S. economy that was supposed to be barely hanging on is starting to look surprisingly robust.

Why Hasn’t Austerity Been More of a Drag on the U.S. Economy? — May 28, 2013
This is the U.S. economy in a nutshell, as revealed in Tuesday’s news ticker: Housing prices rose faster over the past year than they have in the past seven.

Sequester is Fed Speak for Now Hiring; Government Posts 27,000 High-Paying Job Openings — May 27, 2013
The budget cuts known as sequestration were supposed to wreak havoc, forcing the shrinking of critical workforces including airport security officers and food inspectors.

Houston, We Have a Problem — May 26, 2013
On May 16, the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton released a report, “The Biggest Bang Theory,” which discusses strategies to attract specialists in the STEMM professions: science, technology, engineering, math and medicine.

5% of Federal Workforce Furloughed Friday as Agencies Shut Down — May 24, 2013
Roughly 117,000 federal employees are on leave without pay Friday in the first major round of sequester-driven furloughs.

The Rise of the Fourth Branch of Government — May 24, 2013
There were times this past week when it seemed like the 19th-century Know-Nothing Party had returned to Washington. President Obama insisted he knew nothing about major decisions in the State Department, or the Justice Department, or the Internal Revenue Service.

Continued Management Attention Needed to Enhance Use and Review of DOD's Inventory of Contracted Services — May 23, 2013
Over the past year and a half, the Department of Defense has taken steps to implement its plan to collect contractor manpower data directly from contractors and to develop and implement a department-wide system, based on the Army's existing system, to collect and store these and other inventory data.

House Committee Plans Deep 2014 Spending Cuts — May 23, 2013
A new House Appropriations Committee plan proposes increasing defense spending next year by 5 percent and imposing severe cuts upon many non-Defense Department agencies, especially the Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and State departments.

More Detailed Information about Its Jobs Calculation Methodology Could Improve Transparency — May 23, 2013
The U.S. Export-Import Bank's methodology to calculate the number of U.S. jobs associated with the exports it helps finance has four key steps.

Navy's Analysis of Costs and Benefits Regarding Naval Station Mayport Demonstrated Some Best Practices and Minimally Addressed Other Requirements — May 23, 2013
The Navy's analysis of the costs and benefits of stationing additional DDG-51 class destroyers at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, demonstrated some applicable best practices for analyzing costs and benefits.

Obama Announces Pick for New OPM Director — May 23, 2013
President Obama plans to nominate Katherine Archuleta to be the next director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Pentagon Sees Doubled Cost for Rocket Launch Program — May 23, 2013
The Pentagon on Thursday told Congress that a recent restructuring of its heavy rocket launch program to add 60 more launches and extend the schedule for a decade would more than double the program's projected cost to $70.7 billion.

Pentagon: F-35 Program Costs Fell $4.5 Billion Last Year — May 23, 2013
The total price tag for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program fell $4.5 billion in 2012, according to a new government report.

Federal Relocation Costs and Auction Revenues — May 22, 2013
Some federal agencies underestimated the costs to relocate communication systems from the 1710-1755 megahertz band, although auction revenues appear to exceed relocation costs by over $5 billion.

GSA Awards Governmentwide Mobile Contract — May 22, 2013
The General Services Administration on Wednesday awarded a governmentwide contract for discounted wireless services and mobile devices, which the agency expects will save $300 million over five years.

Here Comes Sequester: Part 2 — May 22, 2013
An unwelcome sequel is scheduled for January release and it’s titled Sequester: Part 2.

IG Hits Back at Afghan Criticism on Contractor Taxes — May 22, 2013
A government watchdog is defending an audit that uncovered tens of millions of dollars in Afghan taxes improperly levied against federal contractors in recent years amid sharp criticism from the country’s finance ministry.

Obama Taps Tangherlini to be Permanent GSA Chief — May 22, 2013
President Obama said Wednesday he plans to nominate acting administrator Dan Tangherlini to become the official head of the General Services Administration.

Agencies Respond to Tornado Under Shadow of Sequester — May 21, 2013
Federal agencies snapped to respond Tuesday to the devastating Oklahoma tornadoes, the first major natural disaster to strike since sequester-related budget cuts took effect in March. Like most agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is having to absorb a 5 percent reduction that will cost its disaster relief fund about $950 million, according to the White House budget office.

Amazon Web Services Gets Government Approval for Federal Cloud — May 21, 2013
Amazon announced Monday that its Amazon Web Services cloud can now be used for government business, having received a nod from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

Analysis: After the Oklahoma Tornado, Obama Needs to Make FEMA Work — May 21, 2013
In the wake of the tornado which cut through Moore, Okla., on Monday, it's worth remembering, for a moment, how wrong things went after Hurricane Andrew.

Feds Respond to Oklahoma Tornadoes — May 21, 2013
President Obama told Oklahomans they would "have all the resources they need" as they begin recovery efforts from a series of tornadoes that claimed the lives of several dozen people.

Old Friends Were at Center of a Network of Public Contracts — May 21, 2013
Arl Williams and Clarence Brown became fast friends more than 25 years ago when they lived and worked in Durham, N.C.

Raytheon is in the Hunt for a $3b Space Project — May 21, 2013
Even as spending is cut across the military, the final stage of a battle over billions of defense dollars is taking place at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, where Waltham-based Raytheon and Maryland’s Lockheed Martin are locked in a competition to build a first-of-its-kind “Space Fence” to track orbital junk.

VanRoekel to Lead OMB's Management Team — May 21, 2013
Steven VanRoekel will lead the Office of Management and Budget’s management team, following the departure of OMB’s No. 2 official this month.

Assailing Corporations is a Poor Competitiveness Strategy — May 20, 2013
As globalization and offshoring have ramped up, the left and right have both responded with failed strategies.

GSA Starts Effort to Improve Cybersecurity in Procurements — May 20, 2013
The General Services Administration is seeking industry input as it develops standard contract language to ensure cybersecurity measures are taken in federal procurements.

Sequester Doesn't Add Up for IGs — May 20, 2013
The inspector general for the General Services Administration expects to lose out on more than a quarter-billion dollars in potential government savings next year, as the sequester-related budget cuts force the agency to scale back on efforts to uncover waste and fraud for taxpayers.

Shared Services Can Be a Money Maker for Some Agencies — May 20, 2013
Sharing services isn’t just a good way for federal departments to lower information technology costs, it’s also a way for underfunded agencies to scratch back some of their dwindling budgets by providing services to their peers, a Customs and Border Protection official said Monday.

Solar Industry Groups Seek Pact to Settle Trade Disputes — May 20, 2013
An international group of solar industry trade associations meeting in Shanghai last week has issued a joint declaration appealing to China, the European Union and the United States to avert a trade war and negotiate a settlement to disputes over solar panels, according to one person who attended the meeting.

DoD Examines 3 Budget-Cut Scenarios — May 19, 2013
Senior US Defense Department officials are expected to present three budget-cutting scenarios to the defense secretary when they wrap up a wide-ranging review of military strategy at the end of this month, according to sources.

How State Department Was Duped in $60M Fraud Scheme — May 19, 2013
A federal investigation of former State Department contracting specialist Kathleen McGrade has uncovered a treasure trove of luxuries allegedly acquired with the proceeds of a multimillion-dollar contracting scam: a Steinway piano; sculptures; sapphire, emerald and diamond jewelry; and a 41-foot yacht bearing the name of the company she and her husband formed, Sterling Royale.

Tangherlini: Tighter Budgets Mean Bigger Role for GSA — May 19, 2013
Dan Tangherlini wants more of your business — a lot more.

Further Actions Needed to Address Challenges and Improve Accountability — May 17, 2013
The Department of Defense continues efforts to establish a business enterprise architecture (a modernization blueprint) and transition plan and modernize its business systems and processes, in compliance with key provisions of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 and amendments.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on May 19, 2013 — May 16, 2013
Episode 32 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “Adjusting to Federal Budgets”

Top Gun Christine Fox Departing Pentagon — May 16, 2013
Maybe she's lost that loving feeling, but Christine Fox, head of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's much-anticipated strategic review and the Pentagon's top "costing" official, is leaving her post next month, the E-Ring has learned.

U.S. May Strip Bangladesh of Tariff Breaks — May 16, 2013
The Obama administration may strip Bangladesh of import breaks following deadly accidents in the country’s textile industry, another sign of the pressure building on the Southeast Asian nation to improve labor conditions.

Afghanistan Overtaxes U.S. Contractors, IG Finds — May 14, 2013
Afghanistan has slapped U.S.-funded contractors working on reconstruction efforts with nearly $1 billion in taxes since 2008, often in spite of clear tax exemption agreements, a government watchdog has found.

Businesses Fear Being Blindsided by Regs — May 14, 2013
The Obama administration’s failure to release its legally required regulatory agenda has business groups worried that they could be blindsided by costly new federal rules.

Communities Need Additional Guidance and Information to Improve Their Ability to Adjust to DOD Installation Closure or Growth — May 14, 2013
The 21 communities surrounding the 23 Department of Defense installations closed in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure round have used strategies such as forming a local redevelopment authority and seeking federal grants to deal with the closures.

Defense Department expected to Reduce Furloughs to 11 Days Beginning in June — May 14, 2013
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced plans Tuesday afternoon to reduce the number of furlough days faced by the department’s 800,000 civilian workers from 14 days to 11 days beginning in June.

DoD Employees to Get 11 Furlough Days — May 14, 2013
The Defense Department plans to furlough some 680,000 civilian employees for 11 days by the end of September as the result of sequester-related budget cuts.

Is a Billion-Dollar Border Security Program Finally Due? — May 14, 2013
The Department of Homeland Security has taken a positive step in one of the longer running procurement sagas of recent years, issuing downselect notices to several contractors to compete in the next phase of a controversial border security program, sources confirm.

Next Year’s Defense Furlough Prospects Uncertain — May 14, 2013
Defense Department officials are bracing themselves for the possibility of additional furloughs or job losses in fiscal 2014 if budget sequestration continues.

Price-Fixing Probe Targets 3 Oil Companies; Google CEO Discloses Voice Paralysis — May 14, 2013
European antitrust authorities have launched investigations into at least three oil companies on suspicion of price-fixing.

Defense Agency Will Use Sequester, Other Cuts to Make Big Changes — May 13, 2013
The Defense Logistics Agency is using the current budget environment to its advantage, leveraging the culture of cuts into transformative changes at the Pentagon’s logistics arm.

ICE Wants One Supplier for All Its Mobile Needs — May 13, 2013
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is looking for a single company to cover all its mobile needs, from providing equipment and data services to mobile device management and services to improve cell coverage inside its buildings.

Proposed Budget Cuts Imperil Defense Jobs in Mass. — May 13, 2013
When Andrew Bagni first heard of “sequestration,” he found himself — like many of his fellow employees at a General Dynamics defense plant in Taunton — wondering what the word meant.

Significant Improvements Needed in Efforts to Address Improper Payment Requirements — May 13, 2013
The Department of Defense did not adequately implement key provisions of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 and Office of Management and Budget requirements for fiscal year 2011.

Still No Word on Defense Furloughs — May 13, 2013
The Defense Department had not announced a final decision on departmentwide furloughs by late afternoon Monday, as the Navy pushed to exempt shipyard workers from any involuntary unpaid leave.

Health Insurance Tax ‘Scares the Daylights’ Out of Some Small-Business Owners — May 12, 2013
Many small-business owners worry that a new tax on insurance providers in the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them, undermining the law’s capacity to lower their health-care costs.

Public Service: An Opportunity, Not a Burden — May 12, 2013
I entered public service under unorthodox circumstances, after a tragedy hit in my hometown of Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

U.S. Automatic Cuts Send Pentagon Contract Awards Down 52 Percent — May 12, 2013
Pentagon contracts tumbled 52 percent in April from a month earlier as across-the-board federal budget cuts took hold.

FEMA Ramps Up Telework, Mobility — May 10, 2013
Mobility is part of the mission at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and now leaders are taking it to the next level, radically transforming the workplace with a focus on technology.

Shrinking Budgets, Acquisition Workforce Mistakes Drive Bid Protests, Experts Say — May 10, 2013
Data from the Government Accountability Office clearly show an upward trend in the number of bid protests, and procurement analysts told BNA there several explanations for the increase.

Opportunity to Refocus on Strengthening Acquisition Management — May 9, 2013
The Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency has made some recent progress gaining important knowledge for its Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) by successfully conducting several important tests.

7 Guaranteed Ways to Destroy Your Productivity — May 8, 2013
According to a report from CEB, fiscal austerity has prompted public sector executives to believe they'll need an 18 percent increase in employee performance to meet agency objectives.

Big Business Isn’t Investing in People Anymore, So Big Government Has To — May 8, 2013
Productive investments and social spending are essential to a healthy advanced society.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on May 12, 2013 — May 8, 2013
Episode 31 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “Teaming for Success”

Longtime Whistleblower at the Defense Contract Audit Agency Keeps Discontent Alive — May 8, 2013
The Defense Contract Audit Agency has racked up its share of detractors over the years, being accused everything from slow processing of reports to leniency toward contractors who overbill the government.

Most Top Contractors Increased Business With Federal Government in 2012 — May 8, 2013
A majority of the top 200 government contractors made more money on federal awards last year than in 2011, despite major budgetary cutbacks, according to a report released Wednesday.

Bill Adds Federal Hiring Preference for Fathers of Disabled Vets — May 7, 2013
Fathers would be treated the same as mothers when it comes to receiving federal hiring preferences if they have a child who is a totally disabled veteran, under a bill introduced May 6.

In Tracking Down Contract Overcharges, GSA Goes Slowly — May 7, 2013
When the General Services Administration inspector general uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in overcharges by a contractor, the watchdog office wasted little time in telling GSA management to recoup the money.

Most CIOs Can't Track IT Spending — May 7, 2013
Most chief information officers are not confident in their ability to estimate and track information technology spending at their agencies, a new survey finds.

Pentagon Plans to Cut Civilian Workforce — May 7, 2013
The Pentagon plans to cut its vast civilian workforce by 5-6 percent over the next five years to match similar reductions in the number of US troops, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.

Quality Tops Agencies' Data Challenges — May 7, 2013
Agencies rely on vast sources of data to fight tax fraud, improve health care, manage federal buildings and improve delivery of citizen services.

Sequester Changes Rules on DoD Contractor Background Reinvestigations — May 7, 2013
Citing sequester and budget challenges, the arm of the Defense Department overseeing security clearances for contractors is cutting how much time people have to request so-called periodic reinvestigations.

Army to Spur Renewable Energy with $7 Billion Contract — May 6, 2013
Five companies have prequalified to build and maintain geothermal energy projects for the Defense Department, under the first phase of a $7 billion Army contract.

Federal Employees Focus on Mission in Face of Adversity — May 6, 2013
Federal Times invited readers to reflect on the state of public service and on what, if anything, should be done to improve it.

Interview: Robert Hale, Pentagon Comptroller — May 6, 2013
With the uncertainty surrounding the US Defense Department’s budget, it’s no wonder Robert Hale, the Pentagon comptroller, has worked just about every day since January.

Lawmakers Want to Know How Defense Would Handle 2014 Cuts — May 6, 2013
Two lawmakers want the Pentagon to begin planning for possible across-the-board sequestration budget cuts in fiscal 2014.

KBR vs. Army: On Largest Services Contract, 'Things Have Gotten Very Nasty' — May 5, 2013
Army contracting officer Robert Egan gave contractor KBR Inc. a rare ultimatum: Provide a firm, fixed price on remaining work to close out the largest government services contract in U.S. history.

Public Service: An Opportunity, Not a Burden — May 5, 2013
I entered public service under unorthodox circumstances, after a tragedy hit in my hometown of Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Sequester Poses Public Service Challenges — May 5, 2013
More than 35 years ago, as a newly minted law school graduate, I moved from my hometown of New York City to Washington to take a job at the Justice Department.

Maine Windfall? Navy Plans to Buy Up to 10 Destroyers — May 4, 2013
The Navy plans to announce contracts next month for as many as 10 new destroyers, and Maine's Bath Iron Works is expected to compete for the work.

Here’s How Smartphones, Tablets and Huge Databases will Upend Market Research — May 3, 2013
If you’re tired of those annoying 8 p.m. phone calls asking questions about where you shop, or of carrying an Arbitron sensor to provide radio ratings, your omnipresent smartphone or tablet might well turn out to be your savior.

Defense IG: TRICARE Acquisition Staff Lack Required Certification and Training — May 2, 2013
Procurement personnel at the TRICARE Management Activity, which had an acquisition budget of $18.8 billion in 2012, lacked formal certification for their jobs, proper training and accurate position descriptions, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a highly critical report released yesterday

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on April 28, 2013 — May 2, 2013
Episode 30 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “An Ounce of Prevention.”

Several Agencies Still Mum on Furloughs — May 2, 2013
Several federal agencies have left their employees in sequestration limbo, failing to provide any details on the effects the automatic budget cuts will have on their workforces.

The 6 Factors Needed to Drive Innovation in Government — May 2, 2013
There is much discussion these days about innovation and how important it is to making government more effective and efficient – particularly in these resource constrained times that require federal employees to do more with less.

3 Big Developments in Federal Performance Last Month — May 1, 2013
The big news for many was the announcement last week that Shelley Metzenbaum, who is the Office of Management and Budget official spearheading the Obama Administration’s performance management initiatives on a day-to-day basis, will be leaving to return home to Boston.

Defense Furlough Decision Coming Soon — May 1, 2013
The Pentagon acknowledged on Wednesday that some services could afford to eliminate at least some planned civilian furloughs, but the department still is aiming for a unified departmentwide policy on forced unpaid leave and will make a decision soon.

Global Strike Falls Victim to Budget Cuts — May 1, 2013
The Air Force has canceled its premier nuclear security exercise.

Implementation Directive for Better Buying Power 2.0 — May 1, 2013
Achieving Greater Efficiency and Productivity in Defense Spending.

Is U.S. Manufacturing Making a Comeback — Or is It Just Hype? — May 1, 2013
It’s hardly news when a U.S. firm moves its manufacturing operations abroad to China.

Keys to Successful Telework May Already Be in Feds' Pockets — May 1, 2013
The success of this year’s Telework Week event – in which more than 112,000 feds participated – is a testament to the progress federal agencies are making not only to make the workplace more flexible for employees but also to continue operations in the event of an emergency.

Pentagon Prepares to Ask Congress for Break from 'Sequester' — May 1, 2013
The Pentagon is preparing to ask Congress soon for more authority to shift funds to cope with automatic spending cuts, confronting lawmakers with another exception to the "sequester" just days after they gave a break to the flying public and the airline industry.

April

Dempsey Says DoD Still Uncertain About Furloughs — April 30, 2013
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters Tuesday that Pentagon officials are “doing our best to avoid” furloughs of the Department of Defense’s 800,000 civilian employees, but he said that the department is still uncertain whether the 14 days now planned can be reduced.

GSA and Defense Move Energy-Saving Innovations Off the Drawing Board — April 30, 2013
As two of the largest property owners and managers in the country, the Defense Department and the General Services Administrative have a compelling interest in reducing energy use in buildings.

Hagel: Furloughs Must be Consistent Across DoD — April 30, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has rebuffed calls to give the military services the flexibility to reduce or eliminate furloughs for civilian workers on their own.

Veterans Hiring and Training Initiative Surpasses Original Goals — April 30, 2013
First Lady Michelle Obama announced Tuesday that a veterans training and hiring program had significantly exceeded its original goals.

Budget Cuts Squelch Hiring — April 29, 2013
Hiring in the federal government has dropped by a third over the past three years as budget cuts have taken their toll.

Expect Retirement Claims Backlog to Grow Due to Sequester, OPM Says — April 29, 2013
Federal retirees face a longer wait for their pension claims to process and for answers to their questions due to budget cuts from sequestration, the Office of Personnel Management has announced.

Innovation in Government Dips — April 29, 2013
Federal employees want to do their jobs better but don’t believe their agencies are adequately supporting them, according to a new analysis.

Six Months After Sandy, the Government Hasn't Spent Nearly as Much as It Will — April 29, 2013
Since Hurricane Sandy made landfall six months ago tonight, the government and private insurers have paid out tens of billions of dollars in an attempt to restore affected communities.

State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook — April 29, 2013
Fiscal sustainability presents a national challenge shared by all levels of government.

US Has Concerns with UK Plan to Outsource Acquisition Oversight — April 29, 2013
The US Defense Department is expressing concern over a UK initiative to consider outsourcing management of its defense procurement and support operations, roles traditionally filled by government employees.

Contracting Professionals Need to Travel — and Train — April 28, 2013
No one can forget the image released a year ago of a government executive holding a champagne glass in toast while sitting in a Las Vegas hot tub — paid for with federal dollars.

Cost Restructuring Can Help Agencies Meet Budget Challenges — April 28, 2013
In the aftermath of sequestration, it’s clear that significant budget cuts are inevitable for agencies and programs throughout government.

Donley to Step Down as Air Force Secretary — April 26, 2013
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley will be stepping down from the service's top spot in June, ending a nearly five year run as the Air Force's top civilian.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on April 28, 2013 — April 26, 2013
Episode 29 of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “Serving through Innovation=Successful Selling”.

Navy Secretary Singles Out Littoral Combat Ship As "One Of Our Very Best Programs" — April 26, 2013
A dozen years ago, the U.S. Navy announced plans for three new classes of surface warships -- a land-attack destroyer, a missile-defense cruiser, and a fast coastal combatant that could replace frigates in shallow-water operations.

Opportunity to Refocus on Strengthening Acquisition Management — April 26, 2013
Although the Missile Defense Agency has made some progress, the new MDA Director faces challenges developing and deploying new systems to achieve increasingly integrated capabilities as well as supporting and upgrading deployed systems while providing decision makers in the Department of Defense and Congress with key oversight information in an era of fiscal constraints.

Furlough Watch: Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Sequestration — April 25, 2013
Across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration are having have serious implications for federal workers, as mandatory unpaid furloughs planned for hundreds of thousands of employees begin to take effect.

House Republicans Pressure GSA to Sell Washington Warehouse — April 25, 2013
In the latest of a two-year series of field hearings at vacant federal properties, a House Oversight subcommittee on Thursday grilled the General Services Administration over how long it is taking to sell off a vacant warehouse in Southeast Washington near the Navy Yard.

So Long TRICARE Health Management Activity, Hello Defense Health Agency — April 25, 2013
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel tapped Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Robb for promotion today to the rank of lieutenant general and to serve as director of the new Defense Health Agency.Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter directed the establishment of the new agency – and the dissolution of the TRICARE Management Activity -- in a March 2, 2012 memo.

Cuts Could Jeopardize On-Time F-35 Rollout, Official Says — April 24, 2013
The on-time rollout of the F-35 fighter jet in 2017 could be in jeopardy because of forced federal budget cuts, a key military official testified to Congress on Wednesday.

DARPA Pleads Agency's Case in Lean Times — April 24, 2013
Seeing a defense budget that is facing increasing pressure, the head of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) spoke to reporters Wednesday about the need to protect research spending.

DOD Is Overcoming Long-Standing Problems, but Faces Challenges to Ensuring Its Investments Are Optimized — April 24, 2013
Most of the Department of Defense's major satellite programs are in mature phases of development, that is, the initial satellites have been designed, fabricated, and launched into orbit while additional satellites of the same design are being produced.

Lawmakers Press DoD to Avoid Furloughs — April 24, 2013
The Defense Department should rethink its plans for furloughs and other cutbacks to its civilian workforce, a bipartisan group of 126 House members said in a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Lawmakers Urge 'Merit-Based' Furlough Decisions at Defense — April 24, 2013
A bipartisan group of 126 lawmakers is asking Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to “review sequestration-related actions” affecting civilian employees, especially furloughs, hiring freezes, and the firing of temporary and term personnel.

Major Contractors Report Little Damage from Sequestration — April 24, 2013
Defense contractors warned the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration would cause layoffs and facility closures, but nearly two months in, the biggest companies are reporting only a slight drop in sales.

Pentagon Reviews Contractor Profit Guidelines for Weapons — April 24, 2013
The Pentagon is reviewing guidelines used to negotiate profits for contractors under an initiative to improve weapons-buying practices.

Preliminary Findings on Federal Relocation Costs and Auction Revenues — April 24, 2013
Actual costs to relocate federal users from the 1710-1755 megahertz (MHz) band have exceeded the original $1 billion estimate by about $474 million as of March 2013, although auction revenues appear to exceed relocation costs by over $5 billion.

Senate Confirms Burwell to Lead OMB — April 24, 2013
Sylvia Burwell won unanimous Senate confirmation Wednesday to be the next director of the Office of Management and Budget.

6 Characteristics the Best Mentors Have in Common — April 22, 2013
If your career is a vehicle, then great mentors are your GPS.

DHS Creates Cyber Internships for Community College Students, Veterans — April 22, 2013
The Homeland Security Department on Thursday announced a new honors program designed to draw students to cybersecurity programs at community colleges.

GSA Plans to Add 10,000 Hybrid Cars to Federal Fleet — April 22, 2013
The General Services Administration plans to add up to 10,000 hybrid cars to its fleet — effectively doubling the number — in an attempt to get agencies to replace conventional vehicles with more fuel-efficient ones.

Pentagon Withholding From Lockheed Grows Over Management — April 22, 2013
The Pentagon’s withholding of payments from Lockheed Martin Corp.

Homeland Security Acts on Cyber Workforce Recommendations — April 19, 2013
The Homeland Security Department is working to implement 11 recommendations from an advisory council to better develop, recruit and retain sophisticated cybersecurity talent.

Large Contractor Undertakes Sequestration-Related Layoffs — April 19, 2013
A large government contractor sent layoff notices to employees, citing the budget uncertainties caused by the across-the-board spending cuts from sequestration.

Air Force delays release of F-35A report — April 18, 2013
The U.S. Air Force is delaying the release of the final Environmental Impact Statement for the F-35A until this fall.

Courts Seek More Than $51 Million to Counter Sequester Cuts — April 18, 2013
Federal judiciary leaders plan to seek more than $51 million in extra fiscal 2013 funding to offset the impact of sequester-related budget cuts on defender services, court security and other areas.

Feds Investigate Office Supply Vendor — April 18, 2013
The government is investigating whether an office supply contractor has been improperly selling products made in China in violation of the Trade Agreements Act, court records show.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ALL CPCM CANDIDATES — April 18, 2013

Improved Guidance Needed for Estimating Alternatively Financed Project Liabilities — April 18, 2013
In the event of future base closure, the Department of Defense's potential financial liabilities from alternatively financed projects will vary by project type and the language of its legal agreements.

Long-Term Planning and Adoption of Commercial Practices Could Improve DOD's Operations — April 18, 2013
The Department of Defense satellite control networks are fragmented and potentially duplicative.

Virginia Leaders Want Flexibility on Furloughs — April 18, 2013
The Virginia congressional delegation wants the Pentagon to change the rules on civilian furloughs, hoping to lessen the impact in a state where 88,000 people are facing a significant pay cut.

Agencies Recognized for Making Documents Readable — April 17, 2013
Several federal agencies were commended on Wednesday for publishing official government literature in “clear and concise language.”

Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects — April 17, 2013
The performance of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) portfolio of major projects has improved in the areas of cost and schedule growth since GAO’s first assessment in 2009. Average development cost growth and schedule delay for the current portfolio have decreased to about a third of their 2009 levels.

Consistently Applying Best Practices Could Help IRS Improve the Reliability of Reported Cost and Schedule Information — April 17, 2013
According to the Internal Revenue Service, 12 of its 20 major information technology investments were within 10 percent of cost and schedule estimates or significantly below cost between October 2011 and October 2012.

Federal Acquisition Executives Grapple with Retirement Wave — April 17, 2013
As the government’s largest buyer, the Defense Department is building up expertise in its acquisition workforce, perhaps with greater success than some other agencies in this era of contract austerity.

Is the Successor to Manufacturing Jobs … Manufacturing? — April 17, 2013
When the factory jobs disappear, what comes next?

Lawmaker Wants Proof Agencies Are Complying With New Small Business Rules — April 17, 2013
House Small Business Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., on Tuesday stepped up pressure on agencies to comply with new rules requiring them to elevate their Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization offices as a means for giving more businesses a leg up in competing for contracts.

OASIS Would be One-Stop Integrated Services Shop — April 17, 2013
The General Services Administration wants to be the government’s source for complex, integrated services, such as financial management, logistics and program management.

Obama Budget Includes $3.2B to Reduce Energy, Fuel Use — April 17, 2013
The White House’s 2014 budget request proposes a multibillion-dollar Defense Department initiative to reduce energy and fuel use.

Procurement Chief: Measure Contractor Performance — April 17, 2013
Check out what NCMA's executive director, Michael Fischetti, has to say on this topic!

Program Has Improved in Some Areas, but Affordability Challenges and Other Risks Remain — April 17, 2013
The new F-35 acquisition baseline reflects positive restructuring actions taken by the Department of Defense since 2010, including more time and funding for development and deferred procurement of more than 400 aircraft to future years.

Sequester Delays Some Contract Awards — April 17, 2013
Many of the government’s biggest pending contracts are encountering significant delays.

VHA Has Taken Steps to Address Deficiencies in Its Logistics Program, but Significant Concerns Remain — April 17, 2013
To address deficiencies in its logistics program, the Veterans Health Administration issued new requirements in 2011 regarding the management of medical supplies and equipment in Veterans Affairs medical centers’ inventories, the standardization of these items, and the monitoring of VAMCs’ logistics programs.

Agencies Have Elevated Performance Management Leadership Roles, but Additional Training Is Needed — April 16, 2013
The designation of senior-level officials to key performance management roles with responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) has helped elevate accountability for performance management within federal agencies and ensure high-level involvement, according to officials GAO interviewed.

Focus of IG Investigation Now Oversees GSA’s IT Supply Schedule Program — April 16, 2013
An ongoing investigation by the Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general into contract steering and wasteful spending raises questions about a former OPM official who left the agency in September 2011 to oversee the General Services Administration’s biggest federal supply schedules program.

GAO Questions Metrics of Training Effectiveness for Contracting Staffs — April 16, 2013
The federal government spends tens of millions of dollars to train contracting officials each year, but agencies don’t always know whether all the coursework is making a difference, the Government Accountability Office said in a report Tuesday.

Lawmaker Presses Agencies to Abide by Small Biz Law — April 16, 2013
The chairman of the House Small Business Committee on Tuesday called on 35 federal agencies to provide details on their compliance with new federal provisions aimed to help small businesses compete for federal contracts.

Long-Term Strategy Needed to Improve Interactive Services — April 16, 2013
The Internal Revenue Service’s existing online services are limited when compared to many other government and private sector organizations.

Navy Plans to Beef Up Cyber Workforce — April 16, 2013
Cyber, shipboard networks and unmanned systems stand out as key Navy technology investments in 2014 and for the next several years, top service officials told a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Oversight of Selected States' Disbursement of Federal Funds Addresses Timeliness and Administrative Allowances — April 16, 2013
As pass-through grant funds flow to subrecipients, they are subject to government-wide and program-specific policies, two of which are particularly relevant to disbursement issues for states as they pass funds on to subrecipients.

The 6 Ways Government Needs to Improve Performance Management — April 16, 2013
Looking for an overview guide to understanding how the federal government goes about managing the performance of its many goals, missions, and programs?

U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Acquisition Plans Hit by Sequester — April 16, 2013
Top officials from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps told lawmakers on Tuesday that across-the-board budget cuts in fiscal 2013 and 2014 would reduce readiness and cut heavily into their procurement and research and development programs.

White House Debuts Shared Services Catalog — April 16, 2013
The government’s team of top information technology officials published a catalog of shared services on Tuesday aimed at helping agencies save money on IT services.

Google’s Motorola Mobility Taps U.S. Defense Agency for Talent — April 15, 2013
Google Inc. hired a top cybersecurity official from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known for developing technologies that helped create the Internet and stealth fighter plane.

Leading Commercial Practices Can Help Federal Agencies Increase Savings When Acquiring Services — April 15, 2013
Officials from leading companies GAO spoke with reported saving 4-15 percent over prior year spending through strategically sourcing the full range of services they buy--a process that moves away from numerous individual purchases to an aggregate approach.

Obama Signs Law to Halt Online Posting of Executives’ Financial Forms — April 15, 2013
President Obama signed legislation Monday that blocks the online posting of personal financial-disclosure statements of thousands of federal executives.

12,000 DoD Civilian Jobs to be Axed — April 14, 2013
The Defense Department would cut civilian staffs by about 12,200 in fiscal 2014 under the administration’s proposed budget, kicking off an expected five-year cycle of significant staffing cuts.

At Many Offices, Half of Staff Think of Leaving — April 14, 2013
More than half of employees at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Secretary were considering leaving their jobs within a year, responses to the latest governmentwide employee satisfaction survey show.

Contractors Spinning off Divisions as Defense Budget Ax Falls — April 14, 2013
Pentagon budget cuts were supposed to herald a wave of consolidation in the defense industry.

DoD Furloughs: A Bad Idea at a Bad Time — April 14, 2013
The devastating impact on both America’s military preparedness and its national economy from the proposed furloughs of civilian Defense Department employees could not occur at a more dangerous moment.

15 Easy Ways to Beat Stress Now — April 12, 2013
Anxiety and stress are physical and emotional responses to perceived dangers (that aren’t always real).

Collaborating Beyond Four Walls — April 12, 2013
Companies aren’t just using collaboration to share information and promote innovation.

Ex-KPMG Auditor Charged in Cash-for-Tips Plot — April 12, 2013
As investors Carl Icahn and William Ackman bickered loudly on TV this year about their opposing bets on Herbalife, two other men were discussing the company in a different context: obtaining non-public information to trade ahead of the stock’s next move.

Is Government Cool Again for IT Pros? — April 12, 2013
The government often gets a bad rap for lacking the “cool factor” when it comes to attracting and hiring talented technology professionals into federal jobs. But one expert contends that the government may well be the “coolest” place to work if you’re an IT pro.

Union Calls on Pentagon to Eliminate Furloughs — April 12, 2013
A large federal employee union is calling on the Defense Department to completely eliminate furloughs for its civilian employees.

Admiral: Repair Work by Private Yards Won't Be Cut — April 11, 2013
Almost all $287 million in local Navy ship repairs that were in danger of being cut no longer are on the chopping block, a senior Navy official said Wednesday - good news for thousands of skilled waterfront workers whose jobs were in jeopardy.

Capping Payment Rates for Nonhospital Services Could Save Millions of Dollars for Contract Health Services — April 11, 2013
The Indian Health Service's (IHS) federal contract health services (CHS) programs primarily paid physicians at their billed charges, which were significantly higher than what Medicare and private insurers would have paid for the same services.

Contractor Pleads Guilty in Bribery, Bid-Rigging Case — April 11, 2013
A northern Virginia technology contracting firm and its former president pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington to bribery charges in what prosecutors call the largest bid rigging scam in federal contracting history.

Defense May Reduce Furloughs Again as Navy Pushes to Eliminate Them — April 11, 2013
Navy officials are pushing for zero furlough days, according to a top official, as the Pentagon reportedly considers reducing all Defense furloughs and hasn’t ruled out eliminating them entirely.

IG Report: Federal Personnel Officials Steered Contracts to Favored Company — April 11, 2013
High-ranking officials at the federal government’s personnel agency steered business to one contractor in violation of procurement and ethics rules, misusing their positions and wasting taxpayer money, an inspector general investigation released Thursday found.

John Berry leaves Office of Personnel Management — April 11, 2013
John Berry, generally cheerful and beaming, turns serious when protecting the honor of federal employees. His gestures become more pointed, his gaze sharpens, his smile disappears.

OPM Chief Berry Stepping Down this Week — April 11, 2013
Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry on Thursday announced he will step down when his four-year term expires at the end of this week.

OPM Director Berry Bids Farewell to Employees — April 11, 2013
Elaine Kaplan, currently general counsel at the Office of Personnel Management, will take over as acting director of the agency next week.

President’s Budget Moves Spending Transparency Site from GSA to Treasury — April 11, 2013
President Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal moves control over the spending transparency website USASpending.gov out of the General Services Administration and gives it to the Treasury Department.

Spring 2013 Update — April 11, 2013
Since 1992, GAO has published long-term fiscal simulations showing federal deficits and debt under different sets of policy assumptions.

What’s Your Return on People? — April 11, 2013
How is your work positively affecting enterprise quality, innovation, productivity and services?

Why This Is the Age of Small Government (Sort Of) — April 11, 2013
With the president's budget released on Wednesday, all the plans, Democratic and Republican, are in. And under each, nondefense spending—funding for many of the government's most-visible operations—will reach a 50-year low.

2014 Budget Proposal Seeks $2.1 Billion for Construction Projects — April 10, 2013
The White House is seeking more than $2.1 billion in 2014 for new construction, renovations and property purchases for non-Defense agencies.

Administration Proposes 1.7% Increase in IT Spending — April 10, 2013
The president’s 2014 budget would increase federal information technology spending by 1.7 percent, despite initiatives geared toward reducing IT spending.

Defense Analysts Slam Pentagon for Ignoring Sequester — April 10, 2013
The Pentagon’s 2014 budget hit the defense think-tank world with a big thud Wednesday.

DoD Planning 40K-50K Civilian Job Cuts Over next 5 Years — April 10, 2013
The Defense Department is planning to cut its civilian workforce by about 5 to 6 percent — between 40,000 and 50,000 positions — by the end of 2018, Defense Comptroller Robert Hale said Wednesday.

Executives are Happier than Rank-and-File, Report Finds — April 10, 2013
The government’s top executives are far happier with their jobs and pay than rank-and-file employees, according to a report released Wednesday.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on April 14, 2013 — April 10, 2013
This episode of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “The Art of Selling.”

Obama Budget to Propose 215 Program Cuts, Consolidations — April 10, 2013
The Obama administration will propose 215 program cuts, consolidations and other savings as part of its fiscal 2014 budget request set for release Wednesday, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Budget Director Nominee Wants More Emphasis on Management — April 9, 2013
President Obama’s choice to head the Office of Management and Budget elicited enthusiasm from Republicans as well as Democrats on a key Senate panel on Tuesday, though several used the confirmation hearing as a chance to lay down markers on issues of regulatory overreach, tax reform and the value of cost-benefit analysis.

Budget Will Propose Program Cuts, Consolidations to Save $25B — April 9, 2013
The president’s fiscal 2014 budget set for release on Wednesday morning will “go further” than past submissions in cutting and consolidating wasteful or duplicative programs, according to an Obama administration official who spoke only on background.

GAO Finds Billions in Wasteful, Duplicative Federal Spending — April 9, 2013
Unnecessary government programs are costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars annually, a new government study found.

New Defense budget Means More Financial Uncertainty for Pentagon — April 9, 2013
The Obama administration is poised to roll out a 2014 defense budget that is billions of dollars higher than legally mandated spending caps, setting the stage for another year of financial uncertainty and turmoil at the Pentagon, defense analysts say.

Report: Redundant Federal Programs Waste Billions — April 9, 2013
Redundant federal programs are leading to billions in waste, congressional auditors say, and the government is slow to adopt reforms to fix the problem.

Fort Bliss Signs $120M Agreement for DoD’s Largest Solar Project — April 8, 2013
The Army is moving ahead with plans to build a 20-megawatt solar field at Fort Bliss, Texas, which it says is the largest solar project in the Defense Department.

OPM to Agencies: Create Personal Advocates for Civilians Returning from Combat Zones — April 8, 2013
All federal agencies should create a single point of contact to assist civilian employees returning home from war zones, according to guidance from the Office of Personnel Management.

Sequester Will Weaken Intel Capabilities, Clapper Says — April 8, 2013
The nation’s top spymaster fears sequester budget cuts could have an “insidious” effect on the nation’s intelligence collecting and processing.

VA Seeks to Quadruple Funding for Paperless Claims System — April 8, 2013
The Veterans Affairs Department will request a discretionary budget of $63.5 billion in 2014, a four percent increase over the 2013 funding levels President Obama approved last month and $500 million below what the department originally sought for 2013, the White House said in a preliminary release of the VA budget.

Pentagon Awards Surge 71 Percent in March as Congress Eases Budget Blow — April 7, 2013
The Defense Department announced contracts valued at as much as $39.4 billion in March, 71 percent more than the prior month, even as automatic federal budget cuts started taking effect.

Hacked U.S. Tech Contractors Oppose Anti-China Procurement Law — April 5, 2013
Technology contractors are warning Congress that a new counter-cyber spy law will leave agencies even more vulnerable to breaches by slowing the purchase of security systems to screen for Chinese-made components.

Retirement Numbers Continue Outpacing Projections — April 5, 2013
More than 10,000 federal employees submitted retirement claims in March — more than twice as many as the government expected.

Key Pentagon IT Programs Survived 2013 Budget Cuts Mostly Unscathed — April 4, 2013
Though the Defense Department must absorb an extra $41 billion in funding cuts between now and the end of the fiscal year, key information technology and communications program emerged relatively unscathed from the sequestration process in the 2013 omnibus federal budget signed by President Obama on March 26.

Petition Seeks Student Loan Help for Feds — April 4, 2013
A new public petition is asking the Obama administration to help federal employees by forgiving some student loan debt to offset the pay freeze, now in its third year.

Report Warns of Potential Brain Drain in Federal Cyber Force — April 4, 2013
The vast majority of the federal cybersecurity workforce is older than 40, an issue that could eventually lead to a personnel shortage in the field, according to a new report.

Agencies Brace for Exodus of Contracting Professionals — April 3, 2013
Agencies are bracing for what could be a mass exodus of seasoned federal contracting professionals.

As Budgets Tighten, Contract Attorneys Expect Uptick in Bid Protests — April 3, 2013
Two weeks after sequestration began, contract lawyer Bill Spriggs got a call from a vendor client upset that a federal contracting official had just ordered it to cut its price by 10 percent for “sequestration-related cuts” without a change in service levels.

Audits Preventing Taxpayer Overcharges Impeded by Pentagon Cuts — April 3, 2013
U.S. budget cuts may delay the Defense Department’s plan to eliminate a $400 billion backlog of unaudited contractor bills by next year, a Pentagon official said.

Contractors Taking Diversification Seriously as Defense Spending Shrinks — April 3, 2013
Bethesda-based contracting giant Lockheed Martin earlier this year received a patent for Perforene, a material used to make water potable by removing sodium, chlorine and other ions.

Contractors, Agencies Struggle to Measure ‘Greenness’ of Purchases — April 3, 2013
Three years ago, the General Services Administration came up with a plan to give preferential treatment to contractors that track their greenhouse gas emissions.

DoD Still Swamped by Excess Parts — April 3, 2013
For almost a quarter-century, the Government Accountability Office has said the military’s management of equipment and parts stockpiles is one of the government programs most vulnerable to waste, fraud and mismanagement.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on April 7, 2013 — April 3, 2013
This episode of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “On Location at the Thompson Reuters Government Contracts Year in Review Conference”.

SBA Chief Sees Capital in Gains — April 3, 2013
As head of the Small Business Administration, Karen Mills helped guarantee $106 billion in lending to more than 193,000 small businesses, including two record years of more than $30 billion each.

DoD Contracting Official Charged with Bribery — April 2, 2013
Federal prosecutors have charged a Defense Department contracting official in California, who purportedly referred to himself as “the Godfather” at Camp Pendelton, with bribery following an undercover sting.

Former U.S. Army Captain Sentenced for Accepting Gratuities from Iraqi Contractors — April 2, 2013
A former U.S. Army captain from Lawton was sentenced Monday to serve 23 months in prison for conspiring to accept thousands of dollars in gratuities from contractors during his deployment to Baghdad.

Hagel Still Reviewing Sexual Assault Case — April 2, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is still reviewing an Air Force sexual assault case where a jury’s guilty verdict was overturned by a military commander.

In Focus: Where the Federal Workforce Counts — April 2, 2013
As agencies scramble to determine which employees might be subject to furlough and for how long, states are bracing for the economic fallout from sequestration.

U.S. Would Save $14 Billion Buying German Combat Vehicle — April 2, 2013
The U.S. Army would save $14 billion and get a better combat vehicle by choosing a German-made transport over versions being developed by BAE Systems Plc (BA/) and General Dynamics Corp. (GD), the Congressional Budget Office said.

Camp Pendleton Employee Accused of Taking Bribe — April 1, 2013
A U.S. Defense Department employee who federal officials said referred to himself as the “Godfather at Camp Pendleton” because of his influence over construction contracts was arrested after extorting a $10,000 bribe from a cooperating witness for the FBI, officials said Monday.

DOD Procurement of Mi-17 Helicopters — April 1, 2013
In summary, DOD's Office of the Secretary of Defense directed the Navy to cancel its competitive solicitation for 21 civilian Mi-17s because Russian authorities told DOD in late 2010 that, in accordance with Russian law, they would sell the helicopters only through Rosoboronexport since they were intended for military end use.

Furlough Watch: Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Sequestration — April 1, 2013
The across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration now scheduled to hit in two days would have serious implications for federal workers, including mandatory unpaid furloughs for hundreds of thousands of employees, beginning in April.

How a Contracting Official Scammed More Than $30M — April 1, 2013
Until recently, Army Corps of Engineers program manager Kerry Khan had millions of dollars, mistresses in three states and a taste for high-end cars and liquor, according to court records.

Judge Allows Halfway House for Defense Contractor — April 1, 2013
A defense contractor accused of giving military secrets to his Chinese girlfriend will be allowed to stay at a halfway house while he awaits trial, a judge ruled Monday.

March

Accident Spotlights Need for Contract Rule Changes — March 31, 2013
On April 8, 2011, six workers employed under a federal contract were disposing of fireworks at a storage facility in Waipahu, Hawaii, when a large explosion occurred, killing five and injuring the sixth.

Many Furloughs Will be Rolled Back — March 31, 2013
The Defense Department and at least a handful of other agencies are rolling back or rethinking plans for civilian employee furloughs in the wake of a newly passed spending bill for the rest of fiscal 2013.

DOD Competes Fewer Contracts — March 29, 2013
The Defense Department held fewer competitions for contracts in fiscal 2012 than in 2008, declining in total by 5.5 percent during the four-year span, according to a report released March 28.

In Focus: Clocking Clearances — March 29, 2013
As recently as 2007, if you were a federal employee or contractor who needed a security clearance to handle classified information you could expect to wait more than 100 days before your background investigation was complete.

Pentagon to Cut $41 Billion After Getting More Funding — March 29, 2013
The Pentagon must cut about $41 billion this fiscal year, not the $46 billion anticipated before Congress passed a stopgap spending bill providing some relief from automatic reductions, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.

Stan Soloway wins the Herbert Roback Memorial Award — March 29, 2013
NCMA is pleased to announce that Stan Z. Soloway, Fellow, is selected as the recipient of the Herbert Roback Memorial Award.

6 Ways You Can Develop Your Team Even on a Shoestring Budget — March 28, 2013
What can you do with your very tight budget?

APNewsBreak: Pentagon Cuts Number of Furlough Days — March 28, 2013
The Pentagon will sharply cut the number of unpaid furlough days civilians will be forced to take over the next several months from 22 to 14, defense officials said Wednesday, reducing the impact of automatic budget cuts on as many as 700,000 workers.

Analysis: For How Long Can Feds ‘Do More With Less’? — March 28, 2013
The “do more with less” mantra is nothing new to government employees.

Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs — March 28, 2013
The Department of Defense (DOD) 2012 portfolio of 86 major defense acquisition programs is estimated to cost a total of $1.6 trillion, reflecting decreases in both size and cost from the 2011 portfolio.

Federal Agencies Obtain Training to Meet Requirements, but Have Limited Insight into Costs and Benefits of Training Investment — March 28, 2013
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy sets standards and policies for the federal acquisition workforce, and has established certification requirements, including minimal training, for the three main acquisition roles--contracting staff, Contracting Officer's Representatives, and Program/Project Managers--to promote the development of government-wide core acquisition competencies and facilitate mobility across agencies.

For Federal Workforce, The Furlough Terrain is Uneven — March 28, 2013
Every U.S. Park Police officer will be off the job for 14 days — but the national parks they patrol will be staffed. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will shut down for seven days starting in May, after concluding that staggering furloughs for 9,000 employees would create too much paperwork.

GSA Releases Draft Solicitation for Massive Professional Services Contract Vehicle — March 28, 2013
The General Services Administration moved one step closer to launching an overarching contract vehicle for professional services Thursday by releasing two draft requests for proposals.

Judge Orders GSA to Re-Evaluate E-Travel Contract Award — March 28, 2013
A federal judge has ordered the General Services Administration to re-evaluate bids for its billion-dollar e-travel contract awarded last June.

Lawmakers: VA has Conflict on Vets’ Businesses — March 28, 2013
Two key lawmakers are accusing the Veterans Affairs Department of violating the law by having one person head both the office that verifies veteran-owned businesses can receive government contracts and the office that promotes veterans’ entrepreneurship.

Pentagon Improves Holding Down Weapons Costs, Auditor Finds — March 28, 2013
Cost growth in the Pentagon’s portfolio of major weapons has stabilized in the last year as many programs show signs of increased efficiency, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said today.

Pentagon Scales Back Furloughs, Calls for Additional Flexibility — March 28, 2013
Most Defense Department civilians can expect 14 furlough days this year instead of the previously planned 22 days, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed Thursday, adding that the department needs additional flexibility to respond to across-the-board budget cuts from sequestration.

Recent Growth Underscores Need for Continued Improvements in Risk — March 28, 2013
From fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2012, the U.S. Export-Import Bank's (Ex-Im) outstanding financial commitments (exposure) grew from about $59 billion to about $107 billion, largely in long-term loans and guarantees.

Selected Defense Programs Need to Implement Key Acquisition Practices — March 28, 2013
Of the 14 selected Department of Defense (DOD) major automated information system (MAIS) programs, 9 had stayed within their planned cost estimates, while 5 did not (with cost increases ranging from 3 to 578 percent); 5 programs remained on schedule, while 9 experienced delays (ranging from 6 months to 10 years); and 8 programs met their system performance targets, while 5 did not fully meet their targets, and 1 did not have system performance data available.

Senate Backs Amendment to Boost IGs' Power — March 28, 2013
The Senate has passed a bipartisan provision to provide a stronger force of inspectors general and to make agencies more accountable to their auditors.

Small Business Owners: Let your voice be heard — March 28, 2013
AMEX Open invites you to participate in this short survey.

Agencies Take Concrete Steps Now That Sequester Is Law — March 27, 2013
However reluctant he may have been politically, President Obama on Tuesday signed the fiscal 2013 continuing resolution locking in the sequester, and agencies began their long-dreaded move toward concrete action to apply $85 billion in across-the-board budget cuts.

Short-Term Flexibility Won't Help Long-Term Impact of Sequestration — March 27, 2013
President Obama signed legislation Tuesday to keep the government funded through the end of September and to give greater flexibility to a handful of agencies as they roll out the mandated across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration.

Steps Taken to Improve Contracting Practices, but Opportunities Exist to Do More — March 27, 2013
For the contracts GAO reviewed, the National Science Foundation (NSF) generally used key contracting practices in each of the three phases of the acquisition process, but the agency needs additional guidance on early acquisition planning as well as arrangements for contract audits.

F-35 Fighter Transforming Defense Industry Says Retiring Chief — March 26, 2013
The retiring chief of the trouble-plagued F-35 Joint Strike Fighter says he remains bullish about the hi-tech war plane, with costs soon to be further reduced as production takes off, and believes the program will transform the aerospace industry.

Furloughs Could Endanger Feds’ Security Clearances — March 26, 2013
A top Republican senator is concerned that furloughs resulting from the sequester could endanger some federal employees’ security clearances.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on March 31, 2013 — March 26, 2013
This episode of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: “The Best of Government Contracting Weekly”.

Obama Signs Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown — March 26, 2013
President Barack Obama has signed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running through the end of September.

Investigating Federal Programs to Make Sure Public Dollars are Spent Wisely — March 25, 2013
For the past five years, federal watchdog Steve Lord has been looking at airport body scanners and baggage screening equipment differently than most of the traveling public, focusing an objective, critical eye on airport security systems and machinery, and informing powerful people about what he sees.

VA Awards Omnibus IT Contracts Valued at $5.3 Billion — March 25, 2013
The Veterans Affair Department awarded contracts for desktops, laptops, servers, switches, routers, storage services and tablet computers valued at $5.3 billion to three companies that will compete for orders through the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract for five years.

BAE Systems Wins $780m US Military Contract — March 24, 2013
BAE Systems has been awarded a new contract from the US military worth up to $780m, in a rare spending boost from its largest single customer.

Contractor Political Donations Unscathed by Sequester — March 22, 2013
Members of Congress continue raising campaign cash from the defense industry at fundraisers across Washington, even as military contractors brace for revenue losses from sequestration’s deep federal spending cuts.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on March 24, 2013 — March 22, 2013
This episode of Government Contracting Weekly is titled: "Thriving in the Innovation Era”.

Sequester, Spending Bill Chop NASA Funding — March 22, 2013
Congress sent a fiscal 2013 spending bill to President Obama on Thursday that will leave NASA with about $1.2 billion less this year than it received last year.

House Approves Resolution to Keep Government Running; Bill Heads to White House — March 21, 2013
Congress approved a short-term funding bill Thursday that ends the possibility of a federal government shutdown next week. But a broader budget battle about taxes and spending for the year is just beginning.

Bill Granting GAO More Power Passes House Panel — March 20, 2013
A bill to strengthen the Government Accountability Office’s powers passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday by a voice vote.

Congratulations to the 2013 Federal 100 — March 20, 2013
The power of the individual informs FCW's coverage each and every day, but with the Federal 100, we take time to really spotlight and celebrate it.

Contractor Site User Uncovered GSA Data Compromise — March 20, 2013
A user of an online federal contracting registry found a way of bypassing security controls to see every contractor’s personal and proprietary data, prompting the government to alert registrants about possible fraud, according to the General Services Administration, the owner of the system.

New WH Plan Would Cut $100B From Defense — March 20, 2013
The White House is preparing to submit a fiscal 2014 federal budget that would partially offset across-the-board sequestration cuts by reducing the Pentagon budget by $100 billion, but not until later this decade, according to a senior defense official and budget documents.

Officials Sound the Alarm Over Retention, Recruitment — March 20, 2013
The furloughs, pay freezes, possible retirement benefit cuts and other dire news for federal employees threaten to shatter the government’s recruitment and retention efforts, Obama administration officials and union leaders said Wednesday.

Senate Approves 2013 Spending Bill to Keep Government Open — March 20, 2013
The Senate on Wednesday voted 73-26 to pass an amended version of the fiscal 2013 bill to keep the government running past the March 27 expiration date of last year’s continuing resolution. The legislation would extend the freeze on federal pay.

Senate Votes to Avoid Government Shutdown, Starts Work on Budget — March 20, 2013
The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that prevents a government shutdown and allows the upper chamber to begin work on passing a budget.

The 12 Best Very Small Agencies to Work For in Government — March 20, 2013
There are a number of federal agencies with fewer than 100 employees, many of which are not widely known.

Budget Cutting Forces Pentagon to Review Strategy — March 19, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the Pentagon to reconsider a sweeping military strategy that the Obama administration unveiled just last year to determine whether it is still affordable in light of recent budget cuts.

Congress Seeks Answers on Sequestration — March 19, 2013
Congressional Republicans are preparing to grill federal officials about why agencies were slow to develop plans for across-the-board budget cuts enacted in 2011 and whether they could have done more to avoid the unpaid leave federal workers may face because of those cuts.

Congress Stands in Way of Cuts, DoD Says — March 19, 2013
Amid accusations that the Defense Department still has bloated budgets — and protects them by hyping the potential harm of even modest cuts — the Pentagon’s top financial officer said big cuts are in fact being made and more are coming.

Lawmakers Hunt Sequester Alternative in Defense, DHS Savings — March 19, 2013
House lawmakers on Tuesday probed for alternatives to sequestration’s across-the-board budget cuts, interrogating executives and auditors from agencies many lawmakers associate with wasteful spending -- the Defense and Homeland Security departments.

Planning and Data System for VA's Verification Program Need Improvement — March 19, 2013
VA has instituted a number of significant changes to its verification processes to improve and address program weaknesses but continues to face challenges in its efforts to establish a stable and efficient program to verify firms on a timely and consistent basis.

Cost-Type Contracts in the Cross-Hairs at DoD — March 18, 2013
Although the current focus in the federal market centers on budgetary issues like sequestration, continuing resolutions, and the outlook for the fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget there is another aspect that will push agencies to spend less and achieve economies and value for their contract dollar.

Lockheed Names Two New Leaders — March 18, 2013
Lockheed Martin Corp. named new leaders for its aeronautics business and its F-35 fighter-jet program, the Pentagon’s costliest weapons system, as the company faces Defense Department pressure to cut the plane’s costs.

OMB Sets No-Growth Policy on Federal Real Estate Footprint — March 18, 2013
Agencies are under orders to freeze or reduce the amount of real estate they own and lease at 2012 levels or less.

Obama Picks Perez to Head Labor Department — March 18, 2013
President Obama has picked the Justice Department’s top civil rights enforcer, Thomas Perez, to be his next Labor secretary.

Sequester Ensnares Government Watchdogs — March 18, 2013
As lawmakers clamp down on federal spending, they aren’t sparing the government’s watchdogs.

The Most Overstretched Agencies, According to Feds — March 18, 2013
Minja Kamatovic has seen her workload swell as colleagues retire and their positions remain unfilled

Two Contracting Executives Plead Guilty to Major Government Fraud — March 18, 2013
Executives at two Arlington companies have pleaded guilty after being accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $31 million in federal contract payments meant for disadvantaged small businesses, the Justice Department said Monday.

CR Could Reduce Furloughs, Other Cuts — March 17, 2013
Congress is racing to pass a 2013 spending bill needed to avert a partial government shutdown when the current stopgap funding measure expires next week.

Pentagon has Spent Billions on Doomed Programs; Cash Looms Large with Budget Cuts — March 17, 2013
The Pentagon has squandered billions of dollars over the past two decades on weapon systems it never produced and on rosy cost estimates that ballooned to sizes that ate up funds for other projects, according to government reports and defense analysts.

With Sequester in Effect, Recruiters Notice Varied Impact on Hiring Strategies — March 17, 2013
More than two weeks after broad federal spending cuts took effect, local recruiting professionals are starting to see signs of uneasiness in the labor market, with firms tweaking their hiring strategies and some workers exploring backup employment plans.

How to Build an International Talent Pipeline — March 15, 2013
Skill shortages and changing demographics are forcing talent leaders to find the right balance between mature and emerging market strategy.

Strategic Human Capital and Workforce Planning Should be an Ongoing Priority — March 15, 2013
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports that it is moving forward with strategic human capital and workforce planning efforts after several years of delays.

Small-Business Office Confronts Critics: 'We Do Not Block Rules' — March 14, 2013
He bristled at assertion that the office has become a pawn of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, The American Chemistry Council and other groups that are fighting against a wide array of proposed federal rules.

Effects of Budget Uncertainty from Continuing Resolutions on Agency Operations — March 13, 2013
Because CRs only provide funding until agreement is reached on final appropriations, they create uncertainty for agencies about both when they will receive their final appropriation and what level of funding ultimately will be available.

FBI Headquarters Consolidation Would Cut Leasing by $44M Annually — March 13, 2013
The FBI would save $44 million in leasing costs annually by consolidating its offices at a new headquarters, according to a top agency official.

Michelle Obama Urges CEOs to Hire More Veterans — March 13, 2013
Michelle Obama challenged America's top CEOs on Wednesday to "think outside the box" and hire more veterans.

Sequestration Forcing DoD's Acquisition Programs into 'Damage Limitation' Mode — March 13, 2013
In the Defense Department, operating under a continuing resolution means the military had more money in its overall acquisition accounts for 2013 than it requested.

Bid Protests Are Worth Their Costs, Ex-Procurement Chief Says — March 12, 2013
Contractors on the losing side of a competitive bidding who protest to the Government Accountability Office do not hurt or game the procurement system as some critics allege, says a forthcoming study.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Not Ready for Combat Until at Least 2019, GAO Says — March 12, 2013
The $397 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not be ready to go into operation until at least 2019, 23 years after the Pentagon signed a contract in 1996 with Lockheed Martin to produce just fewer than 2,500 of the aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, according to a new report.

Government Contracting Weekly — March 12, 2013
Government Contracting Weekly will not air this Sunday, but will return for a new episode on March 24. In the meantime visit the website for past episodes.

NNSA Defends Contract Extensions but Congressional Scrutiny Expected — March 12, 2013
The National Nuclear Security Administration is defending itself against charges that it renewed lucrative deals for undeserving contractors, but the issue is likely to come up at congressional oversight hearings in the coming months, sources say.

Current Outlook Is Improved, but Long-Term Affordability Is a Major Concern — March 11, 2013
The F-35 program achieved 7 of 10 key management objectives for 2012 and made substantial progress on one other.

Dire Sequestration Warnings Set Off Debate — March 11, 2013
The United States’ top military officers have warned that sequestration would be “ruinous” for national security.

Outsourcing the Fight Against Terrorism — March 11, 2013
The C-12 twin-engine turboprop drops through a break in the clouds, and Kenya’s tropical Lamu Archipelago, surrounded by coral-green waters, emerges like a lost continent.

F-35’s Ability to Evade Budget Cuts Illustrates Challenge of Paring Defense Spending — March 9, 2013
With an ear-ringing roar, the matte-gray fighter jet streaked down Runway 12 and sliced into a cloudless afternoon sky over the Florida Panhandle.

BRAC Savings Estimates Were Flawed, Report Says — March 8, 2013
The 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission may have achieved recurring annual savings, but flawed cost estimates produced a doubling of anticipated expenses, the Government Accountability Office reported on Thursday.

House FY ’13 Continuing Resolution Gives DoD and VA Flexibility, Has Select IT Implications — March 8, 2013
On March 6, the House passed H.R. 933 which would appropriate funding for the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) and fund military construction projects (MilCon) for fiscal year (FY) 2013.

Pentagon’s Internal Feud Over Contract Auditing Takes a New Twist — March 8, 2013
The ongoing dispute over the quality of work at the Defense Contract Audit Agency took a new turn on Thursday with the release of a Defense Inspector General’s Office report criticizing the professional judgment used in DCAA assignments dating back to 2010 and earlier.

A Special Budgetary Place for Defense — March 7, 2013
The Defense Department gets special budgetary treatment, and the Pentagon’s fiscal 2013 appropriations bill in the House’s Continuing Resolution that passed Wednesday proves the point.

Opportunities Exist to Improve Future Base Realignment and Closure Rounds — March 7, 2013
The Department of Defense developed and used a quantitative model known as the Cost of Base Realignment Actions (COBRA), which GAO has found to be a reasonable estimator for comparing potential costs and savings among candidate alternatives, to estimate the costs and savings associated with Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 recommendations.

Sequester Punctures Area Economy’s Government-Dependent Bubble — March 7, 2013
Recent American history is strewn with examples of regional economies that grew dangerously dependent on a single industry: Los Angeles with aerospace in the early 1990s, Northern California with tech at the turn of the millennium, Detroit with auto manufacturing and Las Vegas with home building in the mid-2000s

As Pentagon Budget Cuts Hit, Firms Hold Off on Layoffs — March 6, 2013
Despite predictions that sequestration-related defense cuts could result in 1 million layoffs, contractors have filed few notices of plant closings or mass layoffs, suggesting that any big impact on the economy from Pentagon downsizing is at least 60 to 90 days away.

Day of Reckoning for China’s Solar Industry Could Affect U.S. — March 6, 2013
Is Suntech too big a Chinese brand to fail?

GSA Will Stop Recruiting Cloud Security Testers Until the Fall — March 6, 2013
The government's new program for certifying the safety of browser-based software will not be able to recruit additional testers until the fall, federal officials told Nextgov.

House Passes Bill to Avert Government Shutdown in March — March 6, 2013
The House on Wednesday approved legislation to avert a government shutdown in a 267-151 vote despite opposition from Democrats who complained that the measure locks in the $85 billion sequester.

House Votes to Avert Shutdown as Obama Looks for Big Deal — March 6, 2013
The House took its first step to avert a government shutdown as President Obama began a series of rare meetings with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday, reviving chances for a long-term deal to reduce the federal deficit.

ODU Meeting Need by Offering For-Credit Graduate Procurement Programs — March 6, 2013
In a time of ever-tightening budgets for business, government and the military, cost savings are being sought in every aspect of operations.

Open Source Government: Code-Sharing Site Hires Federal Liaison — March 6, 2013
The computer code sharing site GitHub's first government liaison says he hopes to be a bridge between the government and open source communities on legislation and regulations, not just code.

TRANSCOM Boss: Drawdown on Track Despite Cuts — March 6, 2013
U.S. Transportation Command has the resources now to get American assets out of Afghanistan, but that might not last, the general in charge of the command said Wednesday.

Wanted: Military Vets for Good Management Jobs — March 6, 2013
Companies like AT&T, 7-Eleven, Amazon, Capital One and Lowe's are making a push to hire some of the young, unemployed 250,000 veterans who have served since 9/11.

Camp to Release Small Business Tax Draft on Wednesday — March 5, 2013
Rep. Dave Camp, the House’s top tax writer, will release a draft proposing changes to tax laws for small businesses on Wednesday, as part of his broader efforts to comprehensively overhaul the tax code.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on March 10, 2013 — March 5, 2013
Episode 23 of Government Contracting Weekly will feature representatives from the surrounding DC metro area who will weigh in on the effect reduced federal spending will have on local economies.

NASA Launches 10-year Governmentwide IT Buy Valued at $20 Billion — March 5, 2013
NASA will run its next governmentwide information technology contract for 10 years, the agency said yesterday in a release of the draft contract, putting the total value of the procurement at $20 billion, based on estimates by analysts.

Pentagon Releases Further Sequestration Guidance — March 5, 2013
Across-the-board spending reductions from sequestration will necessitate cutbacks to many Pentagon programs, including support for tuition assistance, congressional travel, bonuses for civilian employees and military entertainment, Defense Comptroller Robert Hale said Tuesday.

The 7 Characteristics of Highly Successful Government Leaders — March 5, 2013
One former senior level political appointee, Linda Springer, recently observed that a common set of successful characteristics of private sector leaders – being decisive, directive, and a risk taker – could actually undermine success in the public sector.

Agencies Begin to Outline Furloughs, Other Sequester Cost-Cutting — March 4, 2013
Roughly 15,000 civilian employees at the Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command — headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland — will be furloughed one day per week between April 22 and Sept. 21.

Agency Responsibilities for Implementation of Potential Joint Committee Sequestration — March 4, 2013
Official letter released on February 27, 2013 from the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, outlines the reductions to federal budgets and the resulting impacts.

Eight Sequester Cuts Worth Watching — March 4, 2013
The Office of Management and Budget released a breakdown of cuts March 1 that must be implemented now as part of sequestration.

Feds Fear Sequester’s Impact — March 4, 2013
At press time March 1, Washington appeared paralyzed. Obama and Republicans on Capitol Hill blamed each other for the sequester, and the deadline to begin cutting $85 billion from the federal budget appeared inevitable.

Issa Goes Directly to Agencies to Specify Spending Cuts — March 4, 2013
The top House oversight chairman has plunged into the debate over sequestration by writing to 17 major agencies in search of specific programs or funding streams that could be cut as an alternative to current law's across-the-board requirement.

Pentagon Warns Governors of Sequestration’s Impact on States — March 4, 2013
Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter warned governors that across-the-board federal cuts from sequestration could have a dire impact on local economies, especially through mass unpaid furloughs and reduced spending on military activities.

Can Social Responsibility Sustain a Global Business? — March 3, 2013
Although the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has existed for some time, its meaning and practice varies by country.

Competition in Contracting Must be Tailored to Need — March 3, 2013
The Obama administration came to office determined to improve the defense acquisition process.

The Sequester: Absolutely Everything You Could Possibly Need to Know - in One FAQ — March 1, 2013
At the end of the month, the dreaded sequester is set to take effect.

February

A Completed Comprehensive Strategy is Needed to Guide DOD's In-Transit Visibility Efforts — February 28, 2013
The Department of Defense (DOD) has taken steps to improve in-transit visibility of its assets through efforts developed by several of the defense components, but no one DOD organization is fully aware of all such efforts across the department, because they are not centrally tracked.

Ashton Carter: Superhero of the Sequester — February 28, 2013
Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter says he’ll give back part of his paycheck if the sequester leads to furloughs at the Pentagon. Why won’t more politicians follow his lead?

Hidden Costs of Sequestration: Save Now, Spend Later — February 28, 2013
Some budget cuts designed to save billions this year might actually end up costing the government more money later on.

NIST Solicits Industry for Voluntary Security Standards — February 28, 2013
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is laying the groundwork for the administration’s voluntary cybersecurity program, geared toward critical infrastructure companies.

Pentagon to Make 'Quick Decisions' on Sequester Cuts — February 28, 2013
The Pentagon will make "some very quick decisions" on programs to be hit by automatic spending cuts under the so-called sequester, a Defense Department spokesman said Thursday.

As Budget Cuts Loom, is Government Shutdown Next? — February 27, 2013
With big, automatic budget cuts about to kick in, House Republicans are turning to mapping strategy for the next showdown just a month away, when a government shutdown instead of just a slowdown will be at stake.

Budget Cuts May Spur Involuntary Separations — February 27, 2013
While the Pentagon’s military personnel budget accounts are exempt from sequestration, the automatic cuts could force the acceleration of already planned personnel reductions and increase the likelihood that the services have to make some of those cuts involuntary, the services’ personnel chiefs said Wednesday.

Chief of F-35 Jet Program Rebukes Main Contractors — February 27, 2013
The general in charge of building the new F-35 fighter jet sharply criticized the main contractors on Wednesday, saying that Lockheed Martin and the engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, were trying to “squeeze every nickel” out of the program.

Coming in March: Biggest Fed IT Acquisition Overhaul Plan Since 1996 — February 27, 2013
House Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., plans to introduce legislation to overhaul the way the government buys information technology by the time Congress breaks for its spring recess in late March, he said during a hearing Wednesday.

Hagel Vows to ‘Take Care’ of DoD Work Force — February 27, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pledged to take care of the Defense Department’s military and civilian work force even as billions of dollars in defense spending cuts loom.

Improved and Expanded Use Could Provide Procurement Savings for Federal Information Technology — February 27, 2013
In September 2012, GAO reported that many large procurement agencies were in the early stages of implementing strategic sourcing and had achieved limited results.

Lawmakers Push GSA to Unload More Properties — February 27, 2013
Key lawmakers are pressing the General Services Administration and other agencies to more aggressively dispose of excess and underutilized federal properties.

Program Generally Stable but Improvements in Managing Schedule Are Needed — February 27, 2013
The KC-46 program 2012 estimates for cost, schedule, and performance are virtually the same as last year's, with the contractor running very close to the planned budget and schedule.

Program Generally Stable but Improvements in Managing Schedule Are Needed — February 27, 2013
The KC-46 program 2012 estimates for cost, schedule, and performance are virtually the same as last year's, with the contractor running very close to the planned budget and schedule.

Report: Obama Falling Short on Executive Appointments — February 27, 2013
Nearly 70 federal positions remain unfilled by President Obama, more than the outstanding appointments at the end of Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush’s first terms.

Senator Suggests Cuts to Avoid Pentagon Furloughs — February 27, 2013
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., called for the Pentagon to eliminate “unnecessary” jobs and programs in an effort to avoid furloughing “essential personnel,” should sequestration take effect March 1.

Sequester Spin Gets Ahead of Reality — February 27, 2013
The descriptions of the post-sequester landscape coming from the Obama administration have been alarming, specific — and, in at least some cases, hyped.

The 3 Essential Things Great Leaders Understand — February 27, 2013
Leadership can be a difficult topic about which to convey anything meaningful.

What Time Does the Sequester Start? — February 27, 2013
Because there appears to be no serious effort to stop it before it starts, we have to think about the actual mechanics of the sequester.

DOD to Start Filing More Contract Information — February 26, 2013
Defense contracting officers now must indicate the type of functions that service contracts cover, particularly those closely associated with inherently governmental or critical functions, as the data goes into the Federal Procurement Data System.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on March 3, 2013 — February 26, 2013
Episode 21 of Government Contracting Weekly will focus on how to win in the complex Federal marketplace.

Government Input Requested for a Survey — February 26, 2013
GSA is in the process of establishing the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) and One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Small Business (OASIS SB) multiple award IDIQ contracts that will be available for use by all government agencies.

Senate Votes to Confirm Hagel — February 26, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Pentagon chief in a 58-41 vote, ending one of the most contentious confirmation fights for a Defense secretary in U.S. history.

Actions Needed to Explore Additional Opportunities to Gain Efficiencies in Acquiring Foreign Language Support — February 25, 2013
DOD has taken some steps to gain efficiencies in its approach to contracting for certain types of foreign language support services and products, but its contracting approach for other types remains fragmented across multiple components, and DOD has not explored whether additional opportunities exist to gain efficiencies across this broader range of contracting activity.

Budget, Defense Hawks Battling over How Deeply to Cut Pentagon — February 25, 2013
The sequester is about to take a big bite out of the Pentagon, putting the military’s dire warnings about a “hollowed out” force to the ultimate test.

Firms Reported to Have Engaged in Activities Related to Iran's Energy and Communications Sectors While Having Had U.S. Government Contracts — February 25, 2013
Of the seven foreign firms we identified in December 2012 as having been reported to have engaged in commercial activity in Iran's energy sector at some point between June 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012, we found that one--Daelim--had U.S. government contracts.

Hagel: Good or Bad for Contractors? — February 25, 2013
I’ve taken a very informal survey of executives, as well as others close to the government market, to see what having Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense will mean.

Sequester's Cuts in Military Affect S.A. — February 25, 2013
Days before the budget sequester takes effect, military and community leaders around the state are girding themselves for cuts that could cost Texas 91,000 jobs.

Sequestration Hinders DOD Quickpay Plan — February 25, 2013
Defense officials announced they are ending their own temporary efforts to accelerate payments to all prime contractors, according to a Feb. 25 Federal Register notice.

Defense Industry Finds Few Old Friends on Hill — February 24, 2013
The defense industry is in the fight of its life, but many of its longtime champions on Capitol Hill are retired, dead or in jail.

Governors Press White House, Congress to Avoid Sequester Cuts — February 24, 2013
The governors of Maryland and Virginia urged Washington policymakers on Sunday to come together to avoid sequestration.

Health World Braces for Sequester — February 24, 2013
Every corner of the healthcare world has something — and potentially a lot — to lose from the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit the government on March 1.

White House Releases State-By-State Breakdown of Sequester’s Effects — February 24, 2013
The White House on Sunday detailed how the deep spending cuts set to begin this week would affect programs in every state and the District, as President Obama launched a last-ditch effort to pressure congressional Republicans to compromise on a way to stop the across-the-board cuts.

The Big Sequester Gamble: How Badly will the Cuts Hurt? — February 23, 2013
With the ax set to fall on federal spending in five days, the question in Washington is not whether the sequester will hit, but how much it will hurt.

Education Secretary Decries Sequestration — February 22, 2013
Education Secretary Arne Duncan came out swinging Thursday, directing his harshest words at congressional lawmakers before what he calls “increasingly likely” mandatory spending cuts for “real kids, real teachers and real classrooms” from sequestration this March.

Memo: DoD Program Managers Can Talk Sequestration with Contractors — February 22, 2013
The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has given program managers the OK to begin discussions with contractors about how billions of dollars in spending cuts could impact acquisition programs.

Pentagon Fears Drastic Cuts with Lack of Spending Bill — February 22, 2013
Congress' failure to pass a spending bill for the Pentagon is causing almost as much concern as the automatic spending cuts that loom March 1, according to an internal document obtained by USA TODAY.

Federal Contractor Issues Layoff Warnings, Citing Budget Uncertainty — February 21, 2013
European weapons maker BAE Systems reported stronger-than-expected earnings Thursday, after issuing conditional layoff notices to 3,500 shipyard employees in Florida, Hawaii and Virginia, citing uncertainty in the federal budget.

For Obama and Team, Calm, Not Crisis, in Latest Fiscal Battle — February 21, 2013
President Obama is just seven days away from the first significant test of his second term as deep spending cuts loom, yet inside the White House a clear sense of confidence stands in contrast to the air of crisis that surrounded previous fiscal showdowns with Republicans.

Hagel Has Enough Support for Defense Secretary — February 21, 2013
Barring any new, damaging information, Chuck Hagel has secured the necessary votes for the Senate to confirm him to be the nation's next defense secretary.

House Leader Suggests 'Common Sense Alternatives' to Sequester — February 21, 2013
The dreaded automatic spending cuts slated to kick in March 1 could be avoided with some “common-sense alternatives” to reduce waste in agency budgets, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said on Wednesday, the day before a USA Today-Pew Research Center poll showed a majority of Americans backing President Obama’s approach to the fiscal stalemate.

Pentagon Buyers Authorized to Discuss Budget Cuts with Industry — February 21, 2013
The Pentagon's top weapons buyer on Thursday authorized Defense Department purchasers and program managers to begin talking to industry partners about plans for implementing $46 billion in budget cuts on March 1 and what impact it may have on business.

Pentagon To Slow Contractor Payments To Boost Cash Reserve — February 21, 2013
The U.S. Defense Department will slow payments to prime contractors in the coming week in an attempt to increase its on-hand cash as defense spending cuts loom.

Sequestration Breakdown: What $1.2 Trillion Looks like in Small Business Terms — February 21, 2013
Congress and the administration are down to their final week to strike a deal to avoid or delay the automatic budget cuts known as “sequestration,” and with both parties already pointing fingers rather than working on a compromise, the cutbacks appear inevitable.

CACI Names Former Lockheed Executive as CEO — February 20, 2013
Arlington-based CACI International has appointed Kenneth Asbury as president and chief executive, taking over from Daniel D. Allen, who just assumed the role last year.

Services Lay Out Sweeping State-by-State Spending Cuts — February 20, 2013
Budget cuts by the Air Force, Army and Navy scheduled to take effect March 1 will force almost $34 billion in wage and spending reductions and prompt furloughs or layoffs for millions of people, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

Agencies Outline Deep Cuts Under Sequestration — February 19, 2013
If across-the-board budget cuts take effect as scheduled next month, every FBI employee, including special agents, will be furloughed for almost three weeks by the end of September.

Defense Department Set to Announce Furlough Plan Wednesday — February 19, 2013
The Defense Department intends to notify Congress on Wednesday of a plan to furlough nearly 800,000 civilian employees one day each week beginning in April, a defense official said Tuesday.

Deficit Hawks Simpson and Bowles: Skirt the Sequester — February 19, 2013
Congress must replace upcoming “dumb” across-the-board budget cuts with targeted spending cuts and sweeping changes to tackle the nation’s debt without restricting economic growth, the former co-chairs of President Obama’s debt commission say in a revamped bipartisan proposal for fiscal restraint.

Choppy Water for Ship Repair Workers in Budget Crisis — February 18, 2013
Tom Taylor has trouble sleeping most nights because he worries about what might happen to the 100-plus employees at his ship repair business.

F-35 Warplane Costs Driven Up by Production Choice: U.S. General — February 18, 2013
A decision to start production of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet before it was fully tested has driven up the $396 billion cost of the troubled project and increased risks, the U.S. general heading development of the warplane has said.

Pink Slips Being Printed as Congress Vacations, Defense Industry Likely to Cut Thousands of Jobs — February 18, 2013
Hundreds of Pentagon-related companies large and small are preparing to lay off thousands of employees as Congress takes a recess this week, so far unable to agree on how to undo automatic military spending cuts set to begin March 1.

Defense Contractors Rethinking Veteran Support — February 17, 2013
Ever since President Obama started bringing troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, military veterans have been increasingly entering the civilian sector in search of new careers.

Defense Industry Shifts Focus to Minimizing Damage from Sequester — February 17, 2013
The defense industry is no longer fighting to stop sequestration before March 1.

States Offer Examples of Meeting Fiscal Challenges — February 17, 2013
With the next installment of the fiscal cliff looming, the U.S. government continues down an unsustainable long-term fiscal path.

States Offer Examples of Meeting Fiscal Challenges — February 17, 2013
With the next installment of the fiscal cliff looming, the U.S. government continues down an unsustainable long-term fiscal path.

White House Seeks 'Balanced Way' to Budget Fix — February 17, 2013
President Barack Obama is concerned about the effect that looming, drastic across-the-board budget cuts will have on the middle class, his new chief of staff said Sunday. Congressional Republicans predicted the cuts would start as scheduled next month and blamed Obama not only for doing little to stop them but for the idea itself.

DHS, DoD Among Agencies Making Slow, Steady Progress to Get Off High Risk List — February 15, 2013
Nearly every program on the Government Accountability Office's biennial High Risk list, released Thursday, made some course correction over the past two years.

House Moves to Extend Pay Freeze for Fed Workers — February 15, 2013
House conservatives want to extend to a full three years the current freeze on cost-of-living pay increases for the nation's 2 million civilian federal workers.

House Votes to Extend Federal Pay Freeze — February 15, 2013
The House on Friday voted to freeze the pay of federal employees and lawmakers through 2013.

Clapper Says Budget Cuts Would be Disastrous for U.S. Spy Agencies — February 14, 2013
U.S. spy agencies are making preparations for potentially sweeping budget cuts that could drastically limit their ability to respond to crises, the top U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday.

Senate Democrats Offer a Proposal to Head Off Automatic Cuts — February 14, 2013
Senate Democratic leaders reached agreement Thursday on a $110 billion mix of tax increases and spending cuts to head off automatic spending cuts through the end of the year. But with even some Democrats tepid on the proposal, the chances of a deal before the March 1 deadline have receded.

Senate Democrats’ Sequester Bill Would Cut Defense $27.5B — February 14, 2013
Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday rolled out their much-anticipated measure to void the first wave of pending cuts to planned defense and domestic spending.

Senate Dems Unveil $110 Billion Sequester-Replacement Package — February 14, 2013
Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a $110 billion sequester-replacement bill at a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday that would replace $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit March 1.

Analysis: Striking a New Deal for Defense — February 13, 2013
The Pentagon prides itself on solid contingency planning, with one glaring exception: the prospect of reduced funding. Only in the past couple of months has the Defense Department begun to prepare for the significant budget cuts likely this year.

Continued Uncertainties Surround Sequestration — February 13, 2013
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama urged Congress to adopt an alternative to the sequestration cuts scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2013.

Defense Officials Again Sound Alarm on Sequestration — February 13, 2013
Senior Defense Department officials warned Congress on Tuesday that the looming sequestration cuts represent a dire and unprecedented threat to the U.S. military, with the potential to harm everything from combat readiness at a time of dangerous international tensions to the Pentagon’s efforts to reduce military suicide.

Does New House Plan to Keep Agencies Funded Have a Chance? — February 13, 2013
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., says he is preparing to introduce a bill to keep government agencies funded through the end of the fiscal year that will be written with a spending level beyond what Speaker John Boehner has promised rank-and-file conservatives.

Government Regulation and Corporate Best Business Practices: Mitigating Public Procurement Fraud - A Doctoral Study — February 13, 2013
You are graciously invited to participate in a doctoral research study.

Senator Puts Wasteful Contractors and Agencies 'On Notice' — February 13, 2013
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., written off by many political strategists last year as a poor prospect for reelection, has landed the chairmanship of a new and permanent Financial and Contracting Oversight subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel.

Defense and The Intelligence Community Pursue Conflicting Cloud Plans — February 12, 2013
The intelligence community and Pentagon each are developing portable technology services for exchanging information such as cyber threats -- but the arrangements are incompatible right now.

Hunter: DoD Being Overly Dramatic About Cuts — February 12, 2013
A California Republican accuses the Defense Department "adding drama" to looming budget cuts — like not deploying an aircraft carrier — when less drastic options are available.

Improvements Made but Additional Steps Needed to Strengthen Strategic Planning and Assess Progress — February 12, 2013
The Department of Defense (DOD) has improved its Strategic Management Plan (SMP) by including additional strategic planning elements that were lacking from previous plans; however, the fiscal year 2012-2013 SMP still needs to incorporate some key information that would make it more useful for DOD decision makers as a guide for implementing business transformation efforts and for measuring progress.

Obama: We Need 'Smarter Government' — February 12, 2013
President Obama called for smarter government during his State of the Union address Tuesday night in a speech that focused on creating more jobs and strengthening the economy without adding to the country’s deficit.

Obama’s Cyber Executive Order Lays Foundation for Mandatory Regulations — February 12, 2013
Late Tuesday, President Obama signed an executive order on cybersecurity that offers industry more carrots than sticks to lay the groundwork for eventually mandating security standards and corresponding privacy protections.

Panel Votes to Approve Hagel — February 12, 2013
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 14-11 Tuesday to approve former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Defense secretary after a lengthy meeting that featured sharp exchanges about compensation the nominee has received for speaking engagements.

Public-Sector Workers Rally Against Sequestration — February 12, 2013
Hundreds of public-sector employees gathered with their unions outside the U.S. Capitol Building Tuesday for a rally against the automatic federal budget cuts known as sequestration.

Top Pentagon Brass Lay Out Details of Sequestration Nightmare — February 12, 2013
With less than three weeks to go before automatic governmentwide budget cuts, the entire leadership team at the Pentagon on Tuesday implored the Senate Armed Services Committee to cancel sequestration and adjust the continuing resolution set to run out March 27.

Lawmaker Proposes Overhaul of Contractor Suspension Process — February 11, 2013
A key lawmaker is proposing to overhaul the way the government bars contractors from receiving federal contracts.

Pentagon Fails to Explain Sole-Source Contracts, GAO Says — February 11, 2013
The Defense Department has made scant headway in justifying its awards of sole-source contracting as required under a fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill, the Government Accountability Office found.

SBA Chief, Other Key Administration Officials Announce Departures — February 11, 2013
Several senior Obama administration officials have announced their departures from government service recently, adding to the list of vacancies the president will need to fill for his second term.

Senate Democrats to Offer Alternative to Automatic Spending Cuts — February 11, 2013
Senate Democrats plan to unveil this week a series of targeted spending cuts and tax increases on the top-earners to replace deep, across-the-board federal spending cuts due to begin on March 1, a senior Democratic aide said on Monday.

Senate Dems Aim to Have Sequester Bill Ready by Thursday — February 11, 2013
Senate Democrats are aiming to produce a bill to replace the sequester by Thursday, according to Democratic aides.

Union Presses for Cuts to Contract Spending — February 11, 2013
Federal agencies could find 70 percent to 90 percent of the $85 billion in sequestration budget cuts by scaling back spending on services contracts, according to a new report commissioned by the American Federation of Government Employees.

Military Warns Cuts Would Create ‘Hollow Force’ Akin to 1970s — February 10, 2013
The U.S. armed services, widely recognized as the world’s most ready and mobile military, is painting a picture of itself as a stagnant force trapped at home under automatic spending cuts just three weeks away.

Obama: Sequester Would Deal 'Huge Blow to Middle-Class Families' — February 9, 2013
President Obama warned in his weekly address that the sequester would deal a "huge blow to middle-class families and our economy as a whole" and urged Congress to strike a compromise deal to avert the $85 billion in automatic cuts.

Thinking the Unthinkable — February 9, 2013
The automatic cuts imposed by Congress’s “sequester” on America’s budget fall heavily on defence, which accounts for at least half of discretionary spending.

DOD Needs Additional Steps to Fully Integrate Operational Contract Support into Contingency Planning — February 8, 2013
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Staff, and the services have taken steps to integrate operational contract support into planning for contingency operations.

DOD's Implementation of Justifications for 8(a) Sole-Source Contracts — February 8, 2013
We found that DOD awarded 51 sole source 8(a) contracts over $20 million between October 2009 and September 2012.

Ignore Employee Recognition and You’ll Be Sorry — February 8, 2013
Employee recognition isn’t a fluffy concept. Here are five ways it can actually drive bottom line results.

Levin: Senate Dems Likely to Offer Sequester-Avoiding Plan — February 8, 2013
On the heels of a two-day policy retreat on the Maryland shore, a senior U.S. Senate Democrat says members of his party will craft a plan to avert pending Pentagon spending cuts.

Senator: Feds Need to Know Consequences of Sequester — February 8, 2013
Agency leaders should talk to federal employees now about the effects of the possible sequester if they have not already done so, a Maryland Democrat said on Friday.

White House Warns of Sequestration Damage Across Government — February 8, 2013
If sequestration takes effect March 1, more than 1,000 FBI and other federal law enforcement agents would be sidelined, hundreds of federal prosecutors and thousands of food safety inspectors would be furloughed, and widespread furloughs at the IRS would leave millions of taxpayers unable to get answers from IRS call centers as the April 15 tax deadline approaches, according to the White House.

Agencies Coming Up Short on Green Gov Goals — February 7, 2013
Many agencies are missing targets for meeting energy efficiency and sustainability mandates, citing tighter budgets.

‘There’s an App for That’: DoD Store to Have 10,000 of Them — February 7, 2013
NASA and the Defense Information Systems Agency are leading a governmentwide effort to make more federal data accessible via mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers.

Controller Outlines Strategy to Simplify Government — February 6, 2013
The chief impediments to streamlining federal functions are “parochial stakeholder interests” and a lack of urgency among managers implementing laws and programs, U.S. Controller Danny Werfel told a business group on Wednesday.

Dempsey: Changes Aimed at Balancing Readiness, Budget Uncertainty — February 6, 2013
Postponing deployment of an aircraft carrier and a guided missile cruiser to the Middle East is just the first in a series of changes to the military’s global presence as the Defense Department tries to maintain readiness amid budget uncertainty, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey said Wednesday.

DoD Official: Odds of Sequestration Happening ‘Much Higher’ Than Previously Thought — February 6, 2013
After avoiding planning for automatic defense budget cuts throughout the fall, the Department of Defense now sees the cuts as probable, and is rapidly preparing, a senior Pentagon official said Feb. 6.

Panetta: Defense Budget Cuts Will Damage Economy — February 6, 2013
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday laid out a grim list of spending cuts the Pentagon will have to make in the coming weeks that he said will seriously damage the country's economy and degrade the military's ability to respond to a crisis.

Satisfaction with Federal Services on the Rise Thanks to E-Gov — February 6, 2013
The federal government remains the lowest rated economic sector in the country, despite two consecutive years of improved ratings, according to a new report.

Agencies to Outline Sequester Plans as Early as Today — February 5, 2013
Federal agencies may start telling their employees as early as Tuesday about the cost-cutting steps — which could include furloughs — they are preparing to take if the steep budget cuts known as sequestration take effect.

Business Briefs: United Technologies to Produce F-35 Engines — February 5, 2013
United Technologies to produce F-35 engines.

Everything You Need to Know About the Dell Buyout — February 5, 2013
After weeks of rumored talks, Dell has announced its sale to Microsoft, Silver Lake Partners, and founder Michael Dell for $24.4 billion, the biggest leveraged buyout since the 2008 financial crisis.

New U.S. Army Memo Details ‘Devastating’ Effects of Cuts — February 5, 2013
Documents released by the U.S. Army this week begin to spell out, in often gruesome detail, the $18 billion in fiscal year 2013 cuts that the service would have to endure if sequestration hits on March 1, and Congress funds the Pentagon with a continuing resolution (CR) for the remainder of 2013.

Obama Demands Sequester Delay — February 5, 2013
President Obama on Tuesday demanded that Congress approve legislation to replace at least some of the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit the government on March 1.

Obama to Call for a Second Delay in Sequestration Budget Cuts — February 5, 2013
President Obama will call on Congress to delay the automatic sequestration budget cuts yet again.

Parts for F-35 Would Evade Export Ban — February 5, 2013
The government would allow the export of Japanese-made parts for the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter as an exception to Japan’s long-standing ban on weapons exports, sources said Monday.

The Five Hottest IT Jobs Over the Next Five Years — February 5, 2013
It’s hard to predict the future and what tech skills will be the most in-demand going forward, particularly when it comes to the ever-changing technology landscape. But a new special report by Dice.com predicts five tech jobs that will be hot over the next five years.

Democrat Offers Sequestration Alternative — February 4, 2013
A Democratic lawmaker has offered an amendment to GOP legislation that would replace the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect on March 1.

Feds Anticipate the Worst as Spending Cuts Loom — February 4, 2013
Most federal workers believe their agency will have to furlough employees if sequestration happens and remains in effect, according to a poll of Government Executive readers.

The 5 Things Successful Women in Government Do — February 4, 2013
When it comes to women’s achievements, few compare to the rising roles of women in government. In Obama’s first term cabinet, five women were tasked with providing the president key insight into running government.

15 Great Leadership Lessons From John Kerry's Senate Farewell — February 1, 2013
After 28 years in the Senate, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts bid farewell to his colleagues in an emotional address rich in wisdom and perspective on the challenges of our times.

Contract Management Week 2013 — February 1, 2013
The NCMA Board of Directors has declared the week of July 21–July 27, 2013, as "Contract Management Week" (CM Week) in recognition and honor of the thousands of contracting and procurement professionals in the profession today.

Defense Positions a Military Cyber Squad on DHS Turf — February 1, 2013
Pentagon plans to deploy a military cyber squad to guard U.S. networks sustaining hospitals and other vital commercial sectors drew hopeful skepticism from technology experts -- and silence from counterparts at the Homeland Security Department.

Procurement Chief: Government Shops as If It Were ‘130 Mid-Sized Businesses’ — February 1, 2013
The government lacks solid information on past prices paid under goods and services contracts, the nation’s top procurement officer said Thursday.

What the Heck is Operational Efficiency? — February 1, 2013
Excellence in Government recently surveyed over 2,000 federal managers to find out what they felt were the most pressing management issues facing the federal workforce in 2013.

What's the Goal of Human Capital Measurement? — February 1, 2013
Think of analytic maturity as akin to mountain climbing: The methods become more difficult as companies climb the mountain, but they are more rewarding as they reach higher ground.

January

Companies, Cities Prepare for Coming Defense Cuts — January 31, 2013
The Lockheed Martin executive was two years out of her internship when then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney killed the A-12 bomber. On Jan. 7, 1991, a unit of General Dynamics (the division is now part of Lockheed) responded by firing 4,000 workers here in a one-day swoop.

Expansion of Strategic Sourcing Worries Professional Services Contractors — January 31, 2013
Professional services contractors are worried that a new government purchasing strategy will emphasize low cost at the expense of quality.

Pentagon Policy Chief: Furloughs are Not a Sure Thing — January 31, 2013
The Defense Department’s top policy administrator on Thursday assured colleagues in a memo that media reports of coming furloughs in the civilian workforce “included many inaccuracies,” reiterating that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is working closely with the White House and Congress to avoid furloughs.

Workers Prepare Budgets because Congress Won’t — January 31, 2013
Civilian workers in the Defense Department are bracing themselves for layoffs and furloughs that could cost them a chunk of their paychecks with the automatic spending cuts set to begin March 1.

Defense Budget Cuts Hit Businesses, Localities — January 30, 2013
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led to increased defense spending after the 2001 terrorist attacks, but defense's share of the national economy is forecast to continue falling as overseas fighting ends

Let the Sequesters Begin, Some Republicans Say — January 30, 2013
Congressional Republicans are preparing to let $85 billion in automatic spending cuts begin to bite March 1, saying they have become convinced that letting the “sequesters” take effect is the only way they will be able to wrangle real spending cuts from President Obama.

Small Business Administration Needs to Improve Collaboration to Implement Its Expanded Role — January 30, 2013
The Small Business Administration (SBA) and five other key agencies provide a variety of export promotion services to small businesses.

U.S. Growth Halted as Federal Spending Fell in 4th Quarter — January 30, 2013
The federal government helped bring the economic recovery to a virtual halt late last year as cuts in military spending and other factors overwhelmed the Federal Reserve’s expanded campaign to stimulate growth.

Agency Actions Address Key Management Challenges, but Additional Steps Needed to Ensure Consistent Implementation of Policy Changes — January 29, 2013
Both OFPP and GSA have implemented corrective actions to address the key interagency contracting issues identified in our 2010 report regarding the creation, use, and oversight of interagency contracts.

Automatic Defense Cuts Called ‘More Likely Than Unlikely’ — January 29, 2013
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today “it is more likely than unlikely” that automatic defense cuts of as much as $45 billion will be triggered March 1.

Executives Learn Ethics the Hard Way: From Marines — January 29, 2013
Sunlight was filtering through the trees as the team trudged up yet another hill to the final objective of the morning.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on February 3, 2013 — January 29, 2013
The "Art of Winning" episode of Government Contracting Weekly, features Cheryl Campbell, SVP of Health and Compliance Programs at CGI Federal, and Roger Waldron, President of the Coalition for Government Procurement.

OFPP Seeks 'Aggressive Goals' for Agency Contractor Reviews — January 29, 2013
In the final quarter of 2012, Defense Department officials entered 67.5 percent of their required contractor reviews into the Past Performance Information Retrieval System.

Sequestration Cuts No Longer the 'Bad Policy' Bogeyman for Congress — January 29, 2013
The defense industry has now stared down the prospect of across-the-board spending cuts under sequestration for nearly 18 months — and they look more likely now than ever as the March 1 deadline approaches for the automatic cuts to occur.

Analysis: Slicing and Dicing OPM’s Workforce Survey — January 28, 2013
With the release of its 2012 Employee Viewpoint Survey results, the Office of Personnel Management focused renewed attention on federal workforce issues.

Governments Fall Short in Fighting Defense Corruption: Survey — January 28, 2013
More than two-thirds of countries, including many of the world's largest arms traders, have inadequate safeguards to prevent corruption in their defense sectors, a survey by an anti-corruption watchdog said on Tuesday.

Is Government Now the Caboose of Technology? — January 28, 2013
TechCrunch has posted an interesting Q&A with veteran IT innovator Marc Andreesen on "the future of enterprise.

Q and A with Ashton Carter, Deputy Defense Secretary — January 28, 2013
The Pentagon has issued guidance to prepare for as much as $50 billion in automatic cuts this year unless Congress approves a deficit reduction package, mainly the spending measures, by April.

Washington and Business Brace for an Obama Wave of Regulations — January 28, 2013
President Obama has begun to wield the power of the executive to press forward with a second-term agenda that delights the left and terrifies the right.

Threat of Automatic Cuts Costly to Federal Agencies — January 27, 2013
The drastic $85 billion in automatic spending cuts Congress approved in hopes of heading off another deficit showdown may or may not occur, but federal agencies say the threat has been disrupting government for months as officials take costly and inefficient steps to prepare.

Far from Boring—An Interesting Year Ahead — January 25, 2013
By: Barbara Kinosky Happy belated New Year to regulatory geeks everywhere! Today, I am writing about predictions for 2013.

Once Unthinkable, Severe Spending Cuts Now Seem Plausible — January 24, 2013
Republicans and Democrats in the Senate appear to be coming to the same conclusion on spending, namely that once unthinkable, draconian cuts designed to force a more reasonable compromise may be much harder to undo than anyone ever imagined.

Report: USAID Probed for Alleged Bid-Rigging — January 24, 2013
Investigators are looking into allegations that the top lawyer for the State Department's aid agency rigged a bid and that top officials tried to cover it up, according to The Associated Press.

Budget Uncertainty Complicates DoD’s Audit Efforts — January 23, 2013
The Defense Department’s quest to get its financial books in order by 2017 is running into trouble.

Cloud Contractors Find Security Hurdles Imposing — January 23, 2013
John Keese knows, better than most cloud computing contractors, the cost of doing business with the federal government.

DOT Lacks Data, Oversight, and Strategic Focus Needed to Address Significant Workforce Challenges — January 23, 2013
The Department of Transportation (DOT) lacks sufficient and reliable data to fully identify its acquisition workforce needs and assess progress in addressing shortfalls over time.

House Votes to Suspend Debt Limit — January 23, 2013
A measure to suspend the nation’s legal limit on borrowing for nearly four months cleared a key vote in the House Wednesday, as Republicans broadly endorsed a new tactic that would temporarily remove the threat of a potentially calamitous government default from their ongoing fight with Democrats over government spending.

Improper Payment Rate Falls, but Some Trouble Persists — January 23, 2013
Eager to find savings, the Obama administration and Congress are stepping up pressure on agencies to reduce the tens of billions of dollars mistakenly paid each year to individuals, contractors, and state and local governments.

Labor CFO: Challenge is Making Best Use of Scarce Resources — January 23, 2013
Jim Taylor once planned to be a city manager. But after taking a Federal Emergency Management Agency internship in 1980, Taylor went on to hold senior management jobs at FEMA, the Commerce Department and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.

Pentagon Leaders Continue Push Against Sequestration — January 23, 2013
With the revised deadline for preventing automatic spending cuts only six weeks away, the Defense Department continues its pleas to Congress to come up with a new budget deal because national security readiness “is at a tipping point.”

Additional Guidance Needed to Ensure Costs Are Consistent and Reasonable — January 22, 2013
Labor costs are included in the prices contractors negotiate with the Department of Defense, and include pension costs as these are a normal element of employee compensation.

GAO Faults Oversight of IT Investments — January 22, 2013
Many of the government’s information technology investments lack proper oversight and transparency and end up over budget or behind schedule, according to David Powner of the Government Accountability Office.

GSA Names New Commissioner for Federal Acquisition Service — January 22, 2013
Thomas Sharpe, the Treasury Department’s senior procurement executive, has been tapped to be the new commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service.

Wary DOD Slows Spending — January 22, 2013
Based on our analysis, CSIS concludes that approximately 100 Defense Department contracts are likely to be affected by the requirement for advance review for all awards and modifications that will obligate more than $500 million.

White House: Obama Backs Bill Divorcing Debt Ceiling, Sequestration Fights — January 22, 2013
President Obama will not stand in the way of a House Republican plan to delay action on the U.S. debt ceiling by three months, the White House announced Jan. 22.

Bracing for Furloughs: DoD, Others Begin Detailed Sequester Planning — January 21, 2013
Federal agencies are girding for mass furloughs and other cutbacks as across-the-board budget reductions loom in barely a month.

Federal Employees Face Crucial Questions in Obama’s Second Term — January 21, 2013
President Obama begins his second term with a solid series of accomplishments related to the federal workforce, but with more crucial questions facing federal employees than at any time in the past four years.

Half-Trillion in Defense Budget Cuts Means Targeting Sustainment Costs — January 20, 2013
Much as in the movie “Groundhog Day,” when the same day repeated over and over for the main character, the Defense Department closed out 2012 as it did 2011, staring down the barrel of another half-trillion dollars in budget cuts.

Critical Skills and Competency Assessments Should Help Guide DOD Civilian Workforce Decisions — January 17, 2013
In fiscal year 2012, the Navy and the Air Force met their adjusted civilian workforce cap targets, but the Army did not. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimated the civilian workforce cap saved the department $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2012 and would save a total of $11.5 billion through 2016.

NASA Contracted with 787 Battery Supplier for Space Station Batteries — January 17, 2013
The Japanese company that supplied batteries implicated in two fires over the past week on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner won a contract last November to supply similar lithium ion batteries for use on the International Space Station.

U.S. Paid to Maintain Inoperable Afghan Police Vehicles, Audit Finds — January 17, 2013
The U.S. government paid $6.8 million for maintenance of more than 7,000 Afghan police vehicles that had been destroyed or were out of commission, according to an inspector general report released Thursday.

Union Accuses Administration of Aiming Cuts at Employees, Not Contractors — January 17, 2013
The Obama administration is favoring contractors over federal workers in its strategy for confronting threatened across-the-board budget cuts, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees charged Wednesday.

Union Criticizes Pentagon for Targeting Civilians — January 17, 2013
Defense Department guidance on preparations for the possibility of sequestration unfairly targets civilian employees, according to a major federal employees union.

Financial Crisis Losses and Potential Impacts of the Dodd- Frank Act — January 16, 2013
The 2007-2009 financial crisis has been associated with large economic losses and increased fiscal challenges. Studies estimating the losses of financial crises based on lost output (value of goods and services not produced) suggest losses associated with the recent crisis could range from a few trillion dollars to over $10 trillion.

OPM Chief John Berry: The Next Interior Secretary? — January 16, 2013
Federal employees may know John Berry as the face of the workforce in his role as director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Air Force Makes Cuts to Help Mitigate Sequestration Threat — January 15, 2013
Air Force leadership sent a directive to the service's major commands on Jan. 14 to enact funding cuts in advance of sequestration.

OMB Says 2014 Budget Request Will Be Late — January 14, 2013
The Obama administration’s fiscal 2014 budget request, due on Capitol Hill by Feb. 4, will be late, according to the acting head of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Planning and Data System for VA's Verification Program Need Improvement — January 14, 2013
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made significant changes to its verification processes for service-disabled and other veteran-owned small businesses to improve operations and address program weaknesses, but continues to face challenges in establishing a stable and efficient program to verify firms on a timely and consistent basis.

Telework Keeps People On the Job Longer — January 14, 2013
Technology has been touted as a means for retiring federal workers to pass on their knowledge and expertise to tech-savvy new hires. But that may not be the only benefit it is having on knowledge transfer in the federal government.

DHS Consolidation Hopes Dim — January 13, 2013
The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee has no firm plans to strip oversight responsibilities from his colleagues by consolidating the more than 100 panels with jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security.

Ashton Carter is Staying at Pentagon — January 11, 2013
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is staying at the Pentagon, ending speculation that he will soon be tapped for Secretary of Energy.

Pentagon No. 2 Issues Guidance to 'Mitigate' Budget Uncertainty — January 11, 2013
After months of near-silence on planning for sequestration, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter on Thursday instructed Pentagon managers to prepare specific actions in case Congress and the White House fail to enact a new budget deal.

Sequestration Endangers New Bomber, Air Force Secretary Warns — January 11, 2013
The head of the U.S. Air Force on Friday said his service hopes to keep plans for developing a future strategic bomber on track in the face of looming budget cuts, but he suggested the project's future could be in question if federal sequestration takes effect.

Panetta Warns of Severe Reductions in Operations if March Sequester Occurs — January 10, 2013
The U.S. Defense Department is preparing to ground military aircraft and call ships back to port should the Pentagon get hit with nearly $50 billion in budget cuts in March.

Pentagon Acts to Limit Spending in Case Cutbacks Begin in March — January 10, 2013
Fearing that Congress and the president may not reach a deal on spending and the deficit, the Pentagon’s leadership is freezing civilian hiring, limiting maintenance work and delaying approval of some contracts.

Develop an Open Source Scheduling System for VA and Win $3 Million — January 9, 2013
On Wednesday, the Veterans Affairs Department launched a contest with $3 million in prizes for development of a new patient scheduling system based on open source software. The new system will replace 25-year-old technology.

Nine Bases on Final List to Host KC-46 Tanker — January 9, 2013
A total of nine active-duty and Air National Guard bases are on the list of contenders to host the first KC-46A tankers starting in fiscal 2016.

BAE Butts into Lockheed’s $3 Billion F-16 Servicing Work — January 8, 2013
BAE Systems Plc (BA/) is encroaching on a $3 billion market for F-16 upgrades dominated by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), which makes the fighter jets.

Pentagon Gets to Work Planning for Severe Cuts — January 8, 2013
Defense officials have begun “serious planning” for automatic spending cuts that could force the Pentagon to lay off hundreds of thousands of civilian workers as it reduces its budget by $500 billion over the next 10 years.

So, Where’s the Navy’s Next Generation Network Contract? — January 8, 2013
As I reported multiple times last year, the Navy said -- repeatedly -- that it would award a contract valued at about $5 billion for its Next-Generation Enterprise Network by the end of last month.

Defense Budget Cuts of $45 Billion Seen by Pentagon — January 7, 2013
The Pentagon faces a reduction of as much as $45 billion this fiscal year if automatic spending cuts take effect March 1, its comptroller said.

Fiscal Cliff Deal: No Comfort to Feds — January 7, 2013
The fiscal cliff deal, struck last week, delayed steep sequestration budget cuts for two months, but it does virtually nothing to solve the major problems facing federal employees.

Budget Era Could Mean Fewer Air Force Programs — January 6, 2013
The Air Force Materiel Command’s top leader said it’s unlikely the military branch will launch the number of new programs it once did in an era of budget austerity and with the impact of potential automatic, across-the-board defense cuts still unknown.

Contractors Quietly Optimistic Following Sequestration Delay — January 6, 2013
While the two-month delay in planned federal spending cuts that Congress approved last week provides short-term relief for government contractors, many companies said the move does little more than maintain the uncertainty that has plagued them for months.

Defense Industry Fears Sequestration Delay Won't Stop Pentagon Cuts — January 6, 2013
The defense industry is worried last week's budget deal on taxes could damage its negotiating position for the next “fiscal cliff” deadline two months from now, when across-the-board spending cuts would take effect.

House and Senate Working Quietly to Avoid Government Shutdown — January 6, 2013
Washington is facing the threat of three major fiscal disasters in the coming months — but a government shutdown after March 27 might be the least likely of them to occur.

DOD saves $100M a Year with New Microsoft Licensing Deal — January 4, 2013
The Department of Defense says it will save more than $100 million per year over the course of a three-year joint enterprise licensing agreement it has signed with Microsoft.

Obama Signs $633B Defense Bill — January 3, 2013
President Barack Obama signed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite serious concerns about the limits Congress imposed on his handling of terror suspects and lawmakers' unwillingness to back the cost-saving retirement of aging ships and aircraft.

'Cliff' Deal Gives Defense a Reprieve — January 2, 2013
The “fiscal cliff” deal gives the Pentagon and defense industry only a temporary reprieve Tuesday from across-the-board spending cuts.

Agencies, Contractors Chafe at Cliff Deal’s Uncertainty on Sequestration — January 2, 2013
The freshly passed legislation designed to avoid the fiscal cliff kicked the proverbial can of sequestration down the road by two months, worsening already existing uncertainty about agency spending levels, according to contractors and budget analysts.

Boeing C-17 Program in Long Beach Gets $895 Million Upgrades Contract — January 2, 2013
For the next decade, Boeing Co. employees in Long Beach will provide technological enhancements to the U.S. Air Force's fleet of C-17 airplanes.

Markets rise, but business sees missed chance in ‘cliff’ deal — January 2, 2013
Economists and business groups say the “fiscal cliff” deal will provide some help to the economy, but is overall a missed opportunity to put the nation’s fiscal health on track. Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/275311-markets-rise-but-business-sees-missed-chance-in-cliff-deal#ixzz2GvjxzZ9O

CBO: 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal Carries $4 Trillion Price Tag Over Next Decade — January 1, 2013
The Senate deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" will add roughly $4 trillion to the deficit when compared to current law, according to new numbers from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Fiscal Compromise Sets Stage for New Year of Mini-Cliffs — January 1, 2013
My, my, how far lawmakers’ ambitions for the fiscal cliff negotiations have fallen in the past two weeks.

Here's What's in The Fiscal Cliff Deal — January 1, 2013
At around 2 a.m. on New Year's Day, the Senate passed a measure aimed at pulling the country back from the "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts. The measure, hammered out by Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, still needs approval by the House.

House Approves 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal; Bill Headed to Obama's Desk — January 1, 2013
The House late Tuesday night voted to approve a sweeping tax deal to prevent the most significant effects of the "fiscal cliff," overcoming Republican resistance to raising income tax rates on the wealthiest earners.

2012

December

Obama: No Long-Term Deal on Sequestration — December 31, 2012
President Obama, speaking with a group of what the White House characterized as middle class Americans arrayed on a stage behind him, announced Monday afternoon that a deal to prevent a series of tax hikes from going into effect at the beginning of the New Year was "within sight."

Pentagon Goes On An $8 Billion Year-End Technology Spending Spree — December 31, 2012
While lawmakers went into overdrive to hammer out a budget deal before tax increases and automatic spending cuts kick in Jan. 1, the Defense Department pumped out billions of dollars in new weapons contracts in a move apparently designed to obligate funds before year end.

New GSA Travel Advisory Panel Will Review Per Diem Methodology — December 27, 2012
The General Services Administration announced Thursday the formation of a new travel advisory committee tasked with reviewing how the agency calculates per diem rates.

Obama EPA Administrator Jackson Leaving — December 27, 2012
The pre-second term exodus from the Obama administration continued Thursday with the retirement of Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson.

Congress Orders Better Tracking of Improper Payments — December 21, 2012
Agencies will have to do more to track billions of dollars in improper payments, under a bipartisan bill that won final congressional approval Thursday and now goes to President Obama for his signature.

Obama Calls Kerry 'Perfect Choice' to Succeed Clinton — December 21, 2012
President Obama on Friday nominated Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of State.

Agencies Begin Preparations for Sequestration — December 20, 2012
Federal agencies were to begin telling their employees Thursday how they will be affected by sequestration budget cuts, administration officials told federal unions Wednesday.

Agencies Could Take Additional Steps to Respond to Public Comments — December 20, 2012
Agencies did not publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), enabling the public to comment on a proposed rule, for about 35 percent of major rules and about 44 percent of nonmajor rules published during 2003 through 2010.

Better Information Needed to Determine If Nonmajor Projects Meet Performance Targets — December 20, 2012
Of the 71 nonmajor projects that the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management and National Nuclear Security Administration completed or had under way from fiscal years 2008 to 2012, 21 met or are expected to meet their performance targets for scope, cost, and completion date.

Defense Auditors’ Focus on Riskiest Contracts Lacks Plan, GAO Finds — December 20, 2012
The controversial move by the Defense Contract Audit Agency to more selectively perform incurred costs audits lacks an implementation plan, a time frame and performance metrics, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

House Approves $633 Billion Defense Bill — December 20, 2012
The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite Pentagon complaints that it spares outdated but politically popular weapons at the expense of the military's ability to fight.

More Cuts in Defense Spending a "Given": Air Force — December 20, 2012
Further cuts in U.S. military spending are certain, even if Congress and the White House find a way to avert damaging automatic reductions, a top U.S. Air Force general told Reuters as prospects for such a deal appeared to dim.

US Air Force Revamps Raytheon Missile Contract, Resumes Payments — December 20, 2012
The U.S. Air Force said on Thursday it has restructured a troubled air-to-air missile program run by Raytheon Co, freeing $104 million in immediate funding for the company and putting the program on track to return to its original schedule by mid-2014.

Congress Agrees to Cutting 36,000 Defense Department Civilians — December 19, 2012
A House-Senate conference committee has approved a bill that will force the Defense Department to cut about 36,000 civilian employees over the next five years.

DOD Decision Makers Need Additional Analyses to Determine Costs and Benefits of Returning Excess Equipment — December 19, 2012
The military services and DOD agencies have applied some, but not all, of the relevant lessons learned from the Iraq drawdown to their planning for equipment reductions in Afghanistan.

Improved Cost Reporting Would Help Decision Makers Weigh the Benefits of Enhanced Use Leasing — December 19, 2012
Agency officials told us that enhanced use leases (EUL) help them utilize their underutilized property better; commonly cited benefits include enhanced mission activities, cash rent revenue, and value received through in-kind consideration.

Leon Panetta Calls Chuck Hagel ‘Smart, Capable’ — December 19, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had encouraging words Tuesday for his potential successor, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel.

DOD Initiative to Address Audit Backlog Shows Promise, but Additional Management Attention Needed to Close Aging Contracts — December 18, 2012
To reduce the backlog of incurred cost audits, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) implemented an initiative to focus its resources on auditing contractors' incurred costs that involve high dollar values or are otherwise determined to be high risk. Incurred cost audits are conducted on a contractor's annual proposal that includes all costs incurred on certain types of contracts in that fiscal year.

Defense Bill Spares 3,300 Airmen, Global Hawks — December 18, 2012
Congress has restored more than 3,300 airmen and 77 aircraft that the Air Force wanted to cut this fiscal year, according to details released by Congress.

House, Senate Reach Agreement on Defense Bill — December 18, 2012
House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Tuesday on a $633 billion defense bill that would tighten sanctions on Iran, increase security at diplomatic missions worldwide after the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya and presses the military on possible options to end the bloodshed in Syria.

With Federal Market Uncertain, Firms Seek Commercial Business — December 18, 2012
As agencies decrease contract spending, contractors are diversifying their portfolios to include more commercial business, according to preliminary results from a Grant Thornton survey of about 100 contractors.

100 Most Influential People in U.S. Defense — December 17, 2012
The U. S. defense community encompasses the best America has to offer: leadership, innovation, technology and vision. It’s a combination that has helped ensure the U.S. has fielded the best-trained, best-equipped military force in the world for nearly a century.

Acquisition Workforce Unprepared for Challenges of Sequestration — December 17, 2012
Most federal acquisition professionals are not prepared to quickly renegotiate contracts or handle other responsibilities if automatic budget cuts take effect next month, according to a survey released Monday.

Lockheed Profit on F-35 Jets Will Rise With New Contract — December 17, 2012
Lockheed Martin expects to earn a profit in the high single digits under a new contract signed last week for the fifth batch of its radar-evading F-35 fighter planes, company officials said.

Editorial: Sequestration: What will happen? — December 16, 2012
Unless the White House and House Republicans strike a long-term budget deal in the next two weeks, across-the-board budget cuts of between 8 and 10 percent will cascade across government beginning Jan. 2.

Narrowing GSA Schedules Would Hurt Small Businesses — December 16, 2012
I strongly believe that contracting with small businesses is an important part of how we tackle America’s federal spending problems.

Grant-Making Components Should Enhance the Utility of Their Staffing Models — December 14, 2012
The Department of Justice's (DOJ) three grant-making components--the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)--have partially met five of six leading practices, and fully met another, to ensure that the staffing models the contractor prepared for each of them to assess their workloads and workforce capacities are sound and reliable.

No Reason to Panic Over Cliff, Sequestration — Yet — December 14, 2012
President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders have yet to strike a deal to avoid fiscal chaos and deep military cuts, but there’s little reason to panic. Yet.

Performance.gov Expands Data on Agency Goals — December 14, 2012
The public can now get an online look at how agencies are progressing toward their priority performance goals under upgrades to a central website unveiled Friday by the Office of Management and Budget.

Reform Act Is Helping DOD Acquisition Programs Reduce Risk, but Implementation Challenges Remain — December 14, 2012
The Department of Defense (DOD) has taken steps to implement fundamental Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (Reform Act) provisions, including those for approving acquisition strategies and better monitoring weapon acquisition programs.

Sequestration Watch: Potential Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Across-the-Board Cuts — December 14, 2012
Details are scarce on how the across-the-board budget cuts set to kick in on Jan. 2, 2013, would affect jobs at specific agencies.

Chained to the Fiscal Cliff? — December 13, 2012
Here we are again, back in that old, familiar Washington place known as Down to the Wire. With 19 days left until the end of the year, and even less time for cutting a deal on the fiscal cliff, President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner reportedly are in their second round of the deficit reduction offer-counteroffer game.

Actions Needed to Address Deficiencies in Controls over Army Active Duty Military Payroll — December 12, 2012
GAO identified deficiencies in the design of key control procedures relied on by the Army and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Indianapolis (DFAS-IN) to detect errors in payroll disbursements to active duty Army military personnel.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on December 16, 2012 — December 12, 2012
Episode 13 of Government Contracting Weekly features Bill McNally, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Procurement, NASA, with a special PSA by Elaine Rogers, President of USO.

Slow Start to Implementation of Justifications for 8(a) Sole-Source Contracts — December 12, 2012
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010 required that the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) be amended within 180 days after enactment to require justifications for 8(a) sole-source contracts over $20 million.

$21 Billion Fleet Plan Runs into Budget Snags — December 11, 2012
A decade after awarding the first contract to modernize its aging fleet, the Coast Guard is making modest headway. But snags are surfacing as the agency struggles to mesh its plans with tightening budgets.

CyberCity Prepares Air Force for Cybersecurity — December 11, 2012
The Air Force is beefing up training for its cybersecurity personnel. The resulting new training program may be adopted by other agencies.

Most Contractors Opt Out of Air Force Chopper Bids — December 11, 2012
Five big defense contractors on Tuesday withdrew from the U.S. Air Force's latest attempt to replace its aging fleet of HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, leaving just Sikorsky Aircraft in line for a deal whose valued is capped at $6.84 billion.

Senators Press Army to Step Up Contractor Suspensions — December 11, 2012
The Army is taking too long to suspend and debar unethical contractors working in Afghanistan, heightening the risk that funds could flow to terrorist groups, a group of senators has charged.

Bill For Pentagon Audit Failures Adds Up — December 10, 2012
The inability of the Pentagon to properly audit certain contracts will result in significant financial losses each year, a recent Defense Department Inspector General (IG) report says.

CIO Overhaul: Issa Plan Would Reinvent How IT is Managed — December 10, 2012
An ambitious plan is emerging in Congress that, if approved, would represent the most sweeping overhaul of the way agencies buy and manage information technology since the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act, which created chief information officers at all agencies.

Preparing for ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ Investors Move Assets to Avoid Higher Taxes — December 10, 2012
As lawmakers struggle to agree on a plan to avert the series of tax increases looming next year, many investors are taking preemptive action to get out of harm’s way.

Study Predicts Future for U.S. as No. 2 Economy, but Energy Independent — December 10, 2012
A new intelligence assessment of global trends projects that China will outstrip the United States as the leading economic power before 2030, but that America will remain an indispensable world leader, bolstered in part by an era of energy independence.

Don’t Throw Feds Over ‘Cliff' — December 9, 2012
With all eyes on Washington over how to avert the looming fiscal cliff before the end of the year, critics of the public sector have been arguing that pay and benefits for federal employees ought to be among the first and deepest cuts.

Sequestration Will Mean Thousands of Furloughs, Possibly Layoffs, at Federal Courts — December 7, 2012
Severe automatic budget cuts next month, if allowed by Congress to occur, would force federal courts to lay off up to 2,000 employees or furlough 20,000 employees for 16 days, according to the top executive at the agency that runs federal courts.

Advisory Board Calls for Transformation of Info Classification System — December 6, 2012
A federal advisory board wants to winnow the national security classification system from three tiers of secrecy to two as a way to reduce unneeded secrecy.

Available Information on Federal Spending, Cost Savings, and International Comparisons Has Limitations — December 6, 2012
The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Veterans Affairs (VA), and Defense (DOD) administer programs that include preventive health activities such as health screenings and education campaigns, but the departments reported that they do not track department-wide spending on these activities.

Defense Bill Would Lower Reimbursement Cap for Contractor Executive Pay — December 6, 2012
Executive compensation for top defense contractors may continue to be in the millions of dollars, but less of it will be coming from taxpayers if a clause in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) survives conference and is signed into law by President Obama.

Federal Contracting Dips 4.5% in 2012 — December 6, 2012
Agencies cut contract spending by $24 billion last year, an amount a senior administration official hailed as “historic.”

Senators Demand Explanation for Failed AF Logistics System — December 6, 2012
In a harshly worded letter, the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee are asking the Pentagon to explain its handling of a botched $1 billion Air Force logistics management program.

Agencies are Failing to Uphold Obama's Commitment to Transparency — December 5, 2012
On President Obama's very first full day as president in 2009, he issued a memorandum to the heads of federal agencies that said, in so many words, time to get serious about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Fiscal Cliff Offers Hint at More Defense Cuts — December 5, 2012
House Republicans' "fiscal cliff" counteroffer to President Barack Obama hints at billions of dollars in military cuts on top of the nearly $500 billion that the White House and Congress backed last year, and even the fiercest defense hawks acknowledge that the Pentagon faces another financial hit.

GSA Leasing Plummets in 2012, According to Industry Report — December 5, 2012
The General Services Administration cut its spending on new leases by 96 percent from fiscal 2011 to 2012, according to a new report.

Opportunities Exist to Improve Performance Reporting of Treasury's Programs — December 5, 2012
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has made progress in developing guidance and procedures to monitor participants' compliance with requirements for the Small Business Lending Fund and the State Small Business Credit Initiative programs.

Pentagon Begins Planning for Sequestration — December 5, 2012
The Pentagon has officially begun planning for how it would carry out the first $50 billion across-the-board spending cut as part of the 10-year, $500 billion sequestration cuts set to take effect Jan. 2.

Senator’s Report Alleges Waste in DHS Grant Program — December 5, 2012
State and local governments have tapped federal homeland security grants to pay for snow cone machines, sports stadium fortifications and a training simulation that highlighted a “zombie apocalypse,” according to a report released Wednesday by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

Clinton Administration Heavyweights Offer Spending Cuts, Tax Reforms — December 4, 2012
A roster of luminaries from the federal government of the 1990s on Tuesday released a long-term spending-cut and tax reform plan designed to tackle the nation’s debt crisis while reducing after-tax income inequality.

DCAA’s Auditing Triage Continues to Draw Criticism — December 4, 2012
The Defense Contract Audit Agency’s two-year-old effort to review fewer contracts and focus on high-dollar returns continues to attract critics.

Defense Bill Measure Would Trim DoD Civilian, Contractor Employees — December 4, 2012
The Senate may wrap up work Tuesday night on the 2013 Defense authorization bill, Senate aides say.

Gallup: Most Government Workers Like Working in the Public Sector — December 4, 2012
A Gallup poll released Monday shows that more Americans would prefer to have a private sector job than a government job—though nearly twice as many would like government employment than currently have it.

Opportunities Exist to Improve Information Used in Monitoring Status of Efficiency Initiatives — December 4, 2012
The military departments and SOCOM have taken various steps to track the implementation of their efficiency initiatives. For example, prior to or during fiscal year 2012, they identified necessary programmatic actions to implement initiatives and began to carry out these actions, such as reassigning personnel from organizations being consolidated and terminating weapon system programs.

Provision Slashing Up to 36,000 Defense Jobs Stays Alive — December 4, 2012
The Senate defeated an amendment to the Defense authorization bill that would have halted an effort to cut the department’s civilian and contractor workforces by an estimated 5 percent through fiscal 2017.

Actions Needed to Improve Cost Estimate and Oversight of Test and Integration — December 3, 2012
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has provided significantly more time and money to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) than previously planned and expressed high confidence in the project's new baselines. Its current cost estimate reflects some features of best practices for developing reliable and credible estimates.

Best Way to Deal With the Debt Ceiling? Kill It — December 3, 2012
There are countless ways to criticize the debt ceiling — it's a tax on the majority party; a high-stakes yes-or-yes question; even a weird, mandatory hostage crisis — but they all arrive at the same conclusion, which is that it's a really dumb idea.

FAR Rule to Restrict Use of Generic DUNS Numbers - Update from Wolters Kluwer Law — December 3, 2012
The Civilian Agency Acquisition and Defense Acquisition Regulations Councils have issued FAC 2005-62, which contains a final rule (FAR Case 2010-014, effective December 20, 2012) that amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation to limit the use of generic substitutes instead of Data Universal Numbering System numbers, and to update the policies and procedures associated with reporting in the Federal Procurement Data System.

Feds Dissatisfied: Survey Shows Morale in Decline — December 3, 2012
The latest governmentwide employee satisfaction survey indicates that budget cuts, a continuing pay freeze and relentless attacks on federal employees are sapping morale and hampering some agencies’ performance, federal managers and experts say.

GSA Makes Long-Awaited Move to Consolidate FBI Headquarters — December 3, 2012
The General Services Administration on Monday issued calls to Washington-area developers for proposals to redevelop the office complex at Federal Triangle South and to create a consolidated headquarters for the FBI, which has long outgrown the J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest.

GSA Seeks Ideas for New FBI HQ, Federal Triangle Redevelopment — December 3, 2012
The General Services Administration on Monday put out calls for ideas on how to get a new FBI headquarters and how to redevelop a large swath of federal office space in southwest Washington — all without spending any money.

Oversight of Departmentwide Efforts Should Be Strengthened — December 3, 2012
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken some relatively recent steps to enhance strategic workforce planning across the department. These steps are generally consistent with leading principles, but the department has not yet implemented an effective oversight approach for monitoring and evaluating components' progress.

The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook — December 3, 2012
GAO's simulations continue to illustrate that the federal government is on an unsustainable long-term fiscal path. In both the Baseline Extended and Alternative simulations, debt held by the public grows as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) over the long term.

November

Alumni of 1990 Fiscal Talks Offer Lessons for 'Cliff' Walkers — November 30, 2012
If Washington’s budgetary gladiators are to avoid the fiscal cliff, then they need to work in smaller groups; avoid the media; dismiss objections from colleagues, core constituents and lobbyists; and put the good of the country before their own political futures.

GSA Acquisition Chief Returns — November 30, 2012
Stephen Kempf, the longtime commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, has returned from two months of medical leave. But he has a new title.

Senate Approves Wartime Contracting Reform Bill — November 30, 2012
The Senate on Thursday added broad overseas contracting reform to its version of the Defense authorization bill, handing Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a victory in her six-year effort to crack down on procurement waste in war zones.

Billionaire Ted Leonsis: How FedBid is Going to Save Governments and Companies 10-12% on Almost Everything They Buy — November 29, 2012
This insightful VentureBeat interview with renowned entrepreneur and technology innovator; Monumental Sports Founder and Owner, Revolution Growth Partner and FedBid Board Vice Chair, Ted Leonsis, spotlights the story behind Revolution Growth’s investment in FedBid—focusing on where the company’s been, where it’s going and how it’s built a healthy, successful online B2B marketplace through its double bottom-line business model.

House Panel Chairman Pushes GSA Over Supply Schedules Proposal — November 29, 2012
A House panel chairman is pressing the General Services Administration to back off of its plan to reduce the federal supply schedules contracting program on grounds it will harm small-business contractors.

'Fiscal cliff’ Talks Could Collide with Christmas — November 27, 2012
For the fourth consecutive year, a major Washington negotiation is on a collision course with Christmas.

On ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ Both Sides Lay Groundwork for Debate’s Next Phase — November 27, 2012
Private talks between President Obama and top congressional leaders in search of a deal to avoid the year-end “fiscal cliff” are accelerating, officials said Monday, even as the president began ramping up pressure on Republicans to extend tax cuts for the middle class.

Price Analysis and Tradeoff Decision Were Unreasonable - Update from Wolters Kluwer Law — November 27, 2012
A price analysis was unreasonable because the contracting officer concluded the protester’s pricing was unbalanced but he did not identify any risk to the government inherent in the protester’s quotation of multiple five dollar line items.

Senator: ‘Gang of Six’ Won’t Release Deficit-Reduction Plan — November 27, 2012
A high-profile bipartisan group of U.S. senators will not release its deficit-reduction plan as the White House and congressional leaders try to avoid fiscal chaos and deep Pentagon spending cuts.

What Americans Want From a Fiscal-Cliff Deal — November 27, 2012
With lawmakers getting down to business on a fiscal-cliff deal, interest groups are working overtime to tell the politicians what voters want them to do.

Decisions on 'Fiscal Cliff' Can be Made in 'Two to Three Days,' Says Sen. Corker — November 26, 2012
Republican Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) said on Monday that Congress is equipped to act quickly to enact fiscal reform, telling MSNBC that decisions can be made to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" in "two to three days."

Feds, Industry Split Over Counterfeit Parts Strategy — November 26, 2012
Industry groups are crying foul over steps the government is taking to curb the growing problem of counterfeit parts making their way into products and weapons bought by the government.

Navy, Marine Corps Achieve IT Savings Ahead of Target Date — November 26, 2012
The Navy and Marine Corps has achieved more than $100 million in information technology savings in the last year, according to Department of Navy Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen.

Raytheon Opens Redstone Facility with Eye on February Date for First SM-6 Integration — November 26, 2012
Raytheon held ribbon cutting ceremonies for its new $75 million missile integration and testing facility at Redstone Arsenal Monday. Now, company officials said, it's time to get to work.

What’s Needed for More Effective IT, Transparency — November 26, 2012
There now is a unique convergence between current challenges, the need for government leaders to act in a fundamentally different way, a generational shift in executive ranks, a changing workforce and workplace, and powerful new collaborative technologies.

Businesses Push Debt-Limit Hike as Part of Deal on 'Fiscal Cliff' — November 23, 2012
Businesses want Washington to increase the U.S. debt limit as part of a package to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” thus averting two crises in one go.

Officials, Experts Reflect on Lessons From Rudman as Fiscal Talks Begin — November 23, 2012
The late New Hampshire GOP Sen. Warren Rudman, who died last week, once wrote he “wasn’t sure the glory of being a senator meant much if we were bankrupting America.”

OMB: $47 Billion in Improper Payments Avoided in 3 Years — November 21, 2012
The government avoided more than $47 billion in improper payments in the last three years, according to a senior Office of Management and Budget official.

CMS Awards $15 Billion Data Management Contract — November 20, 2012
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week awarded a $15 billion contract to consolidate data centers and manage its immense stores of data.

Defense Cuts Likely in Any Budget Deal, EADS Chief Says — November 20, 2012
Defense companies should brace for years of Pentagon spending cuts even if automatic reductions set to begin in January are averted, said Sean O’Keefe, who heads EADS North America.

Federal Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; Subcontracting Plans/Individual Subcontract Report (SF-294) — November 20, 2012
Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement concerning subcontracting plans/individual subcontract report (SF-294).

Federal Acquisition Regulation; Interagency Acquisitions: Compliance by Nondefense Agencies With Defense Procurement Requirements — November 20, 2012
DoD, GSA, and NASA are issuing an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to add new requirements specific to the acquisition of supplies and services by nondefense agencies on behalf of the DoD. This rule implements a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, with later amendments.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on November 25, 2012 — November 20, 2012
Episode 11 of Government Contracting Weekly features Todd Stottlemyer, CEO of Acentia.

Information Collection; Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects — November 20, 2012
Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of an existing information collection requirement regarding Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects.

Procurement List Proposed Addition — November 20, 2012
The Committee is proposing to add a service to the Procurement List that will be provided by the nonprofit agency employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

Tax Fight Freezes Defense Industry out of Negotiations Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’ — November 20, 2012
The defense industry has $500 billion in pending Pentagon cuts at stake in the “fiscal cliff” talks, yet it finds itself largely sidelined in the heated debate.

Earned Value Management Implementation across Major Spaceflight Projects Is Uneven — November 19, 2012
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) 10 major spaceflight projects discussed in this report have not yet fully implemented earned value management (EVM). As a result, NASA is not taking full advantage of opportunities to use an important tool that could help reduce acquisition risk.

GAO: Billions Spent on IT, But Efectiveness is Unclear — November 19, 2012
Federal agencies are spending billions of dollars on legacy information technology systems without fully understanding if those systems are meeting their needs, according to a recent government report.

New Campaign Encourages Companies to Hire Vets — November 19, 2012
Evidence that employers are reluctant to hire veterans due to their potential physical and psychological injuries has prompted the Army to launch a new effort to educate businesses and encourage them to hire former service members.

Report: 70 Percent Of Retired Generals Took Jobs With Defense Contractors Or Consultants — November 19, 2012
A report released Monday by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Brave New Foundation found that 70 percent of retired three-and-four star generals took jobs with defense contractors or consultants, a figure that has actually declined in recent years.

Sequestration Or Not, U.S. Firms, DoD Will Take a Hit — November 18, 2012
Even if the U.S. Congress is able to hammer out a debt deal that avoids sequestration in January, the resulting agreement will likely result in billions of dollars in additional cuts to the Defense Department — perhaps as much as $25 billion — likely forcing the military to alter its roles and missions.

Sequestration Threatens Cuts Everywhere — November 18, 2012
The Pentagon is soaking up most of the attention around the looming budget cuts that would take place at the start of the new year, but there are a host of other national security programs caught up in the fiscal cliff debate, too.

In Coming Transition, a Big Role to Play for SES Members — November 16, 2012
Senior federal executives got some advice Wednesday on how to better lead the coming transition of political leadership across government.

Leaders Call 'Fiscal Cliff' Meeting 'Constructive' — November 16, 2012
Congressional leaders emerged Friday from the White House saying their initial meeting on the “fiscal cliff” with President Obama had been a “constructive” first step.

Obama, Congressional Leaders Upbeat After Fiscal Talks — November 16, 2012
President Barack Obama and congressional leaders struck an upbeat tone following the opening round of talks about avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff, and deep, across-the-board defense cuts.

Tim Geithner: 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal is 'Doable Within Several Weeks' — November 16, 2012
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Friday that he believed a budget deal could be accomplished "within several weeks" and stated that the tone of a meeting with congressional leaders was "very good."

Troops Not Safe From Sequestration — November 16, 2012
If Washington’s defense community has achieved one thing over the past year, it’s spreading the message of how the fiscal cliff could desecrate the military. Sequestration cuts of $55 billion would jeopardize weapons contracts, furlough civilian staff, and imperil national security, defense hawks say.

Whether ‘Fiscal Cliff’ or Debtpocalypse, by Any Name, It Spells Austerity — November 16, 2012
Come January, the United States might careen off the fiscal cliff. Or start rolling down the fiscal slope. Or, in a worst-case scenario, find itself staggering amid the hot ashes of a debtpocalypse.

Agencies Are Implementing New Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Requirements — November 15, 2012
SBA issued revised policy directives for the SBIR and STTR programs in August 2012 that included new requirements designed to help agencies identify and prevent potential fraud, waste, and abuse in the SBIR and STTR programs--changes that SBA developed in consultation with agencies that participate in the programs and a working group of inspectors general. Among other changes, the revised SBIR and STTR policy directives each include a new section on preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in the programs.

Experts Applaud DOD Better Buying Plan — November 15, 2012
Defense officials want to avoid a repeat of the aftershocks of the 1990s Defense Department budget cuts, which hit the department’s acquisition workforce hard, taking away expertise while putting an increasing workload on the shoulders of fewer employees.

Management Improvements Needed to Achieve Greater Efficiencies — November 15, 2012
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has not developed or implemented a plan to guide joint bases in achieving cost savings and efficiencies. The Department of Defense (DOD) originally estimated saving $2.3 billion from joint basing over 20 years, but in the absence of a plan to drive savings, that estimate has fallen by almost 90 percent.

Senator to DoD: Transition 300K Military Jobs to Civilian Employees — November 15, 2012
The Defense Department should transition 300,000 transportation, communications and supply chain positions currently performed by military personnel into federal civilian positions at the department, according to a new report by Sen. Tom Coburn.

Incentives, Opportunities, and Testing Needed to Enhance Spectrum Sharing — November 14, 2012
Some spectrum users may lack incentive to share spectrum or otherwise use it efficiently, and federal agencies and private users currently cannot easily identify spectrum available for sharing. Typically, paying the market price for a good or service helps to inform users of the value of the good and provides an incentive for efficient use.

Groups Urge Congress to Lower Cap on Contractor Pay — November 13, 2012
Federal employee unions and other groups on Tuesday called on lawmakers to lower the current compensation cap on non-Defense Department contractors to $400,000.

OPM to Clarify Language on Federal Closures — November 13, 2012
The government will clarify its language on federal office closures to prevent confusion among employees, according to a report from Federal News Radio.

Pentagon Aims to Wring Savings Out of More Acquisition Reforms — November 13, 2012
The Pentagon on Tuesday released the next version of its "better buying power" initiative, saying the U.S. military needed to "wring every possible cent of value" from the dwindling dollars in the U.S. defense budget.

Deficit Cutters Look to Pentagon Budget — November 12, 2012
One war is done, another is winding down and the calls to cut the deficit are deafening. The military, a beneficiary of robust budgets for more than a decade, is coming to grips with a new reality — fewer dollars.

Firms Help Vets Move into Manufacturing Careers — November 11, 2012
General Electric, Alcoa, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a national industry group are joining forces to gets thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of veterans into high-paying manufacturing careers.

How to Tackle Challenges When Government is Polarized — November 11, 2012
In the U.S., as in many countries, leaders are grappling with fundamental questions about the size and role of government, the best way to stimulate economic growth, and the nature and form of regulations and entitlements. While these challenges would be difficult under any circumstance, the increasingly polarized environment has meant solutions and progress have become elusive.

Property Sell-Off: GSA Auctions Will Finance Construction, Renovations — November 11, 2012
The General Services Administration is dramatically stepping up efforts to sell off underused federal properties to help finance federal construction projects, building renovations and new leases.

How Workplace Conflict Is Killing Your Bottom Line — November 9, 2012
Failure to speak up about concerns, or inability to properly deal with conflict, can have real financial consequences. Encouraging candid dialogue can reduce tensions and boost productivity.

Congress Sees Rising Urgency on Fiscal Deal — November 8, 2012
Senior lawmakers said Thursday that they were moving quickly to take advantage of the postelection political atmosphere to try to strike an agreement that would avert a fiscal crisis early next year when trillions of dollars in tax increases and automatic spending cuts begin to go into force.

Consensus Forming for Lame Duck Deal To Delay Sequester Cuts — November 8, 2012
Lawmakers hear the clock ticking toward deep defense and domestic spending cuts, and senior members of both parties appear poised to pass a measure during a lame duck session that would add additional time to that clock.

Pentagon Insiders Seen as Most Likely Successors for Panetta at DoD — November 8, 2012
Speculation over who will replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has reached a fevered pitch following President Obama reelection Tuesday.

Rep. Berman Rumored for Secretary of State Job After Losing California Seat — November 8, 2012
The list of rumored replacements for secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a new name following Rep. Howard Berman's (D-Calif.) defeat Tuesday night. Berman, a 15-term lawmaker who lost his reelection bid in California's redrawn 30th Congressional District, is drawing support from an array of lawmakers — including the Democrat who beat him, Rep. Brad Sherman.

Warner: There are 70 Votes in US Senate for Debt Deal — November 8, 2012
A comprehensive deal that would dramatically lower America’s massive federal debt and stave off massive defense cuts would get 70 votes in the Senate, says a key member of that chamber’s Budget Committee.

Agencies Could Benefit from a Shared and More Comprehensive Database on U.S. Efforts — November 7, 2012
The four main U.S. agency Afghan development programs and accounts have similar goals and activities and hence overlap to some degree.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on November 11, 2012 — November 7, 2012
Episode 9 of Government Contracting Weekly features Stan Soloway, President & CEO, Professional Services Council (PSC).

Obama Win Means Continued Technology Focus at the Pentagon — November 7, 2012
Defense Department cyber, space and network systems will help anchor development of leaner and more agile forces powered by technology during the next four years if President Obama sticks to Pentagon plans unveiled early this year and follows his campaign rhetoric with action.

DOD's Kendall pushes data for better buying — November 6, 2012
Frank Kendall is leading an effort to increase the use of data in DOD purchasing.

Frank Kendall Predicts Sequestration Delay — November 6, 2012
The Defense Department has begun the early stages of planning for sequestration but the Pentagon’s top acquisition official believes Congress will reach a deal to delay the cuts before January, Reuters reports.

US Clears Sale of Lockheed Missile Defense System to UAE, Qatar — November 6, 2012
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have requested the sale of up to $7.6 billion in Lockheed Martin Corp missile-defense systems to counter perceived threats and lower their dependence on U.S forces, the Pentagon announced on Monday.

What Obama’s Victory Will Mean for Feds — November 6, 2012
President Obama’s victory in Tuesday’s election dramatically lessens the odds of any successful push for major reductions in federal pay and benefits. But in his second four-year term, the Democratic incumbent will confront a long-term budget outlook certain to keep a tight lid on employee compensation and agency spending, experts said.

OPM Authorizes Agency Solicitations for Sandy Victims — November 5, 2012
The Office of Personnel Management on Friday authorized agencies to launch one-time charity drives to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Pentagon Arms Buyer Sees Deal by Congress to Delay Spending Cuts — November 5, 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon's top arms buyer on Monday said he expected U.S. lawmakers to agree in coming weeks to delay implementation of an additional $500 billion in automatic defense spending cuts that are due to start taking effect in January.

Report Downplays Effects of Sequestration — November 5, 2012
Federal agencies and the White House have a variety of short-term stratagems to delay employee furloughs and other effects of budget cuts set to begin early next year, a liberal-leaning research and advocacy group says in a new report.

USPS Demands $394 Million From Northrop in Contract Lawsuit — November 5, 2012
The U.S. Postal Service is demanding almost $400 million from contractor Northrop Grumman in a legal battle over a massive automation project gone awry.

IT, HR Must Collaborate to Attract, Keep Cyber Talent — November 4, 2012
Few commercial enterprises, critical infrastructure entities and government agencies have a comprehensive cybersecurity workforce planning strategy in place. In fact, the increasingly sophisticated threat environment makes cyber workforce planning a formidable challenge and a mission-critical priority.

Washington Area Contractors Plan for Sequestration Delay — November 4, 2012
As mandatory federal spending cuts of nearly $1 trillion loom larger, many Washington area government contractors are making bets the cuts will be delayed, and they are holding back on lowering their financial guidance to Wall Street.

OMB Claims Big Cuts in Overhead Spending but Cannot Offer Details — November 2, 2012
By the Obama administration’s count, agencies trimmed some $4 billion in overhead spending in the first half of fiscal 2012 compared with the same period in 2010.

Two Win Public Sector Partnership Awards — November 2, 2012
Two federal acquisition officials—on opposite ends of the career spectrum—received awards Nov. 1 for their efforts to strengthen the federal contracting community.

White House Plan Would Have Agencies, Industry Share Cyber Threat Info — November 2, 2012
A bill that would promote more information sharing between government and industry on real-time cyber threats has stalled in Congress. But the White House is working on its own plan to accomplish that.

How to Recruit on the Right Foot — November 1, 2012
What do employers value above all else when it comes to new hires? Immediate impact.

Hurricane Sandy Emergency Contracting ToolKit — November 1, 2012
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, federal agencies must be able to acquire goods and services quickly to aid in the recovery. Emergencies such as this one trigger a variety of changes, and a lot of flexibility, in the federal contracting process. Those responsible for doing the contracting must have the know-how and tools to react quickly to acquire critical supplies and services.

Justice Department Sues Reston Contractor, Alleges it Provided Unqualified Guards in Iraq — November 1, 2012
The Justice Department sued a Virginia-based contractor Wednesday, accusing the company of submitting false claims for unqualified guards under a $10 million contract to provide security in Iraq.

October

GSA Chief Touts Agency’s Response to Hurricane Sandy — October 31, 2012
As Hurricane Sandy lashed New York City this week, employees from the General Services Administration braved the storm to open up the Brooklyn Courthouse to serve as a shelter for emergency workers.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on November 4, 2012 — October 31, 2012
Episode 8 of Government Contracting Weekly features Daniel Gordon, Associate Dean for Government Procurement Law, George Washington University.

Lockheed Wins $489 Million Deal for C-5 Modernization - Pentagon — October 31, 2012
Lockheed Martin Corp has won a contract valued at $489 million to continue work on modernizing and putting new engines on the Air Force's massive C-5 transport planes, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

Managing Under the Specter of Sequestration — October 31, 2012
A lot of people don’t really believe a budget sequester will happen. The hope is that, similar to government’s near shutdowns in 2011, Congress and the White House will find a way to avert massive across-the-board spending cuts before they take effect in January 2013.

Pentagon Sees Further Use of BlackBerry as Door Opens to Others — October 31, 2012
The Pentagon on Wednesday said it would continue to support "large numbers" of BlackBerry phones made by Research in Motion Ltd even as it moves forward with plans that would allow the U.S. military to begin using Apple Inc's iPhone and other devices.

DOD IG Report May Reveal a Need for Self-Policing — October 30, 2012
A new Defense Department inspector general report may have exposed a potential need for a self-policing system to keep task order competitions impartial, a procurement expert wrote Oct. 29.

DOD Begins Mobile Device Management Procurement — October 29, 2012
The Defense Information System Agency has issued a request for proposls seeking mobile device management (MDM) capabilities and a dedicated mobile application store (MAS), according to a procurement notice.

Contracting Program Must Keep Offering Open Seasons — October 28, 2012
The Multiple Award Schedule program is the most successful commercial item contracting vehicle in the federal government, accounting for $50 billion in annual purchases through General Services Administration and Veterans Affairs Department federal supply schedules

Federal Workforce Critical to President’s Success — October 28, 2012
Public servants make the diverse array of federal programs happen. Accordingly, addressing workforce challenges should be a priority, regardless of the outcome of the election.

Which Contracts Are Most At Risk from Sequestration? — October 28, 2012
If automatic sequestration cuts occur in January, the first cuts will be contracts — especially contracts that expire and are up for renewal or re-competition.

GSA to Pare Back Supply Schedules, Grow Strategic Sourcing — October 25, 2012
GSA has floated the idea to industry groups and customer agencies of reorganizing the supply schedules program to make it easier for government buyers to navigate, Jeff Koses, GSA’s director of acquisition operations, said at a conference of the Coalition for Government Procurement.

Reeling Agencies Hit by Rising Fuel Prices — October 25, 2012
Agencies already struggling with budget cuts are getting squeezed by higher fuel prices — to the tune of $6 billion in added costs in fiscal 2011, according to preliminary data from the Energy Department.

Scientists, Engineers Push Back on Travel Cuts — October 25, 2012
Research and engineering groups are decrying proposed legislation that would severely cut agency conference and travel spending.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on October 28, 2012 — October 24, 2012
Episode 7 of Government Contracting Weekly features Mike Bradshaw, Director at Google Federal.

K Street Ready for Sequestration Battle — October 24, 2012
A variety of interests on K Street have amassed their forces to stop the dreaded $1.2 trillion budget sequester, new lobbying disclosures reveal.

U.S. Military Hypersonic Aircraft Trial Set for 2013 — October 24, 2012
The last of four unmanned experimental U.S. military aircraft designed to fly at six times the speed of sound is expected to be tested next year, the program manager said on Wednesday, months after its predecessor broke up during a trial.

At DoD, a Big Step Toward Apple and Android — October 23, 2012
The Defense Department has taken a major step to expand a mobile strategy that could topple the BlackBerry as its dominant mobile device.

Defense Acquisitions: Future Aerostat and Airship Investment Decisions Drive Oversight and Coordination Needs — October 23, 2012
GAO identified 15 key aerostat and airship efforts that were underway or had been initiated since 2007, and the Department of Defense (DOD) had or has primary responsibility for all of these efforts.

Former OMB Officials Push for Cybersecurity Workaround — October 23, 2012
Cybersecurity legislation might have failed, a potential cyber executive order might be facing opposition, budgets might be stretched thin, but that doesn’t mean that federal cybersecurity can’t be greatly improved.

Lockheed Wins $889.5 million Deal for 13 C-130J Planes — October 23, 2012
Lockheed Martin Corp has won a contract worth $889.5 million to build 13 more C-130J transport planes for the U.S. military, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

U.S. Army Vehicle Contracts May Escape Automatic Budget Cut Axe — October 23, 2012
The U.S. Army on Tuesday said its ground vehicle procurement programs may escape significant impact from mandatory additional budget cuts due to start taking effect in January, since most of the programs are only in the developmental phase at the moment.

Supersizing Small Business: More Firms Can Compete for Set-Asides — October 22, 2012
Nati Soto, owner of a Miami architecture firm that employs six people, said in her 18 years in business, she always faced strong competition going after federal contracts set aside for small businesses.

The New Small — October 22, 2012
Under a rule change in March, the Small Business Administration qualified larger businesses, based on revenue, for small-business contract awards. Among the changes for professional services companies by industry group:

Experts Predict Billions Less in IT Spending — October 21, 2012
Deficit reduction measures — whether automatic sequestration cuts or a bipartisan cost-cutting agreement — will leave agencies with billions of dollars less to spend on information technology over the next five years, according to an annual industry forecast.

Task Force to DHS: Keep Mission-Critical Jobs In House — October 18, 2012
Department of Homeland Security contractors, not DHS employees, have most of the “cool” jobs in cybersecurity — hacking into systems and networks and assessing whether they can withstand sophisticated attacks, “the jobs that are right at the interface between the bad guys and the good guys.”

Billions Less in IT Spending, Experts Predict — October 17, 2012
An annual industry forecast projects agencies will spend billions of dollars less on information technology over the next five years than it projected a year ago.

Navy Secretary Won't Back Off From Renewable Energy Goals — October 17, 2012
Almost three years to the day after he laid out plans to achieve energy security for his service, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Oct. 17 doubled down on that promise.

The Traits of Successful Leadership — October 17, 2012
Build successful leaders by focusing on creating alignment and synergy throughout the organization.

Boeing Opens Seattle Plant to Build Tanker Booms — October 16, 2012
Boeing this week begins assembling the first refueling boom for the Air Force’s new aerial tanker aircraft, the KC-46, which is a modified 767-200ER and will be produced in Everett.

Coburn Details $18B in Wasted Federal Funds in 2012 — October 16, 2012
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., on Monday released his annual Wastebook report, identifying more than $18 billion in federal costs he said were wasteful this year

DOD Requires Faster Payments to Subcontractors — October 16, 2012
Defense procurement officials have added a clause to their contracts to get prime contractors to pay their small subcontractors faster, an effort the Obama administration is pushing.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on October 21, 2012 — October 16, 2012
Episode 6 of Government Contracting Weekly will focus on Small Businesses in the world of government contracting and their unique challenges and innovations.

Pentagon Not Properly Monitoring Sole-Source Contracts, Audit Finds — October 16, 2012
The Defense Department is inadequately following guidance on single-bid contracts and failing to encourage the type of competition that saves taxpayer dollars, the inspector general’s office found in a recent audit.

DoD, Industry Leaders Discuss How to Manage a Downturn — October 15, 2012
The Pentagon continued its ongoing dialogue with industry last week.

What Makes a Win-Win Negotiation? Try Conversation. — October 15, 2012
Linkage Principal Consultant Susan Healy knows first-hand that negotiation is a critical skill that, when done right, can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes or, when done wrong…. collateral damage. Here, Susan shares a valuable lesson about building trust and some tips on how to communicate effectively and negotiate with power.

Economists Argue About Sequestration’s Effect on Jobs — October 14, 2012
As a prominent analyst of the local economy, Stephen S. Fuller of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis attracted plenty of attention when he estimated that the mandatory budget cuts coming in January could cost more than 2 million jobs nationwide, including nearly 450,000 in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

Firms Press to Hire Young Veterans — October 14, 2012
The unemployment rate among younger U.S. military veterans, long a source of worry, is declining as companies step up efforts to hire them.

For Some Senior Feds, A New Passion: Mentoring — October 14, 2012
As a federal employee for more than 30 years, Larry Koskinen has racked up hard-earned lessons to pass along: Worry less about your job title and corner office, and more about the challenges you face and the problems you solve.

Smaller Contracts On Tap For 2013 — October 14, 2012
The new contracts agencies plan to put up for competition in the coming year will be significantly smaller than in past years, a new analysis has found.

Closing the Great Skills Divide — October 12, 2012
Organizations are struggling to fill mission-critical positions with the skilled talent they require. Here are seven strategies to help close the skills gap.

Issa Presses Defense Companies on Budget Layoff Notices — October 12, 2012
The Republican chairman of a House panel asked defense contractors if they discussed with the Obama administration whether to issue layoff notices to workers days before the Nov. 6 election because of pending defense-spending cuts.

With Do Not Pay system, Agencies Share Info to Stop Improper Payments — October 12, 2012
Recently passed legislation that President Obama is expected to sign into law will improve agencies’ ability to stop benefits, contract and grant dollars from going to dead people or suspended companies, experts say.

Collapse of BAE, EADS Merger Stalls Downsizing of Defense Industry — October 11, 2012
A new round of consolidation in the defense industry does not appear to be on the horizon now that the $45 billion merger of BAE systems and EADS has fallen apart, analysts say.

KBR Gets Army Logistics Contract — October 11, 2012
Defense contractor KBR Inc. said Thursday that it has been picked as one of the main contractors on a project that gets Army equipment ready for deployment.

Lawmaker Warns of Staffing Cuts, Mass Furloughs Under Sequestration — October 11, 2012
Across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to take effect in January could put tens of thousands of federal workers on the unemployment line and imperil government missions ranging from nuclear weapons modernization to providing Indian health care, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee said in an analysis this week.

Report: Contract Fraud Puts U.S. Troops at Risk of IEDs — October 11, 2012
Afghan contractors responsible for preventing culverts from being used to hide roadside bombs on a major highway have falsely reported completing the work, putting American troops at risk, U.S. investigators revealed Thursday.

Army Prepares for Workforce Cuts, but Not Sequestration Specifically — October 10, 2012
A new round of consolidation in the defense industry does not appear to be on the horizon now that the $45 billion merger of BAE systems and EADS has fallen apart, analysts say.

Government Contracting Weekly: Tune In on October 14, 2012 — October 10, 2012
Episode 5 of Government Contracting Weekly will air October 14 and will focus on past and emerging trends in the defense contracting industry and will feature the following guests:

Top 20 Contract Awards Projected to be Billions of Dollars Smaller in 2013 — October 10, 2012
Agencies are expected to open markedly smaller contracts for competition in the coming year, a new market analysis shows.

Boards Meet to Consider EADS Deal — October 9, 2012
The boards of Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. EAD and British defense giant BAE Systems met late Tuesday to discuss their proposed merger before a critical deadline, as senior European officials cited progress in government talks on how the deal would be structured.

Defense Budget Cut 'Equals Devastation,' Bell Chief Says — October 9, 2012
Bell Helicopter Chief Executive John Garrison on Tuesday joined the chorus of defense industry executives sounding the alarm about the likely consequences if Congress doesn't act by early January to block huge defense spending cuts from automatically taking place.

DoD Carries Weight of Governmentwide Small Business Goal — October 9, 2012
For the federal government to finally hit its 23 percent small business goal, the Defense Department will have to step up its efforts to contract with small firms. But the nature of DoD's large contracts often leave out small companies.

Military Services Falter on Single-Bid Contract Guidance — October 9, 2012
The military services have missed out on savings in recent years, the Defense Department inspector general has found, because defense agencies often did not resubmit solicitations when they received only one bid.

U.S. House Report Lists Multitude of Weapons Programs Sequestration Would Hit — October 9, 2012
Unless lawmakers find a way to prevent a $53 billion cut to planned defense spending for 2013, the U.S. military services would be forced to buy fewer F-35 fighters, Stryker vehicles and Army helicopters, says a House panel.

America’s Nuclear Tab Nearing $660 Billion, New Report Says — October 8, 2012
The cost of American’s nuclear arsenal is projected to reach as much as $661 billion over the next decade, a new report claims.

Is the Cloud Overhyped? Predicted Savings Hard to Verify — October 8, 2012
One of the most attractive benefits of cloud computing can also be one of the hardest to prove: cost savings.

Lockheed to Split Electronic Systems Business in Two — October 8, 2012
The largest U.S. weapons maker, Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), said it plans to split its electronic systems business into two separate operations focused on missiles and training, a move it said would save $50 million and eliminate 200 jobs.

Three Keys to Making Do Not Pay Program a Success — October 7, 2012
Eliminating improper payments has been a key objective of the federal government for the past 10 years, beginning in 2002 with the issuance of the Improper Payments Information Act and Recovery Auditing Act.

Agencies Take Action as GAO Knocks Strategic Sourcing Effort — October 5, 2012
An audit that concluded agencies have made very little use of strategic sourcing despite frequent urging that they do so has found a willing audience, according to agency responses included in the audit report.

Dempsey Talks Defense Cuts, Sequestration with Boeing Execs — October 5, 2012
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey met with top Boeing executives on Friday to gauge the defense giant's level of concern over the automatic defense cuts facing the Pentagon next year.

Agencies Work to Make Teleworking Work — October 4, 2012
Federal agencies are finding creative ways to tackle policy and cultural barriers to telework.

DoD Withholds Pay from Contractors with Faulty Business Systems — October 4, 2012
For the last year, the Pentagon has withheld at least $42 million in payments from contractors.

Fed Energy-Savings Executive Optimistic About Sustainability Goals — October 4, 2012
Jonathan Powers, the federal environmental executive at the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality, is responsible for pushing agencies to reduce energy use and become more environmentally friendly.

GAO: Agencies Missing Out on Billions in Contract Savings — October 4, 2012
Agencies missed an opportunity to save billions of dollars last year by underutilizing strategic sourcing programs that leverage the government’s buying power, a new report shows.

Commission Recommends Formal Career Track for ‘Big Data’ Experts — October 3, 2012
The government should create a formal career track for the employees who manage its increasingly large volumes of complex and variable data known as “big data,” according to a new industry report.

McCain Threatens to Block Contractor Payments From Pentagon — October 3, 2012
The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said today he would move to block Pentagon payments to defense contractors facing layoff-related expenses from automatic budget cuts set to begin in January.

Small Business Update from Wolters Kluwer Law & Business — October 3, 2012
A proposed rule issued by the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration would amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to clarify that acquisitions for research and development shall be set aside when there is also a reasonable expectation that there are small businesses capable of providing the best scientific and technological approaches.

Congress Keeping Mum on Defense Merger — October 2, 2012
U.S. officials have been keeping quiet in the weeks since news broke of a potential $45 billion merger between BAE Systems and EADS that would create the world’s largest defense and aerospace company.

Grassley, Ayotte Want Answers on OMB Promise to Cover Defense Layoff Costs — October 2, 2012
Two top Republicans said this week that the Obama administration may not have had the legal authority to tell defense companies that taxpayers will pick up their legal bills if the companies are sued because of layoffs resulting from pending defense cuts.

US, Lockheed Talks For More F-35s Move to Senior Level: Sources — October 2, 2012
Talks between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) about a fifth order of F-35 fighter planes have been elevated to a senior level as the two sides debate the last $100-million-plus dividing them, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

GSA Can’t Verify Cloud Email Savings, IG Says — October 1, 2012
The General Services Administration has estimated its cloud email system will save $15 million over five years, but a new inspector general report found that GSA could neither verify those savings nor clearly determine if the cloud migration is meeting agency expectations.

GSA Seeks Private-Sector Ideas to Redevelop Southwest Washington — October 1, 2012
The General Services Administration is asking the private sector for ideas on how to redevelop 22 acres of federal office space in Southwest Washington.

Leaders at Work on Plan to Avert Mandatory Cuts — October 1, 2012
Senate leaders are closing in on a path for dealing with the “fiscal cliff” facing the country in January, opting to try to use a postelection session of Congress to reach agreement on a comprehensive deficit reduction deal rather than a short-term solution.

VA’s Top HR Official Resigns — October 1, 2012
The top human resources official for the Department of Veterans Affairs has resigned and two other employees were placed on leave after an investigation into two conferences in Orlando found that department conference planners allowed up to $762,000 in unauthorized or wasteful spending and accepted gifts including spa treatments and entertainment.

White House Aims to Suppress Contractor Layoff Notices — October 1, 2012
The government will foot the bill for contractors’ litigation fees if employees challenge layoffs caused by sequestration, White House officials said last week.

September

Inside the Multibillion-Dollar End-of-Year Buying Frenzy — September 30, 2012
At first glance, it was hard to tell that millions of dollars were pouring into one of the government’s largest information technology contracts last week.

Suspensions, debarments jump 73 percent in federal contracting in 2011 — September 30, 2012
Suspensions, Debarments Jump 73 percent in Federal Contracting in 2011

Agencies Making Switch to Green Products — September 28, 2012
The Defense Logistics Agency is going green by switching to maintenance lubricants that are made with plant materials instead of petroleum. President Obama directed agencies in 2009 to ensure that new contracts require that 95 percent of products and services supplied or used are energy-efficient, water-efficient, bio-based, environmentally preferable, non-ozone depleting, recyclable, or non-toxic or less toxic alternatives.

Department-Level Actions Needed to Assess Collaboration Performance, Address Barriers, and Identify Opportunities — September 28, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) do not require that all collaboration sites--locations where the two departments share health care resources through hundreds of agreements and projects--develop and use performance measures to assess their effectiveness and efficiency.

Federal Efforts to Assist Small Minority Owned Businesses — September 28, 2012
What GAO Found: While their views varied to some degree, federal agency officials and advocacy groups GAO contacted identified a number of challenges that small, minority-owned businesses may face in pursuing federal government contracts.

Obama Signs 6-Month CR to Keep Government Open — September 28, 2012
President Obama on Friday signed a six-month temporary spending bill that will keep the government open — and further freeze federal pay scales — until March 27.

VA Cutting Regional Office Staffs by a Quarter — September 28, 2012
The Veterans Affairs Department has begun slashing more than a quarter of its staff at 21 regional medical management offices.

Key Considerations for Implementing Interagency Collaborative Mechanisms — September 27, 2012
What GAO Found: Federal agencies have used a variety of mechanisms to implement interagency collaborative efforts, such as the President appointing a coordinator, agencies co-locating within one facility, or establishing interagency task forces.

Official Warns Pentagon Managers Not to Plan for Budget Cuts — September 27, 2012
The Pentagon’s No. 2 official has issued a new warning to Defense Department civilians and commanders not to make any plans for automatic budget cuts that are set to take effect Jan. 2, even as Congress and the White House show no sign of halting the cuts.

Opportunities Exist to Improve Agency Reporting and Review Efforts — September 27, 2012
What GAO Found: Civilian agencies did not fully comply with statutory requirements for compiling fiscal year 2011 service contract inventories.

Petraeus Eyes Presidency of Princeton, Article Says — September 27, 2012
Might David H. Petraeus, the most prominent military leader of his generation, leave his job as director of the Central Intelligence Agency to become the president of Princeton University?

Additional Analysis of Costs and Benefits of Potential Governance Structures Is Needed — September 26, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Defense's (DOD) assessment of potential governance options for its Military Health System (MHS) did not provide complete information on the options' total cost impact and their strengths and weaknesses.

Information Technology: DHS Needs to Enhance Management of Cost and Schedule for Major Investments — September 26, 2012
What GAO Found: Approximately two-thirds of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) major information technology (IT) investments are meeting their cost and schedule commitments (i.e., goals).

One-Time Grants Awarded to Trade-Impacted Communities; Results Will Not Be Known until after 2013 — September 26, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) used its standard grant award process to announce, receive, and review applications for the Community Trade Adjustment Assistance (CTAA) program, with modifications related to program eligibility.

Senators Vow to Avert Sequestration Cuts — September 26, 2012
Six senators are vowing to work across party lines to head off stiff automatic budgets cuts set to take effect in January.

An Overview of Federal Funding Levels and Selected Challenges — September 25, 2012
What GAO Found: Federal outlays for grants to state and local governments totaled more than $606 billion in fiscal year 2011. Over the last three decades, these grants have consistently been a significant component of federal spending, but the focus of this spending has changed over time.

CR Means Problems for DHS HQ, GSA — September 25, 2012
The planned headquarters campus for the Department of Homeland Security in Southeast Washington appears likely to be sidelined yet again.

Contractors Engaged in Human Trafficking Subject to Debarment — September 25, 2012
President Obama signed an order Tuesday giving agencies authority to investigate, suspend and debar contractors for human trafficking.

Defense Budget Chief: Sequester Would Have Serious Impact on Civilians — September 25, 2012
Civilian personnel in the Defense Department will be "seriously affected" if a budget sequester takes effect next year, the Pentagon's top budget official said Tuesday.

Green Initiatives Bringing Agencies Savings, Report Says — September 25, 2012
Agencies are making progress on environmental mandates and saving millions of dollars in the process, according to a new report by an environmental think tank.

Pentagon Comptroller Sees Possible Softer Blow From Spending Cuts — September 25, 2012
The U.S. Defense Department may have more flexibility to cope with what it has painted as a potentially devastating across-the-board spending cut, the department's chief financial officer said Tuesday.

Senate Conservatives May Block Sequester Solution — September 25, 2012
Not everyone in Washington is so desperate to avoid sequestration. A handful of Senate conservatives have been gaming out ways to block a deal, if they consider it a bad one — even if it means letting billions in across-the-board cuts go through, according to GOP sources on Capitol Hill.

Alan Estevez Nominated for Senior DoD Procurement Job — September 24, 2012
Alan Estevez was nominated to be the new principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, the White House announced Sept. 21.

Market Slide Could Force Congress to Face ‘Fiscal Cliff’: U.S. Lawmaker — September 24, 2012
A stock market downturn later this year might provide the kind of pressure both political parties need to avoid a so-called “fiscal cliff,” which includes $500 billion in cuts to planned Pentagon spending, says a key U.S. lawmaker.

Six Senators Sound Bipartisan Alarm Over Sequester — September 24, 2012
Six Republican and Democratic senators are urging their party leaders to find a way to avert the spending cuts slated begin Jan. 2, a rare bipartisan warning that that the so-called sequester could have a “devastating impact’’ on defense and domestic programs.

What Federal Acquisition Professionals Need to Know About the New IT Landscape — September 24, 2012
Most of the Federal government’s acquisition systems are commercial off-the-shelf applications that have been “force-fitted” to make them fit government needs with poor results. This paper provides an education on new technology that allows the government to get affordable tailor-made acquisition systems.

Why is Contract Management Training Necessary? — September 24, 2012
Today’s increasingly competitive business market drives competition for limited government resources to incredible lengths. This creates new scrutiny for both buyers and sellers as they work to leverage limited resources to accomplish mission specific goals and outcomes.

Wiggle Room in DOD Vehicle Lease Not Big Enough to Drive a Truck Through! – A Case Study — September 24, 2012
The Overseas Logistics Group (“OLG”) sued the Department of Defense for breach of contract in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over a contract to lease vehicles to DoD. The contract originally required the government to repair the vehicles to the condition in which it had received them.

New System to Select Manager Candidates — September 21, 2012
The Office of Personnel Management by January hopes to roll out a new, standardized system of assessing and selecting supervisory candidates.

Status of Open World Exchange Program's Efforts to Strengthen Financial Management and Performance Measurement — September 21, 2012
What GAO Found: Since our 2004 report, Open World has taken a number of steps to address our recommendations on financial management controls, and has also generally followed leading financial management practices.

Budget Cuts Threaten 1 Million at Small U.S. Firms: Report — September 20, 2012
Small businesses in the United States could lose nearly 1 million jobs in 2013 if federal lawmakers do not avert $1.2 trillion in across-the-board budget cuts due to begin taking effect in January, a new study showed.

Contractors Complain About Pentagon Limits on Labor Rates — September 20, 2012
A key contractors trade group has accused the Pentagon of misinterpreting a 2011 law designed to limit the labor and overhead rates that companies charge for defense weapons and services.

DoD Would Benefit from Developing Strategic Guidance and Improving Joint Oversight — September 20, 2012
What GAO Found: DOD's fiscal year 2011 report partly addressed the required reporting elements and omitted some additional information that, while not required by law, would be useful for congressional oversight and decision making. Specifically, DOD's report addressed the first five required elements.

Furloughs Remain a Recurring Theme in Forecasting Sequestration’s Impact — September 20, 2012
On the eve of a vote to adjourn Congress until after the elections, top military and civilian Defense Department officials unveiled new details on the harm that looming across-the-board budget cuts would inflict if they kicked in this January.

Improvements to How Agencies Buy Goods, Services Bear out Little Fruit — September 20, 2012
President Barack Obama put improving the federal acquisition process at the center of his management initiatives.

Pentagon Does Not See Big Cancellation Fees From Cuts — September 20, 2012
The Pentagon's top money man again urged Congress to stop across-the-board budget cuts that he said would devastate the U.S. military, but downplayed the prospect of billions of dollars in contract termination fees forecast by some in industry.

Top Dems Urge GOP to Cancel Recess, Address Sequestration — September 20, 2012
Top Democratic leaders are pressing U.S. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner to cancel a six-week recess, saying the lower chamber should stay in Washington and pass legislation that would avoid deep federal spending cuts.

3,000 Contractors Suspended or Debarred Last Year — September 19, 2012
Federal agencies suspended or debarred more than 3,000 irresponsible contractors last year, a 47 percent increase from the previous year, a new federal report shows.

A Comedown for America's Defense Lobby — September 19, 2012
To grasp how much the budget wars have altered the natural order of things in Washington, consider this: One of the most powerful lobbies in town, the defense industry, is feeling a bit powerless.

Boeing Defence CEO Says BAE-EADS Merger Needs Scrutiny — September 19, 2012
A merger of Europe's EADS and Britain's BAE Systems Plc would raise national security and industrial questions and should be reviewed carefully by government regulators, the head of Boeing Co's defence operations said on Wednesday.

Complete Information and More Analyses Needed to Enhance DOD's Civilian Senior Leader Strategic Workforce Plan — September 19, 2012
What GAO Found: DOD's approach for determining its civilian senior leader workforce projections to meet future requirements incorporated the results of two separate assessments.

DoD Has Active Referral Processes, but Action Needed to Promote Transparency — September 19, 2012
What GAO Found: The four Department of Defense (DOD) components GAO examined have active processes for referring identified cases of contractor misconduct for appropriate action, including suspension or debarment.

DoD Interpreting Labor Rate Cap Too Strictly, Group Claims — September 19, 2012
An industry group complained Sept. 19 that the Defense Department is misinterpreting the law in setting the labor and overhead rates they pay contractors for services.

Navy Implementing Revised Approach, but Improvement Needed in Mitigating Risks — September 19, 2012
What GAO Found: While the Department of the Navy (DON) has revised its acquisition approach for its new network system, the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), it still has not shown that it has selected the most cost-effective approach for acquiring NGEN capabilities.

'Repair Work' With Lockheed Needed, Air Force Chief Says — September 18, 2012
The new U.S. Air Force chief of staff said “repair work” is needed to mend relations with Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) as he renewed concern about its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Nominated F-35 Program Head Raps Relations with Lockheed — September 18, 2012
The general tapped to head the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter effort called the relationship between contractor Lockheed Martin and the program office “the worst I have ever seen,” expressing frustration with the company’s continued performance and production woes.

U.S. Air Force Says Vigilant on Boeing Tanker Program — September 18, 2012
The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday it was optimistic about Boeing Co's (BA.N) work on the new $51.7 billion KC-46 refueling tanker program but remained vigilant about possible problems, even as officials examined an initial possible export request.

GSA Reforms are Improving Efficiency, Customer Service — September 17, 2012
More than 60 years ago, the General Services Administration was founded in the wake of World War II to deliver consistent and responsive services to federal agencies, services which would also ensure value to taxpayers. Today, everyone at GSA continues to take enormous pride in that mission and since April of this year, we have been engaged in an effort to refocus this agency on our core objective of providing effective and efficient service for the entire federal government.

OFPP Lets DoD Deal With Pricing Complexities First — September 17, 2012
The Defense Department has many roles in government, but it's not often considered a guinea pig. But that is what's happening as the Office of Federal Procurement Policy looks to DOD's experience for guidance on the balance of price against value in contract awards.

OFPP Lets DoD Deal with Pricing Complexities First — September 17, 2012
The Defense Department has many roles in government, but it's not often considered a guinea pig. But that is what's happening as the Office of Federal Procurement Policy looks to DOD's experience for guidance on the balance of price against value in contract awards.

Office of Personnel Management and Agencies Can Do More to Ensure Cost-Effective Decisions — September 17, 2012
What GAO Found: Many Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCOs) reported that they are implementing several leading practices important to making strategic decisions about training delivery, such as determining the best mix of decentralized and centralized training and considering government-wide reform when planning training.

Pentagon Needs More Details to Evaluate BAE-EADS Merger: Donley — September 17, 2012
The U.S. Defense Department needs more details to be able to assess the security implications of a possible merger of BAE Systems (BAES.L) and EADS (EAD.PA), U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on Monday.

Sequestration Might be Manageable, Experts Say — September 16, 2012
Devastating. Catastrophe. Disaster. That is how Pentagon officials, lawmakers and industry executives have described $500 billion in automatic military budget cuts set to kick in Jan. 2 unless Congress comes up with a solution.

Continuing Resolution Heads to House Floor for Vote — September 15, 2012
The House Rules Committee on Wednesday approved the six-month continuing resolution that will keep the government up and running until March 27. The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote, which could come as early as Thursday.

Battlefield Rotations Could be Bad for Contract Management — September 14, 2012
As defense officials have tried to get a grasp on its mismanaged contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan through the years, one factor that has emerged is the rotation of federal and contractor personnel into and out of the war zone.

DHS Defends Acquisition Plan for Bioweapon Detectors — September 14, 2012
The Obama administration on Thursday defended plans to press ahead in vetting and acquiring a new generation of sensors designed to provide early warning of a biological weapons attack, even as auditors and some lawmakers urged it to pause and reassess the effort.

EADS, BAE Deal Could Roil U.S. Defense Industry — September 14, 2012
The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. and BAE Systems of Britain are in merger talks to create the world's largest aerospace and defense company, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Report Confirms Feds Would Feel the Effects of Sequestration — September 14, 2012
Using language protesting Republican budget tactics, the Office of Management and Budget on Friday released a congressionally mandated report detailing the impact of across-the-board budget cuts looming in January 2013 and provided a set of numbers that would affect nearly every agency and most of the federal workforce.

WH: Sequestration Would Cost $54.7B in 2013 for DoD — September 14, 2012
The U.S. military services would be forced to slash the accounts they tap to buy aircraft, vehicles, ships and ammunition by 9.4 percent each if Congress and the White House fail to reach a deficit-reduction accord, according to a White House report to Congress released Sept. 14.

White House Details ‘Devastating’ Cuts Under Sequestration — September 14, 2012
Scientific research would be curtailed, the ranks of federal law enforcement officers slashed, and military procurement funding whacked if Congress fails to prevent automatic budget cuts from occurring in January, the Obama administration said in a Friday report.

Data-sharing is Good ... When Agencies Do it Right — September 13, 2012
Homeland Security Department officials are improving their coordination on department-wide purchasing efforts, but they aren’t sharing the changes through policy guidance, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Minority Vendors Say Awards Program at Risk on U.S. Court Ruling — September 13, 2012
Minority vendors and contracting attorneys say a federal court ruling may damage a government program designed to boost disadvantaged businesses.

Additional FAA Efforts Could Enhance Safety Risk Management — September 12, 2012
What GAO Found: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its business lines and offices are in different stages of their implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS).

Agencies Are Taking Steps to Improve Data on Contracting but Need to Standardize Reporting — September 12, 2012
What GAO Found: Although SPOT was designated as the common database for the statutorily required information on contracts, assistance instruments, and related personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials from DOD, State, and USAID generally relied on other data sources they regarded as more reliable to prepare the 2011 joint report.

Agencies Have Implemented Most Provisions, but Key Areas of Attention Remain — September 12, 2012
What GAO Found: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other agencies have taken steps to carry out leadership and organizational responsibilities as called for by the E-Government Act.

FAA Needs to Better Ensure Project Eligibility and Improve Strategic Goal and Performance Measures — September 12, 2012
What GAO Found: The number of people in the United States exposed to significant airport noise has steadily declined from roughly 7 million people in 1975 to about 309,000 today.

GSA to Cut Fees on Agencies’ Use of its Contracts — September 12, 2012
The General Services Administration said it will reduce fees it charges other agencies to use some of its services contracts, potentially saving agencies millions of dollars a year.

OFPP Keeping a Close Eye on Struggling Acquisition System Consolidation — September 12, 2012
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the federal chief information officer's office are paying close attention to how the General Services Administration fixes the System for Award Management (SAM).

Oversight and Coordination of Research and Development Should Be Strengthened — September 12, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not know the total amount its components invest in research and development (R&D) and does not have policies and guidance for defining R&D and overseeing R&D resources across the department.

White House Issues Veto Threat of Sequestration Bill — September 12, 2012
The White House on Wednesday issued a sharp veto threat of a bill tailored to avoid Pentagon budget cuts slated to take effect in January.

DHS Agency that Secures Federal Buildings is Failing its Mission, GAO Finds — September 11, 2012
The Federal Protective Service collected $236 million in fees last year from agencies to perform security threat assessments on federal buildings, but the agency is failing to perform that job, according to a new audit report.

House Set to Extend Federal Pay Rate Freeze — September 11, 2012
A temporary spending measure before the House would lift the threat of a partial government shutdown due to a budgetary stalemate, while keeping federal employee salary rates frozen at least until April.

Hub Firm Taps Military Research — September 11, 2012
The list of groundbreaking technologies that have been developed by US-funded research laboratories is long and illustrious: the Internet, global positioning systems, lithium ion batteries, and many wireless communications breakthroughs.

Navy Arms Buyer Sees Funding Challenges For Shipbuilding — September 11, 2012
(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy will run out of money in January or February for the refueling of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, unless Congress enacts a special measure to allow the work to continue, the Navy's top arms buyer told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Top Navy Negotiator Oversees Billions in Contracts — September 11, 2012
The Navy and the Marine Corps each year award about $90 billion dollars in contracts for everything from submarines and battleships to fighter jets, helicopters, complex weapons systems, trucks, uniforms and body armor.

USDA and SBA Could Do More to Help Aquaculture and Nursery Producers — September 11, 2012
What GAO Found: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have 10 disaster assistance programs that small agricultural producers and businesses that support agriculture can use to recover from natural disasters.

DHS Has Enhanced Procurement Oversight Efforts, but Needs to Update Guidance — September 10, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) continues to implement and has improved some aspects of its procurement oversight but has not sufficiently updated its guidance.

Defense Firms Confirm Layoff Warnings — September 10, 2012
Major defense contractors have confirmed they’ll send tens of thousands of employee layoff warnings shortly before Election Day, according to correspondence released Monday by Arizona Sen. John McCain.

DoD Forgoes Registration Requirement for Contractors, Due to System Bugs — September 10, 2012
Prospective contractors won't have to register online to sell goods and services to the Defense Department, as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation, because of technical problems with the government's newly launched procurement system.

IG’s Report Finds Poor Tracking of Afghan Fuel Purchases — September 10, 2012
The coalition command in Afghanistan is not properly accounting for millions of dollars worth of fuel it buys to keep the Afghan military functioning, according to a new audit.

Nine Tech Tips for Starting a New Government Job — September 10, 2012
The learning curve at a new government job is high. From the acronyms to the bureaucracy, a new employee has his or her work cut out.

Six Agencies' Use of Dual Compensation Waiver Authority is Limited — September 10, 2012
What GAO Found: In summary, the six agencies we reviewed made very little use of the NDAA waiver authority in fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

When Congress Doesn't Fight Over Spending — September 10, 2012
So, Congress may actually not fight over spending levels this fall.

White House Seeks Unified System to Manage Interns — September 10, 2012
The Executive Office of the President wants to retire the mélange of different programs it uses to manage internship hopefuls into a single unified system, according to solicitation documents released Saturday.

Bonuses Necessary to Keep Most Valuable Employees — September 9, 2012
The U.S. Olympic Committee pays a $25,000 bonus to a gold medalist, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Professional sports contracts are laden with cash incentives.

CFOs Needed to Steer Ship in Rough Budget Seas — September 9, 2012
Agency budgets are shrinking, but not as much as they will when Congress and the president agree on steps to reduce the deficit and take us back from the fiscal cliff.

Contractors Wary as DCAA Seeks More Internal Documents — September 9, 2012
The Defense Contract Audit Agency has issued new guidance meant to help its auditors access contractors’ internal documents, a move that industry advocates say could worsen an already tense relationship.

Defense Vendors Threatening Layoff Warnings — September 9, 2012
Dismayed at a returning Congress still struggling to avert automatic budget cuts, defense contractors could soon alert thousands of employees their jobs are at risk.

Sign of the Times: Shorter Leases — September 9, 2012
The General Services Administration is hoping to extend its 15-year lease for a 142,000-square-foot building in Lakewood, Colo., for the Interior Department — but only guarantees it will remain there for two years, according to the lease prospectus.

Top Navy Negotiator Oversees Billions in Contracts — September 9, 2012
The Navy and the Marine Corps each year award about $90 billion dollars in contracts for everything from submarines and battleships to fighter jets, helicopters, complex weapons systems, trucks, uniforms and body armor.

New Center at Base to Help Reduce Costs — September 8, 2012
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — The Air Force Institute of Technology has launched an “acquisition center of excellence” to reduce costs and better manage the test and evaluation of U.S. military weapons and programs from the KC-46 aerial refueling tanker to anti-missile defenses, a program leader said.

American Systems to Buy SAIC Test and Evaluation Unit — September 7, 2012
In a bid to expand its customer base and technical support team, American Systems is buying the Test and Evaluation unit from Science Applications International Corp. for an undisclosed sum, the government contractor announced.

Council Steps Up Importance of Contractor Performance in Proposed Rule Change — September 7, 2012
The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council has designed a more structured approach for federal procurement officials to document a company's performance on a contract, with definitions and all.

FCC Set to Take Up Incentive Auction, Spectrum Holding Proposals — September 7, 2012
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday is expected to release the tentative agenda for its September meeting, which will include two key wireless-industry items.

Getting the Prize Purse Right in Tech Contests is a Challenge All Its Own — September 7, 2012
What’s the toughest part about putting together a government-sponsored prize competition to develop new and innovative technologies?

The 8 Federal Agencies Most Attractive to New Grads — September 7, 2012
As recent graduates set out in search of new government jobs, there are only a handful of federal agencies that appear compatiable with the needs and wants of Generation Y.

White House Misses Sequestration Deadline; DoD Will See 11% Cut — September 7, 2012
The Obama administration has missed a key deadline to submit a report on how it would implement $109 billion in across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 2.

Spending Cuts Likely to Trigger Furloughs — September 6, 2012
Federal agencies will have to consider furloughing employees if Congress and the White House cannot reach a deal before the end of the year to stave off the governmentwide automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January 2013, according to a former top budget aide on Capitol Hill.

Defense Department to Hill: Save Us From Budget Ax — September 5, 2012
Washington’s defense community may be eagerly awaiting a report from the White House to detail how it would implement across-the-board budget cuts early next year, but the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer already can describe how they’d work.

More Cuts Could Change Pentagon View on Mergers — September 5, 2012
Further big budget cuts could make the U.S. Defense Department rethink its current wariness about additional mergers among top-tier companies in the weapons industry, a top Pentagon official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Campaign to Cut Waste Saves $4 Billion, Zients Says — September 4, 2012
Agencies saved more than $4 billion on costs such as travel and printing in the first half of fiscal 2012, according to a top Obama administration official.

DoD’s Robyn to Head GSA’s Public Buildings Service — September 4, 2012
Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of Defense for installations and environment, will be the new Public Buildings Service commissioner at the General Services Administration.

CHCOs Send Early Warning: Business as Usual Won’t Work — September 2, 2012
Federal chief human capital officers (CHCOs) have a tougher than usual job these days.

August

Sequestration Could Spell $39B in Cuts to Civilian Agency Budgets — August 31, 2012
Civilian agencies may lose almost $40 billion dollars in top-line funding if sequestration goes into effect on Jan. 2, according to a new analysis by the Professional Services Council.

17 Vendors to Offer Cloud Email to Agencies Under GSA Contracts — August 30, 2012
The General Services Administration has awarded contracts to 17 vendors to provide cloud email services to federal agencies and state, local and tribal governments, the agency announced Thursday.

GAO Finds Duplication in Programs Intended to Help New Entrepreneurs — August 30, 2012
The government has dozens of programs that overlap in their efforts to help Americans start new businesses, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report.

SAIC to Split Into Two Public Companies — August 30, 2012
McLean-based Science Applications International said Thursday it plans to split itself into two public companies, taking a major step to unwind a strategy that attempted to more tightly integrate its historically independent units.

Compliance With Wiretap Law is Transparent, NSA Says — August 29, 2012
U.S. companies that make infrared detection technology used in night-vision devices and weapons sights are fighting a Pentagon effort to impose the government’s most stringent export rules on their products.

Contract Law Gives U.S. Government Options For Automatic Cuts: Report — August 29, 2012
A little-known aspect of U.S. contract law may provide a road map for how the Obama administration can implement billions of dollars of automatic budget cuts due to take effect in January without having to pay massive change fees to its contractors.

Infrared Export Limits Pentagon Wants Opposed by Industry — August 29, 2012
U.S. companies that make infrared detection technology used in night-vision devices and weapons sights are fighting a Pentagon effort to impose the government’s most stringent export rules on their products.

Low Cost Spy Plane Takes Off as Military Budgets Squeezed — August 29, 2012
Northrop Grumman Corp, maker of the B-2 spy plane and the Global Hawk unmanned drone, will demonstrate a smaller, cheaper surveillance plane this week it hopes will be attractive to budget conscious U.S. law agencies and foreign countries.

Sequestration Worries Speakers at Defense Forum — August 29, 2012
The specter of sequestration loomed large over the 2012 Dayton Small Business Defense Procurement Summit Wednesday.

'Bring Your Own Device' for Beginners — August 27, 2012
Telework is rapidly changing the way the federal government works, and now federal agencies have a few new tools to expand mobility options for employees, thanks to the new “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD, guidance released by the White House on Thursday.

Federal Programs to Aid Entrepreneurs Overlap — August 27, 2012
Agency efforts to support private entrepreneurs are ineffectual and fragmented, according to Government Accountability Office research on 52 programs in such departments as Agriculture, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.

Huge D-M Solar Project Expected to Begin Soon — August 27, 2012
The Air Force is moving ahead with plans to build a 14.5-megawatt photovoltaic solar array at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Leading Federal Market Research Firm Acquired in Private Equity Deal — August 27, 2012
Deltek Inc., a leading provider of market research and software to federal contractors, announced Monday that it had been acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in a deal valued at $1.1 billion.

White House Plans to Regulate Contractor Computer Security — August 27, 2012
The Obama administration has drafted plans to require federal contractors to adopt specific cybersecurity safeguards for company equipment that transmits government information.

U.S. Arms Sales Make Up Most Of Global Market — August 26, 2012
Weapons sales by the United States tripled in 2011 to a record high, driven by major arms sales to Persian Gulf allies concerned about Iran’s regional ambitions, according to a new study for Congress.

Sequestration Would Cut Defense by 10.3 Percent -- in Stages, Says Report — August 24, 2012
Absent a new budget deal between the White House and Congress, defense spending would be hit with an immediate 10.3 percent reduction that threatens the jobs of 108,000 civilian employees, according to an analyst’s new calculations of the looming sequestration threat.

'Badass Innovators’ Get Down to Work — August 23, 2012
Eighteen Presidential Innovation Fellows, sworn into government service by Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry on Thursday, have six months to get five major government initiatives up and running.

Congressman Demands Investigation into Army Acquisition Process — August 23, 2012
Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has asked Army Secretary John McHugh to launch an investigation into how and why requests from Army units in Afghanistan for intelligence gathering software were ignored in favor of the Army’s preferred system, which some claim is less effective.

Employees Help GSA Save Millions Annually — August 23, 2012
The General Services Administration has accepted five employee-generated ideas that will save the agency approximately $5.5 million annually.

FCC Suspends Deregulation of Special Access Telecom Markets — August 23, 2012
The Federal Communications Commission issued an order Wednesday night that suspends the rules under which telecommunications companies can request the deregulation of special access markets, on a 3-2 vote that followed party lines.

Navy, U.S. Nuclear Companies Sign Workforce Deal — August 23, 2012
The U.S. Navy and members of the nuclear power industry have signed a deal meant to help Navy veterans with specialized training find civilian jobs.

Opportunities Exist to Improve Programs' Collaboration, Data-Tracking, and Performance Management — August 23, 2012
What GAO Found: Federal efforts to support entrepreneurs are fragmented--including among 52 programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Three Contractors Tapped to Develop Smart Humvee Replacements — August 23, 2012
The Army and Marine Corps awarded three companies development contracts Wednesday for their next generation of wheeled tactical vehicles, which will require a gigabit speed local area network to support onboard computers, communications and electronic warfare systems.

CBO Projects Defense Spending Under Sequestration; Warns Of Recession — August 22, 2012
The United States could slip into a recession if Congress fails to modify planned spending cuts and tax increases set to start next year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects in a new report.

Feds Charge Army Officer, 2 Others In Fraud Scheme — August 22, 2012
An Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and two former Special Forces soldiers were indicted Wednesday in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme to win military contracts in Afghanistan.

First Lady Announces New Hiring Push for Vets — August 22, 2012
First lady Michelle Obama chose a naval station in the electoral battleground of Florida to announce Wednesday that 2,000 businesses around the country have hired or trained more than 125,000 military veterans and spouses in the past year, exceeding a White House goal of 100,000 by the end of next year.

Report Shows Business Impact of Defense Cuts — August 22, 2012
A pro-defense think tank has issued a new report that shows by congressional district the impact on local businesses of the potential $500 billion in across-the-board budget cuts looming in January.

Report: Virginia’s Defense Contractors Have Most to Lose Under Sequestration — August 22, 2012
Virginia, California and Texas stand to lose the most money in defense contracts under across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 2, a new report shows.

Obama Tells Defense Communities Sequestration Should be Avoided — August 21, 2012
President Obama continued his call for a bipartisan solution to avoid sequestration that couples spending cuts with tax hikes on the nation’s wealthiest in a series of interviews on Monday with local Virginia media outlets.

Public Wants More Government Spending — August 20, 2012
A majority of Americans want government to spend more on certain federal programs ranging from veterans’ assistance to food safety, according to a new survey by a global polling firm.

Defense Workers to Congress: Solve the Problem, Stop the Automatic Cuts — August 19, 2012
(Reuters) - The uncertainty over automatic cuts in U.S. defense spending to be triggered in January because of congressional inaction has spread to the engineers and project managers in South Florida's aerospace industry.

Surge in Canceled Deals Offers Preview of Sequester Damage Ahead — August 19, 2012
A surge in canceled U.S. contracts as war funding winds down may be a preview of the damage ahead for government vendors under looming automatic budget cuts.

Agencies Weigh Pros and Cons of Using Solar, Wind Energy — August 17, 2012
The Army is installing a 4-megawatt solar field on a 42-acre tract at its White Sands Missile Complex in central New Mexico as part of its efforts to generate more renewable energy.

Bill Would Ban Feds from Conducting Union Activities at Work — August 17, 2012
Government unions can expect to see the revival of legislation aimed at their rights to conduct union business.

DoD Turns to Landfill Gas to Meet Renewable Energy Goal — August 17, 2012
At Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, the military is turning landfill gas into electricity as part of efforts to reach its renewable energy goals. The $26 million project will pipe methane from the Anchorage regional landfill and process it at a refinery on the installation — producing about 6.5 megawatts of power.

White House Orders $7.7 Billion Cut in IT Budgets in 2014 — August 17, 2012
The White House is instructing agencies to cut a combined $7.7 billion from their information technology budgets in 2014 and propose ways to redirect it to other priority projects.

Are Americans Ready for a Real Debate on the Size of Government? — August 15, 2012
Americans are not ready to debate the size and scope of the federal government, pollsters say, despite the presidential campaign’s sudden detour toward issues such as the future of Medicare, Social Security, and the country’s deficit.

Sequestration Could Hit Washington Area With Recession, Economist Warns — August 15, 2012
The Washington metropolitan area could see a devastating recession from federal cuts associated with sequestration, an economist is warning.

CR Deal Would Set Back Critical Projects — August 14, 2012
A tentative deal for a six-month continuing resolution would, if approved, avert the threat of a government shutdown until March — but it also would set back plans for new and expanded programs.

GSA Freezes Per Diem Rates at 2012 Levels — August 14, 2012
Government travel per diem rates will not change in fiscal 2013, according to the General Services Administration.

Helping Veterans With Transition and Jobs — August 14, 2012
As we approach the 11-year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, America’s armed forces have returned by the thousands from Iraq and we are in the early stages of the drawdown in Afghanistan.

Industry Analysis: FAA Cuts Under Sequester Would Be Costly — August 14, 2012
Automatic budget cuts slated to begin in January could cost the Federal Aviation Administration $1 billion next year and take a sharp bite out of the U.S. economy, a new industry forecast concludes.

Missile Defense Remains Priority in Plans to Reduce Military's Size, Spending, Say Officials — August 14, 2012
Missile defense programs, to protect the U.S. homeland as well as American allies and troops around the world, remain a priority in Department of Defense plans to restructure and reduce forces and rein in spending after a decade of war on two fronts.

Proposed Rule Clarifies Market Research Requirements for R&D Contract Set-Asides — August 14, 2012
A proposed rule published in Friday's Federal Register would amend Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b)(2) to clarify that contracting officers shall set aside research and development (R&D) acquisitions above the simplified acquisition threshold when market research indicates there are small businesses capable of providing the best scientific and technological approaches.

Study: Noncompliance Expenses Add Up — August 14, 2012
According to a May 2012 study among midsized business owners and senior executives conducted by the ADP Research Institute (ADP RI), 33 percent of U.S.-based midsized companies incurred unintended expenses related to noncompliance with government regulations in the past year.

VA Limits Purchasing Authority Amid Probe of Pricey Conferences — August 14, 2012
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has rescinded the purchasing authority of employees in the departmental division under investigation for two conferences that cost $5 million and may have involved inappropriate gifts.

Veterans Look to Franchising Opportunities for New Careers — August 14, 2012
Like other American veterans, Air Force Master Sgt. Darrel Ferdinand needed a plan for his life after war. And one sector of the economy offered an answer — starting his own business.

Want to Know the Secret Behind Winning? — August 14, 2012
Before tackling any management program or project, learn how to train to win. Here's how you can get started.

How to Connect Your Team with the Mission — August 13, 2012
One of the best ways to get team members excited and engaged about their work is to help them see how what they do matters. Indy had a great example of how he did that when he was the commander of a squadron of F-15’s.

Switch to New Travel System Could be Costly for Agencies — August 13, 2012
Civilian agencies may be forced to pay millions of dollars in extra costs and suffer delays as they transition to a new automated travel management system.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Announces New Action to Support Deployment of Renewable Energy on U.S. — August 10, 2012
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through its Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, has issued a Multiple-Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) Request for Proposal (RFP) for $7 billion in total contract capacity to procure reliable, locally generated, renewable and alternative energy through power purchase agreements.

Agreement Reached on Six-Month Continuing Resolution as White House Gears Up for Sequester — August 8, 2012
Congressional leaders and the White House have agreed to moving a continuing resolution that would fund government operations for the first six months of fiscal year (FY) 2013, which begins October 1.

Beyond Mythbusting—Effectively Communicating Requirements with Industry — August 8, 2012
A step-by-step guide to how early and frequent communication during acquisition planning can lead to better requirements, fewer amendments and easier contract administration.

Defense Contractors Downsized in Good Times, Report Finds — August 8, 2012
The defense industry and Republican lawmakers have for months complained that sequestration -- across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to begin on Jan. 2, 2013, and expected to hit the Defense Department especially hard -- would devastate private contracting companies, forcing mass layoffs when the economy could least afford them.

It’s Official: White House Must Share Sequestration Specifics — August 8, 2012
President Obama has signed a law that requires his administration to provide a report to Congress "relating to funding reductions" scheduled to take place on Jan. 2, 2013, as a result of sequestration, the White House announced Tuesday.

Missile Defense Agency May Go in New Direction With New Chief, Advocate Says — August 8, 2012
The Obama administration's nomination last week of an admiral to head the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has issue observers wondering if new leadership could lead to new operational focuses for the organization (see GSN, Aug. 7).

NASA Hopes Successes Will Boost its Support in Congress — August 8, 2012
The Curiosity rover's impressive arrival on Mars couldn't have come at a better time for NASA.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Sequester — August 8, 2012
Republicans and Democrats are sounding the alarm: The budget sequester is coming and we have to do everything to stop it.

Pentagon Asked to Mull Contract Cut-off for UTC — August 7, 2012
2 US senators ask Pentagon chief to consider suspending UTC subsidiary for China trade plea

White House Gives Itself Deadline on Sequestration Details — August 7, 2012
The White House has a month to explain how it will handle across-the-board budget cuts set to take effect early next year, under legislation signed by President Obama on Tuesday.

DoD-Interior Agreement Opens Way for More Renewable Energy Projects — August 6, 2012
The Interior and Defense departments announced an agreement Monday to pave the way for more renewable energy projects on or near military bases.

Business Approach may be Useful in Budget Battle — August 5, 2012
As agencies across government look for solutions to the challenges posed by budget reductions, "business as usual" is not an option.

NASA Awards $1.1B in Commercial Spacecraft Design Contracts — August 4, 2012
NASA on Friday awarded $1.1 billion to three companies to complete designs of commercial spacecraft and rockets that could launch astronauts on orbital flights as soon as 2015.

With Sequestration, Pain For All — August 4, 2012
The $109 billion in sequestration budget cuts scheduled to go into effect Jan. 2 would likely mean hiring freezes, furloughs and staffing reductions at the Defense Department, FBI, Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration, the Obama administration said this week.

Administration Spells out Doom of Sequestration Cuts — August 3, 2012
The $109 billion in sequestration budget cuts scheduled to go into effect Jan. 2 would likely mean hiring freezes, furloughs and staffing reductions at the Defense Department, FBI, Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration, the Obama administration said Wednesday.

Cancellation of the Army's Autonomous Navigation System — August 3, 2012
What GAO Found: Almost all ANS hardware and most software development were completed prior to its cancellation, according to the Army and GDRS. The software for the most advanced capabilities was not completed, which potentially presented the greatest complexities.

Data Breaches up 19 Percent, GAO Reports — August 3, 2012
Federal data breaches jumped 19 percent last year, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday.

DoD Has Taken Actions to Improve Some Segments of the Materiel Distribution System — August 3, 2012
What GAO Found: DoD incorporated results-oriented management practices into the planning and development of the four ongoing DSO improvement efforts.

Federal Buildings Fund: Improved Transparency and Long-term Plan Needed to Clarify Capital Funding Priorities — August 3, 2012
What GAO Found: The Federal Buildings Fund’s (FBF) balance has increased from $56 million in fiscal year 2007 to $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2012 primarily due to the growing difference between the resources provided to the FBF and the General Services Administration’s (GSA) use of these funds as determined through the budgeting and appropriations process.

NCMA World Congress 2012 – What an Experience! — August 3, 2012
I have now been to 2 consecutive #ncmawc in Denver and Boston respectively and I am looking forward to November this year in DC and 2013 in Pasadena.

Open Government Groups Denounce Proposed Penalties for Classified Leaks — August 3, 2012
Twenty-three open government and free speech groups are denouncing a Senate bill that would strip current or former intelligence employees of their pensions if an agency head decides an employee has improperly leaked classified information.

Ownership by Minority, Female, and Disadvantaged Firms in the Pipeline Industry — August 3, 2012
What GAO Found: Minority- or female-owned, minority-owned, and female-owned firms represented 15 percent, 6 percent and 10 percent, respectively, of firms in the U.S. pipeline industry in 2007.

State and DOD Should Ensure Interagency Acquisitions Are Effectively Managed and Comply with Fiscal Law — August 3, 2012
What GAO Found: To help the Department of State (State) meet its requirements for critical goods and services in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Defense (DOD) supported State on 22 acquisitions.

Agency Actions to Address Recommendations by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan — August 2, 2012
What GAO Found: In summary, DoD reported having taken or planned actions that directly align with about half of the CWC recommendations applicable to it, and State and USAID each reported having taken or planned actions that directly align with about one-third of the recommendations applicable to each of them.

Congress Urged to Avert Looming Budget Cut — August 2, 2012
In a hearing punctuated by partisan anger, acting White House budget director Jeff Zients rejected assertions that President Barack Obama was responsible for the stalemate over the looming budget cuts.

IT a Low Priority for Many Federal Execs — August 2, 2012
Despite the federal government’s goal to expand telework, mobility and other IT initiatives for the federal workforce, IT doesn’t seem to be a top priority for most federal executives, according to a new study.

Lawmakers Face Off On Pentagon Spending Cuts — August 2, 2012
The battle over sequestration is getting louder, as the defense industry mobilizes to prevent across-the-board cuts to Pentagon spending. Non-defense groups are trying to avoid being drowned out.

OMB to Agencies: We’ll Help You Plan for Sequestration, but We Hope it Doesn’t Happen — August 2, 2012
The Office of Management and Budget will begin “holding discussions” with federal agencies on steps to take in the event of sequestration, according to a memo sent Tuesday.

TSA, Union Reach Agreement on Labor Contract — August 2, 2012
The Transportation Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees have reached agreement on the first-ever labor contract for TSA officers.

Vulnerability to Fraud and Abuse Remains — August 2, 2012
What GAO Found: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program remains vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

Collaboration Boosts Talent Mobility — August 1, 2012
Effective talent mobility is a strategic necessity in global business. Collaboration between the public and private sectors is the key to managing it.

DoD Sees Four Sequestration Scenarios — August 1, 2012
Increasingly concerned that time is running out for Congress to avoid $500 billion in automatic defense cuts, the Pentagon is assessing all options, including the possible implications of a one-year, $100 billion, governmentwide, “mini-sequester” deficit-reduction deal, Defense Department and industry sources said.

How to Ace Post-Award Contract Reviews — August 1, 2012
Contracting officers oversee many moving parts in the complex procurement process. But perhaps no other element of contracting strikes fear into their hearts more than the debriefing.

Open Government Groups Denounce Proposed Penalties for Classified Leaks — August 1, 2012
Twenty-three open government and free speech groups are denouncing a Senate bill that would strip current or former intelligence employees of their pensions if an agency head decides an employee has improperly leaked classified information.

Report: Spending up on Multiple-award Contracts — August 1, 2012
Federal procurement spending through multiple-award contracts increased 4 percent last year, despite an overall drop in contract spending, a new report by Bloomberg Government shows.

Sequester Transparency Bill Headed for Enactment — August 1, 2012
Federal agencies should know by early September how the White House plans to implement the across-the-board cuts scheduled to take effect in January under the Budget Control Act.

Survey: Trust Among Co-Workers Strong — August 1, 2012
Nearly three-quarters of employees report that they very much trust their work colleagues, according to a new survey by career transition and talent development consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison.

U.S. Firms: Key Positions Still Hard to Fill — August 1, 2012
Despite the weak job market, two-thirds of more than 100 U.S. companies surveyed have found it difficult to fill key positions during the past year, according to Right Management, a talent and career management unit within workforce services firm ManpowerGroup.

White House to Change Rules for Managing Grants — August 1, 2012
The White House will change how the government’s $600 billion grant programs are managed in the coming months, Office of Management and Budget Controller Danny Werfel said this week.

July

As ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Looms, Debate Over Pre-election Day Layoff Notices Heats Up — July 31, 2012
The deep federal spending cuts scheduled to take effect at the start of next year may trigger dismissal notices for tens of thousands of employees of government contractors, companies and analysts say, and the warnings may start going out at a particularly sensitive time: Days before the presidential election.

Congressional Leaders Near Budget Deal to Keep Government Running — July 31, 2012
House and Senate leaders are nearing a temporary spending deal that would keep the federal government running for the first half of the next fiscal year, which will begin in October, aides in both parties said Monday, an effort to avoid a messy government shutdown fight on the eve of the November election.

Final Contract Between Union and TSA Expected Next Week — July 31, 2012
A final labor agreement between the Transportation Security Administration and the union representing airport screeners could come next Wednesday, according to an official involved in the negotiations.

GSA Acquisitions Chief Goes on Medical Leave — July 31, 2012
Just days before a House hearing scheduled to examine overspending at a 2010 conference he helped run, Steven Kempf, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s contracting division, announced he is taking a 60-day medical leave as of Monday.

Hispanic Representation in the Federal Workforce Increases Very Slightly — July 31, 2012
The percentage of full-time civilian Hispanic employees in the federal government barely increased in fiscal 2011, but there was more significant progress on hiring Hispanics into senior-level jobs, according to new data from the Office of Personnel Management.

Labor Department: Contractors should not send pre-sequester layoff notices — July 31, 2012
Federal contractors should not send warnings of impending layoff notices to their employees in advance of a potential budget sequester in January, the Labor Department ruled Monday.

Pending Defense Cuts Would Hit Hard, say Senators McCain, Graham, and Ayotte — July 31, 2012
Fayetteville's economy could be devastated if Congress doesn't reach a deal to avert the $500 billion reduction in federal defense spending scheduled to start in January.

Sequestration Sets Up Sept. 18 Defense Deadline — July 31, 2012
The Pentagon would have to notify Congress on Sept. 18 of sequester-induced layoffs of some of the Defense Department’s 764,682 civilian workers, said Frederick E. Vollrath, a Pentagon official responsible for personnel policy.

Civilians in Iraq eligible for premium pay cap waiver through 2012 — July 30, 2012
Civilian federal employees working in Iraq are eligible to receive higher premium pay through the end of 2012, according to new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management.

Contractors Bemoan Delays as Rookie U.S. Buyers Learn the Ropes — July 30, 2012
Claudine Adams, the president of a small technology contractor in Maryland, walked into a routine meeting at an Army base in April and was surprised to find herself face-to-face with three government attorneys.

Defense Contractors’ IT Businesses Under Pressure — July 30, 2012
The largest defense contractors reported last week new challenges to their information technology businesses as the government adapts to shrinking budgets.

McDonnell Targets Defense Spending, but Opposes Automatic Cuts — July 30, 2012
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says that defense spending must be reined in if Congress is serious about getting the nation’s fiscal house in order but opposes the $500 billion in automatic defense cuts under last year’s debt deal, warning they would weaken national security, kill jobs and devastate his state’s defense industry.

US Audit: $200M Wasted on Iraqi Police Training — July 30, 2012
U.S. auditors have concluded that more than $200 million was wasted on a program to train Iraqi police that Baghdad says is neither needed nor wanted.

Agencies Need to Address Significant Weaknesses in Policies and Practices — July 27, 2012
What GAO Found: While the eight agencies GAO reviewed—the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency—varied in the extent to which their cost-estimating policies and procedures addressed best practices, most had significant weaknesses.

Appointments Generally Conform to Legislative Requirements, but Agencies Need to Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities — July 27, 2012
What GAO Found: Most agencies have appointed Chief Acquisition Officers (CAO) in accordance with two of the three key requirements in the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 (SARA): that the CAOs be political appointees and have agency Senior Procurement Executives report directly to them. However, few CAOs have acquisition management as their primary duty;

Exclusive: U.S., Lockheed Reach Deal on Israeli F-35s — July 27, 2012
The Pentagon has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp on a $450 million program to enhance electronic warfare equipment on the F-35 fighter jet, and integrate Israeli-unique systems beginning in 2016, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Five Takeaways From the London Olympics — July 27, 2012
Tonight’s opening ceremony, “The Isles of Wonder,” marks the beginning of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The quadrennial sporting event captivates the world’s attention for its display of athletic prowess. But in between watching synchronized diving and pole vaulting, HR leaders can glean important management lessons from the London Games.

GAO: Cost estimates are typically faulty on major IT projects — July 27, 2012
Managers are routinely using faulty cost estimates when making key decisions affecting major information technology projects, a new audit has found.

Navy Lowballed Cost of New Ships by Billions — July 27, 2012
The Congressional Budget Office says in a new report that the Navy's estimate for building new warships over the next 30 years is tens of billions of dollars lower than it should be, raising doubts about the number and type of vessels the government can actually afford.

OPM Touts Progress on Disability Hiring — July 27, 2012
The federal government now boasts more workers with disabilities than at any time in the past two decades, the Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday.

Pentagon Official Says Civilian Workforce Could Get Layoff Notices 4 Days Before Election — July 27, 2012
Tens of thousands of civilian employees in the Defense Department could receive warnings about potential layoffs four days before the November election if impending spending cuts aren’t averted, hitting presidential battleground states such as Virginia and Florida hard.

Report: Spending up on multiple-award contracts — July 27, 2012
Federal procurement spending through multiple-award contracts increased 4 percent last year, despite an overall drop in contract spending, a new report by Bloomberg Government shows.

White House to change rules for managing grants — July 27, 2012
The White House will change how the government’s $600 billion grant programs are managed in the coming months, Office of Management and Budget Controller Danny Werfel said this week.

Budget Office Questions Navy Shipbuilding Cost Estimates — July 26, 2012
The U.S. Navy is underestimating the cost of its proposed 30-year shipbuilding program by 19 percent, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said in a report.

Excluded Co-owner Keeps Ties to Pentagon Contractor — July 26, 2012
The co-owner of the Pentagon's top propaganda contractor in Afghanistan continues to receive payments from the company despite the Army's effort to exclude him from receiving government contracts.

Despite Fraud, Air Force Kept Using Beach Contractor — July 25, 2012
The Air Force continued doing business with a Virginia Beach government contractor for months after the company was found to have engaged in a $9.5 million fraud.

DCMA ACOs Recognized for Commitment to Career Field — July 24, 2012
The National Contract Management Association recently recognized Kenneth Meyer, a Defense Contract Management Agency supervisory administrative contracting officer, to receive the NCMA Excellence in Contracts Professionalism Award.

No Perfect Way to Compare Private and Public Sector Pay, Study Finds — July 24, 2012
Recent studies aiming to compare federal and private sector pay have reached opposing conclusions based on differing data and methods used, according to a new watchdog report.

Preliminary Results on Efforts to Assess Facility Risks and Oversee Contract Guards — July 24, 2012
GAO's preliminary results indicate that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Protective Service (FPS) is not assessing risks at federal facilities in a manner consistent with standards such as the National Infrastructure Protection Plan's (NIPP) risk management framework, as FPS originally planned.

President Obama Announces Job Training Services for Veterans — July 24, 2012
Seeking the veterans' vote in hard economic times, President Barack Obama on Monday announced an overhaul of job training and transition services for the men and women returning from war, saying it's still too tough to find jobs despite the skills they learned in the military.

Senate Must Pass Sequestration Transparency — July 24, 2012
Our country is headed for a fiscal cliff. We're also headed for a national security crisis thanks to one large component of this fiscal cliff — the $1.2 trillion automatic budget sequestration due to go into effect Jan. 2, which would disproportionately cut funding for our defense needs.

Analysis of 2011-2012 Actions Taken and Effect of Delayed Increase on Borrowing Costs — July 23, 2012
On August 2, 2011, Congress and the President enacted the Budget Control Act of 2011, which established a process that increased the debt limit to its current level of $16.4 trillion through incremental increases effective on August 2, 2011; after close of business on September 21, 2011; and after close of business on January 27, 2012.

GenCorp Buys Canoga Park Rocket Engine Maker Rocketdyne — July 23, 2012
Canoga Park rocket engine maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has been sold for $550 million to Sacramento-based aerospace and technology firm GenCorp Inc.

Overlap of Programs Suggests There May Be Opportunities for Consolidation — July 23, 2012
The federal government spent about $68 million on 15 of the 16 financial literacy programs that were comprehensive in scope or scale in fiscal year 2010; cost data were not available for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created that year.

Report: 4.9 Million Feds, Contractors Hold Security Clearances — July 23, 2012
Almost 4.9 million people held security clearances last year, according to a new report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Agencies Buying Energy Credits to Meet Mandates — July 22, 2012
Cash-strapped agencies are turning increasingly to renewable energy credits to meet energy mandates.

Can Boeing Weather Storm of Defense Cuts? — July 22, 2012
As Congress stares down a legal deadline to rein in the nation's runaway budget deficit, defense spending has become the prime target.

Legislation Threatens Progress on Agency-Industry Partnerships — July 22, 2012
For years, agencies and the contractor community have been working to build and improve communications channels.

Actions Needed to Better Manage and Determine Costs of Virtual Training Efforts — July 19, 2012
The three lead Air Force major commands—Air Mobility Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, and Air Combat Command—all utilize training requirements review boards composed of subject-matter experts to determine training requirements for specific aircraft.

Conservatives May Concede to Avoid Government Shutdown — July 19, 2012
Conservatives hate the idea of the lame duck session so much that many of them are willing to support a six-month continuing budget resolution at a higher spending-level than called for in their sacrosanct Ryan Budget.

Gen Y's take on a Career — July 19, 2012
The one-company career is a relic of the past. Today's talent ecosystem is loaded with Gen Y talent bent on bouncing around and trying new experiences.

Navy Sharpens Acquisition Pencil to Find Savings — July 19, 2012
The Department of the Navy's fiscal year 2013 budget request was $1.4 billion less than in 2012.

US House Passes Huge Defense Spending Bill — July 19, 2012
US lawmakers passed a sweeping $606 billion defense bill that exceeds a budget cap and faces a veto threat from the White House for failing to sufficiently rein in spending.

Uncle Sam Still Can’t Write Very Well, Study Shows — July 19, 2012
Uncle Sam's writing is still a work in progress, according to a nonprofit watchdog group that advocates for a jargon-free government.

Aerospace Execs tell Congress that 'Sequestration' Will Cost Jobs — July 18, 2012
Aerospace industry executives told the House Armed Services Committee that the government hasn't given them proper insight in how to prepare for proposed budget cuts threatening to hit Pentagon spending.

Congress to White House: What’s the Sequestration Plan? — July 18, 2012
The House passed a bill Wednesday requiring the White House to disclose details on how federal agencies will implement mandatory, across-the-board budget cuts if sequestration isn't averted before January.

Defense Contractors Speak Out Against Budget Cuts — July 18, 2012
Defense contractors warned Wednesday that across-the-board federal spending cuts posed a calamitous threat to their businesses and that thousands of jobs were on the line unless lawmakers find another way to shrink the deficit.

Efforts to Improve Information on Federal Spending — July 18, 2012
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other federal agencies have taken steps to improve federal spending data available on USAspending.gov.

Participation Low in DoD Program Tapping Industry Expertise — July 18, 2012
When the Defense Department launched a program last July enabling tech company executives to work up to a year for the department in an effort to swap expertise and perspectives, Debra Del Mar jumped at the chance.

Republicans Want to Spare Pentagon from Agreed-Upon Cuts — July 18, 2012
Congressional Republicans have launched a drumbeat of opposition to Pentagon cuts they agreed to last summer as part of the debt deal with President Obama, and want to shift the burden of cuts to food stamps, school lunches and other domestic programs.

Smaller Budgets May Force Streamlining of Duplicative Contract Vehicles — July 18, 2012
Budget cuts will press agencies to consolidate contracts to save time and money, say contracting experts.

Lawmakers Seize on Report Detailing Impact of Cuts — July 17, 2012
Republicans and Democrats seized on a new report estimating that automatic budget cuts will cost the economy 2 million jobs to level election-year charges that underscored the deep political divide over how to avert the looming crisis.

Military Contractors to Testify on Potential Defense Cuts — July 17, 2012
House Republicans will call on the leaders of major military contracting firms Wednesday to detail how they plan to deal with the roughly $500 billion in defense spending cuts set to take effect over the next decade.

Pentagon Official: No Plan To Counter Sequestration — July 17, 2012
Despite the "dire consequences" to U.S. national security of congressionally-threatened budgetary sequestration, the Pentagon has no plans to mitigate anticipated damage to domestic and international cooperative programs, a DoD official said.

Sequestration Will Cost 2.14 Million Jobs, Study Says — July 17, 2012
Severe, across-the-board budget cuts slated to kick in January 2013 would cause a sharp uptick in both federal and private sector unemployment, according to an academic report commissioned by the Aerospace Industries Association and released Tuesday.

Contract Fights to get Uglier as Budgets Shrink — July 16, 2012
Contractors and their lawyers are bracing for an era of bitter legal fights, as severe budget cuts force agencies to reduce, scale down and terminate contracts, perhaps as early as this year.

Franklin Covey Co. Announces the Passing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Renowned Author, Speaker, and Consultant — July 16, 2012
Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC) today announced that Dr. Stephen R. Covey, co-founder and a former vice-chairman and director of FranklinCovey, passed away peacefully this morning due to the residual effects of a bicycle accident he suffered this past April.

IG: DoD May Miss Audit Deadlines because of Delays in System Upgrades — July 16, 2012
The Defense Department could miss deadlines for improving its financial audits because of delays in six modernization projects affecting financial management, logistics and other areas, the agency's inspector general said in a report released Monday.

More Clarity Could Help Ensure County Expenditures Are Consistent with Key Parts of the Secure Rural Schools Act — July 16, 2012
Both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have provided limited oversight of county spending under Title III of the Secure Rural Schools Act. Neither agency has issued regulations, and guidance available from these agencies is limited and sometimes unclear about which types of expenditures are allowable under the act.

Sharing Promising Practices and Assessing Incentives Could Better Position Justice to Assist States in Providing Records for Background Checks — July 16, 2012
From 2004 to 2011, the total number of mental health records that states made available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) increased by approximately 800 percent—from about 126,000 to 1.2 million records—although a variety of challenges limited states' ability to share such records.

Small and Mid-Tier Businesses: Time for a Deep Breath — July 16, 2012
The Small Business Administration recently released its annual scorecard on agency small business awards.

ANCs Get Billions Less in Contracts — July 15, 2012
Agencies are awarding far fewer contracts to Alaska Native Corporations this year than in the past.

Fearing ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ Investors Bearish About U.S. Contractors — July 15, 2012
Investors are punishing companies that depend on the U.S. government for sales as contractors face as much as $1 trillion in Pentagon cuts because Congress and the White House haven't agreed on a deficit-reduction plan.

Staying Calm as Sequestration Looms — July 15, 2012
Despite the concerns of larger defense contractors, smaller companies are taking a more measured and cautious approach to about $1 trillion in mandatory federal budget reductions set to start in January.

Timing of Defense Cuts Worries Governors — July 15, 2012
Health-care reform. Same-sex marriage. Illegal immigration. The social safety net. When it comes to some of the top issues facing the states, it might seem that the partisan divide among the country's governors is as wide as it has ever been.

Indiana's Defense Contractors can Weather Pentagon Budget Cuts, Officials Say — July 14, 2012
Selling everything from armored vehicles to packaged meals, there's no doubt Indiana companies have bulked up on military contracts during the past decade's war on terror.

Contractor Distrust Costs DOD Billions, Study Says — July 13, 2012
In a time when defense officials are hunting everywhere for savings, a new study has found what might be the missing element that could save the Defense Department billions of dollars: Trust.

Agencies Need Clearly Defined Policy for Determining Civilian Position Requirements — July 12, 2012
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), as Security Executive Agent, has not provided agencies clearly defined policy and procedures to consistently determine if a position requires a security clearance.

Congress Approves Faster Job Licensing for Veterans — July 12, 2012
Congress has sent the White House a bill to promote faster hiring of veterans by generally crediting relevant military training toward occupational licenses issued by the federal government.

DOJ Should Do More to Reduce the Risk of Unnecessary Duplication and Enhance Program Assessment — July 12, 2012
The Department of Justice's (DOJ) grant programs overlap across 10 justice areas contributing to the risk of unnecessarily duplicative grant awards for the same or similar purposes.

Pentagon to Keep 2006 Spending Power With Cuts, CBO Says — July 12, 2012
The Pentagon's basic budget for next year will be larger than in 2006 when adjusted for inflation even if automatic budget cuts take effect, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Six Tips to Create a Collaborative Culture — July 12, 2012
Social media can contribute to a positive workplace culture, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. Try these steps to really make an impact.

Some Defense Civilians Likely to Lose Jobs, With or Without Sequestration — July 12, 2012
Looming budget cuts will almost certainly lead to a reduction in the Defense Department's civilian workforce, according to a Politico report.

Women a Minority in Six-Figure Government Jobs — July 12, 2012
For government-sector positions paying up to $100,000, women trump men in filling these jobs--they hold approximately 57 percent of the positions. For jobs paying over $100,000, men dominate, with women holding only 42 percent of the positions.

Agencies’ Initial IT Reviews Reveal Major Savings Potential, Federal CIO Says — July 11, 2012
Investment review board meetings aimed at rooting out waste and duplication in government information technology portfolios have turned up $500 million in potential savings at just the six agencies reviewed so far, the federal chief information officer said Wednesday.

Air Force Merges Work at 3 Depots into Single Center — July 11, 2012
The Air Force has consolidated operations at its three strategic depots into the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

Budget Cuts Could Lead to Costly Legal Disputes, Contractor Payouts — July 11, 2012
The government could be headed for costly legal disputes and contractor payouts as budget cuts force agencies reduce or terminate contracts in the coming year, contract experts said Tuesday.

Budget-Cutters Eye DOD Civilian Workers — July 11, 2012
Overshadowed by all the political posturing over the prospect of automatic cuts in defense spending, one thing seems certain: The Defense Department's huge civilian workforce will shrink.

Calling All Federal Employees with Great Waste-Cutting Ideas — July 11, 2012
The White House is accepting submissions for the fourth annual Securing Americans Value and Efficiency award, a competition for federal employees with new ideas for cutting waste and saving taxpayer dollars.

DARPA to get a New Director -- One with Solyndra Connections — July 11, 2012
The Obama administration has tapped Arati Prabhakar to lead the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon's venture capital arm, according to an internal memo obtained by Wired's Danger Room blog.

DISA Soars to Top of Defense Cloud — July 11, 2012
The Defense Information Systems Agency said it has been designated the Defense Enterprise Cloud Service Broker, meaning any military outfit that needs such service needs to go through DISA.

How to Build and Maintain Trust — July 11, 2012
The ability to build and sustain high levels of personal and organizational trust is a critical competency for today’s leaders.

Management Matters: Mix and Match — July 11, 2012
One time-tested ingredient of success is the colleague who can teach you almost everything you need to know—a mentor.

OMB Plans for Automatic Cuts, Urges Congress to Find Sequestration Alternative — July 11, 2012
Sequestration doesn't threaten only national security. Critical infrastructure and domestic programs also face a budgetary "brick wall" early next year, according Jeff Zients, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget.

Rail Industry Aims to Hire 5,000 Veterans This Year — July 11, 2012
Facing an aging rail industry workforce and an influx of returning military veterans, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday an initiative in which the growing rail sector will hire more than 5,000 veterans this year, matching the same number hired in 2011.

The Cuts No Cne Believes Will Come — July 11, 2012
Amid all the chatter on Capitol Hill about looming defense cuts, there's one thing no one's saying out loud: The cuts will probably never happen.

U.S. Arms Makers See Some Hope for Pentagon Budget Fix — July 11, 2012
* Companies say lawmakers starting to understand consequences * Failure to act could result in heavy layoffs, companies say * Short-term solutions not favored

8 Best Bets for Contractors to Survive Sequestration — July 10, 2012
As the doomsday deadline for sequestration nears and Congress continues its partisan squabbles, both government and industry are bracing for the blow set to be delivered Jan. 3, 2013.

Defense Contractors Step Up Lobbying to Stave Off Budget Cuts — July 10, 2012
The top five U.S. defense contractors increased lobbying spending by a combined 11.5 percent in the first quarter of 2012, compared to a year ago, according to a review of lobbying disclosure forms by Defense News.

OMB Chief Warns of Job Cuts, Park Closures if Budgets Cut Jan. 2 — July 10, 2012
The FBI and Border Patrol would face job cuts and hundreds of national parks would close or reduce operations if across-the-board budget reductions take effect early next year, Jeff Zients, acting head of the Office of Management and Budget, warned Tuesday.

One Team’s Journey to An All-Green Investment Portfolio — July 10, 2012
How TSA improved its investment management practices to achieve an increase of more than 35 percent in initial evaluations, and all-green scores for its investment portfolio

Survey: Talent Management Challenged in Multinational Markets — July 10, 2012
Emerging market multinationals are struggling to build effective international management teams as they grapple with cultural differences, conflicting internal perceptions of talent management, according to a new Ernst & Young survey of 810 business executives from all major growth markets.

U.S. Weapons Makers Prepare for Decade-Long Downturn — July 10, 2012
U.S. defense companies are trying to get creative as they gird for a decade of flat or declining military spending in Europe and the United States, eyeing more cooperation across borders, joint ventures, foreign sales and adjacent markets.

Air Force Realignment Under Way — July 9, 2012
The Air Force-wide consolidation of Materiel Command centers from 12 to five took an important official step on Monday, with the activation of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Contractors Seek Changes in Bill to Curb Human Trafficking — July 9, 2012
A bill to impose new requirements on overseas contractors to help prevent human trafficking in war zones cleared a key Senate panel Thursday, but at least one contractor group is arguing for adjustments before the bill goes to President Obama's desk.

Defense Firms Fear U.S. Budget Cuts — July 9, 2012
A specter is haunting Washington—the specter of sequestration.

HHS and EPA Can Improve Practices Under Special Hiring Authorities — July 9, 2012
The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) use of special hiring authorities under 42 U.S.C. §§ 209(f) and (g) has increased in recent years.

OMB Chief to Testify on Defense Cuts — July 9, 2012
The acting White House budget director has agreed to testify before the House Armed Services Committee next month on the administration's plans for carrying out more than $1 trillion in across-the-board budget cuts that could roll out over the next 10 years.

Trafficked Into Tragedy: Abuse of Immigrant Workers in Afghanistan and Iraq — July 9, 2012
On every military base in Iraq and Afghanistan exists an economy sustained by immigrant workers.

U.S. Arms Makers Cite Strong Demand from Foreign Buyers — July 9, 2012
Military budgets may be under pressure in the United States and Europe but there is growing demand from the Middle East, Asia and other regions for new fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance equipment, top weapons industry executives say.

Uncle Sam Seeks Interns, Fellows — July 9, 2012
The government's new program to attract students and recent graduates to public service takes effect Tuesday.

Diversity May Help Raytheon Avoid Cuts — July 8, 2012
Looming defense budget cuts - including the possibly of deep, automatic cuts come January - have raised the prospect of massive layoffs by defense contractors, including Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems.

Guidance, Oversight Key as Agencies Seek New Ways to Save — July 8, 2012
As traditional funding streams dry up, agencies increasingly are embracing unconventional methods to get the goods and services they need but don't have funds for.

Heading Off Sequestration--What Congress Can Do To Avoid Devastating Cuts — July 8, 2012
As the U.S. celebrates the bicentennial of the War of 1812, the lessons of that long-ago conflict should not be forgotten by today's policymakers.

Collateral Damage: The Pentagon Has Become a Hostage in the War Over the Deficit — July 7, 2012
IT SEEMED a good idea at the time. But sequestration, an ugly word for an ugly thing, now threatens to rip the heart out of America's defence budget.

Analysis: Educating the Brass — July 6, 2012
Professional military education has an inside baseball stigma that is hard to shake. The topic often receives a "so what" shake of the head when it comes up for discussion at conferences.

GSA Considering Sharply Lower Per Diem Rates, Industry Sources Say — July 6, 2012
Feds may see sharply lower per diem rates when they travel beginning in October.

The Price Tag for a Proposal to Root Out Program Duplication: $100 million — July 5, 2012
Proposed legislation to more carefully monitor all federal programs to avoid duplication will come with a $100 million price tag, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Defense Cuts Starting to Pinch Economy — July 4, 2012
Tighter defense budgets are starting to pinch the nation's economy, slowing a sluggish recovery even before sharper spending cuts could kick in next year.

Pentagon Wants to Suspend Production at Nation's Only Tank Factory — July 4, 2012
Rows of sand-colored armored vehicles ready for deployment are parked outside the nation's only tank plant.It's where welders and machinists for more than three decades have built the Abrams tank, which former President George W. Bush once called "the most effective armored vehicle in the history of warfare."

Agencies Fall Further Behind in Meeting Small-Biz Contracting Goals — July 3, 2012
Small businesses got a smaller share of federal contracting dollars last year, the Small Business Administration announced Tuesday.

Managing Difficult People — July 3, 2012
Half the battle in dealing with tough office personalities is identifying their individual quirks. The rest requires a cool head and a sound, customized strategy.

Small Business Share of Contracts Shrunk Slightly in 2011, SBA Reports — July 3, 2012
The Small Business Administration on Tuesday released its annual score card on federal contract dollars won by small businesses, reporting that contractors meeting the eligibility criteria were awarded $91.5 billion in government work in fiscal 2011, or 21.65 percent of the total.

Agency Confronts Hurdles in Helping Veterans Match Military Skills to Civilian Jobs — July 2, 2012
Malcolm Byrd got out of the Marine Corps in 2003 and found work, first in a General Motors factory and then with a nonprofit group. But four months ago, he lost his job because of government budget cuts and has been job hunting since.

Letting the Mission Govern a Company — July 2, 2012
Three years ago, in front of my 300 colleagues at LRN, I ripped up our organizational chart and proclaimed that none of us would report to a boss anymore.

OMB Defends its Progress Weeding Out Federal Websites — July 2, 2012
The Office of Management and Budget is rebutting a charge from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that the Obama administration has fallen short on its promises to eliminate obsolete agency websites as part of its Campaign to Cut Waste.

Recognize Veterans' Assets inWworkforce — July 2, 2012
Summer carries with it a spirit of patriotism. Whether it's backyard barbecues or Fourth of July parades and fireworks, the season seems infused with a sense that we're lucky to be free.

June

Civilian Workers Still Face Dangers in Iraq — June 29, 2012
Volatile security conditions have forced the State Department to continue to employ a large number of contractors to protect personnel in Iraq after the shift from a military to civilian-led mission, several senior federal officials told a House committee Thursday.

Critics target Federal Prison Industries’ Contracting Preferences — June 29, 2012
Some small businesses and lawmakers are pushing to curtail contracting preferences given to Federal Prison Industries.

Debate to Begin on Defense Cuts that Could Cost Mass. Hundreds of Jobs — June 29, 2012
A package of proposed cuts by the Pentagon that could imperil hundreds of jobs at a General Dynamics facility in Taunton is set to be presented to congressional committees Friday, company and government officials said.

Northrop Grumman Snags a $782 Million Sole-Source Contract for Afghanistan Communications — June 29, 2012
The Air Force on Wednesday quietly disclosed it had awarded a $782 million sole source contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. to continue operating an airborne communications relay system in Afghanistan through September 2015, pushing the total value of the project to $1.7 billion.

Senate Panel OKs New Hatch Act Punishments, Excess Property Bill — June 29, 2012
A Senate committee on Friday passed a bill that would provide a wider range of possible punishments for Hatch Act violators.

Shield Acquisition Workforce from Budget Cuts, Procurement Chief Says — June 29, 2012
Agencies should avoid cutting their acquisition workforces to meet budget cuts in the coming year, said Joseph Jordan, the federal procurement policy chief.

Workforce Cloud Could Help Manage Five Generations of Feds — June 29, 2012
There's an interesting post on GovLoop by one of my top sources for input on generational issues, Andrew Krzmarzick, about a recent survey that found the majority of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are expecting to work into their 70s.

Key Website Is Generally Reliable, but Action Is Needed to Ensure Completeness of Its Reports — June 28, 2012
The Department of Justice's (Justice) website called FOIA.gov presents data from agencies' annual Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reports.

Pentagon targets supply chain for savings — June 28, 2012
According to a report released by Deloitte Consulting LLP, military spending on maintenance of equipment, supplies and transportation is estimated to be close to $150 billion, causing some to research how those costs could be cut and the money reallocated for other areas.

Procurement Chief Seeks Sharing of Contract Pricing Data, Star Recruits — June 28, 2012
Some agencies have so little understanding of what their "sister agencies pay for commodities, it's shocking," said Joe Jordan, newly installed administrator of the White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy.

Committee Acts to Stop Contractors from Enabling Human Trafficking — June 27, 2012
A Senate committee wants to make sure Uncle Sam doesn't act as an inadvertent enabler for international human traffickers and pimps.

Meeting the Challenges Across All Levels of Government — June 27, 2012
This is a Comptroller General presentation delivered to the 19th Biennial Forum of Government Auditors in Alexandria, VA on June 27, 2012.

The State Of Affairs For Veterans Seeking Jobs — June 27, 2012
Unemployment rates among veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are higher that their non-veteran counterparts, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Defense Officials Plead Need for Agility — June 26, 2012
The Defense Department needs to be more agile in the face of new and upcoming budget constraints, department officials and military experts said at a panel discussion Tuesday.

Improvements Needed in Prompt Payment Monitoring and Reporting — June 26, 2012
We found that while DOD has a process in place for monitoring and reporting on late-payment penalties, this process has significant flaws and omissions that result in incomplete and inaccurate data, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the process.

Want to use Your Own Smartphone for Work? Think Again — June 25, 2012
Agencies are slowly giving feds the green light to use their personal smartphones and tablet computers to get work done.

Pentagon Expansion of Acquisition Staff Hurt by Funding Uncertainties — June 21, 2012
The Defense Department’s ongoing effort to expand and better train its ranks of acquisition employees has been hindered by shifts in funding and the absence of an overarching strategy, auditors said in a report released Thursday.

Study: Across-the-Board Defense Cuts Could Cost 1 Million Jobs — June 21, 2012
Across-the-board budget cuts set to hit the Pentagon in January would destroy nearly 1 million jobs by 2014, with Virginia, California and Texas absorbing the biggest hits, according to an analysis released Thursday by the National Association of Manufacturers.

Improved Processes, Guidance, and Planning Needed to Enhance Use of Workforce Funds — June 20, 2012
DOD has identified DAWDF as a key tool used to address gaps in the acquisition workforce through additional hiring and training initiatives.

Budgeting and Management of Carryover Could Be Improved — June 19, 2012
GAO's analysis of Marine Corps depot maintenance activity group (DMAG) reports showed that from fiscal years 2004 through 2011, reported actual carryover exceeded the allowable amounts in the most recent 6 years of the 8- year period, ranging from $59 million in fiscal year 2007 to $7 million in fiscal year 2011.

Dempsey Maps Sequestration Cuts at Defense — June 19, 2012
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey said Tuesday that automatic cuts to the Defense Department's budget resulting from the sequestration deal struck by the Obama administration and Congress would have to come from military operations, maintenance, training and modernization.