Government Contracts MonitorProcurement News and AnalysisOversight Panel Turns to Public For SuggestionsMarch 26, 2009 Congress has turned directly to the public to solicit advice on reforms to the federal contracting system. Senator Claire McCaskill, chair of the newly formed Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, announced the creation of an on-line discussion forum for members of the public to submit comments on government contracting reforms. Among the over 150… Days Numbered for Two Controversial Bush-Era Contracting Policies?March 19, 2009 In his less than two months in office, President Obama has already taken major steps to refocus the contracting system on transparency and accountability. Now, the Administration and Congress appear ready to scale back two Republican-supported contracting policies – Alaskan Native Corporation preferences and competitive sourcing requirements. Alaskan Native Corporation Preferences The first… It\'s Official: Obama Administration to Limit Role of Contractors; Threatens to Cancel Existing ContractsMarch 4, 2009 Today the Obama Administration officially laid out its planned reforms for the procurement system – including the Administration’s plan to rein in the use of contractors in the operation of the federal government. In a memorandum to heads of executive departments and agencies, President Obama asserts:
The New Disfavoring of Cost-Type ContractsFebruary 27, 2009 The Obama Administration announced its intent to reform Federal Contracting and Acquisition in the 2010 budget proposal (“Proposal”) released yesterday. Specifically, in an effort to “make sure that taxpayers get the best deal possible for Government expenditures,” the Administration will “review the use of sole source, cost-type contracts.” The Proposal noted that cost-type contracts are…Congress Ponders the Excluded Parties List System in Wake of Unprecedented Government ExpenditureFebruary 26, 2009 Today, in response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report citing several instances of suspended and debarred contractors continuing to receive federal government contracts, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing examining the effectiveness of the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) – the federal database intended to prevent… What the Stimulus Law Doesn\'t SayFebruary 23, 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA") that President Obama signed on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 sets lofty goals for preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in the award of contracts using stimulus funds, but not all of the stimulus’ legal implications for procurement are crystal clear. Contracting RequirementsFor starters, the requirements that contracting entities use fixed-price… American Recovery and Reinvestment ActFebruary 17, 2009 As all Americans know, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA") into law on February 17, 2009. This legislation undoubtedly offers an excellent opportunity for government contractors. The ARRA also commits an unprecedented amount of funding for agencies to regulate and oversee how these contracting dollars are spent. Firms interested in obtaining…The Stimulus Package: What About Contract Integrity?February 17, 2009 Does the stimulus provide effective mechanisms for the responsible procurement of the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods and services it plans to deliver?
Obviously, the Obama Administration seeks to preserve the integrity of these huge expenditures - hopefully distinguishing this spending from the "emergency" procurements in support of U.S. operations in Iraq and in response… Rep. Murtha to DoD: Dual Source the Tanker ContractFebruary 16, 2009
The Air Force originally awarded the contract to EADS/Northrop, but the Government Accountability Office sustained Boeing’s bid protest… UPDATE: Killefer Withdraws Performance Czar NominationFebruary 3, 2009 Nancy Killefer has withdrawn her nomination to be President Obama’s Chief Performance Officer. In 2005 Killefer failed to pay District of Columbia unemployment compensation tax for household employees and a $946.69 tax lien was placed on her home. In the wake of the fellow nominees Tom Daschle and Timothy Geithner’s well publicized tax snafus, Killefer “just didn’t want to go… Obama & Procurement: The Federal Contracting WorkforceJanuary 16, 2009 Looking at its procurement “to do” list, one of the more pressing priorities of the Obama Administration (especially the new director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy) will be the recruitment and development of a skilled contracting workforce. As the size of the federal budget and the number of acquisitions continue to grow, the federal government has been unable to keep up with the… \'Deficit of Accountability\' Spurs Creation of Performance Czar PostJanuary 7, 2009 President-Elect Obama today nominated Nancy Killefer as the government's first-ever Chief Performance Officer, a.k.a "Performance Czar." Killefer, a former assistant secretary in the Clinton Treasury Department and a senior director with McKinsey and Co., will lead the President-Elect's initiative to control federal spending, reform government entitlement programs, and to cut back… |
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