Policy


Sen. Angus King

16 days and counting: A sequester status check

There are ways to still avoid across-the-board cuts at agencies, but the politics are daunting.

Charles Tiefer

4 tips for sequestration savings

Some rethinking of contract stratgies may be one of the keys to surviving sequestration says law professor Charles Tiefer.

State of the Union

Obama announces cyber executive order during speech

State of the Union address also touches on impending budget cuts.

NASA headquarters

NASA open source project back on track

The incumbent vendor, who lost the latest competition, has withdrawn a protest that had threatened to stop the space agency's efforts to move to an open-source content management system.

pen and check

DOD struggles to justify sole source awards

A law that took effect in 2011 requires written justification for sole-source contracts when they're worth more than $20 million. Why is DOD finding that a hard rule to follow?

U.S. Capitol Dome

Proposal would take suspension, debarment powers from agencies

Darrell Issa would like to change the way the government decides to bar some companies from contract eligibility.

Sign warning of fiscal cliff

Virginia senators fear sequester

Government contractors will bear the brunt of budget cuts fallout, says Sen. Mark Warner.

cartoon image with case

How to influence policy

Most agency appointees come in planning to shape policy, and quickly find it's not as easy as they had hoped.

money drain

Watchdog finds more than $1T in misreported federal spending

Agencies are failing in a big way to properly report spending information to USASpending.gov, the site intended to maintain transparency for the public.

handshake

Small-business quotas could become even tougher to meet

The budget squeeze coupled with a bill to change the small-business targets add up to a challenge for contracting officers.

John Kamensky

House Oversight Panel looks beyond sequestration for savings

Simply cutting funds from operations won't lead to greater efficiency, experts caution.

military businessman

Task force tackles veteran contracting challenges

Integrity of agency certifications to be a focal point for a small-business working group.