Friday, September 28, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 28, 2012

Happy Friday! We'll be off on Monday and Tuesday to attend the PSC Annual Conference, but we will return with more news on Wednesday. In the meantime, enjoy today's rundown of news you can use. 

Washington Post: Order prohibits human trafficking by federal contractors 

Government Executive: Lawmakers graded on their resistance to ‘unfair’ government competition

Federal Times: Senators vow to avert sequestration cuts

Federal News Radio: Pentagon struggles to secure a supply chain it no longer dominates

Federal News Radio: Agencies face clunky switch to agile IT development

Federal News Radio: White House testing approach called for in draft cyber order


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 26, 2012


In today's news...

Government Executive: White House to government contractors: Stop human trafficking 
Related: White House: Executive Order - Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking In Persons In Federal Contracts

Washington Post: Purge of consultants beats goal as Obama seeks cuts

Federal News Radio: Contractor chosen for Washington Monument repairs

Government Executive: Defense budget chief: Sequester would have serious impact on civilians

Federal News Radio: Small agencies' sequestration plans build from budget frustrations

Washington Business Journal: Survey: Small businesses scared to expand because of government, uncertainty

Monday, September 24, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 24, 2012


Happy Monday! In today's news...

Washington Post/Capital Business: Compensation rises in the Washington region in 2012

Government Executive: Bum Contractors Get the Boot

Federal Times: Sequestration would mean tens of thousands of furloughs

Federal News Radio: Before leaving town, Senate passes continuing resolution

Federal News Radio: DoD applies tighter scrutiny to business IT spending

Washington Business Journal: Pentagon does not see big cancelation fees from cuts

The Hill: Defend our veterans at home like they defend us abroad 

Friday, September 21, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 21, 2012


In today's news...
Government Executive: Contractors complain about Pentagon limits on labor rates 

Federal News Radio: Unions, associations detail priorities for 2013 and beyond 

Federal News Radio: Pentagon would avoid direct layoffs of civilians under sequestration

Government Executive: Furloughs remain a recurring theme in forecasting sequestration’s impact

AoLGov: Issa Proposes Sweeping IT Management And Acquisition Reforms

FedScoop: Obama nominates DOD assistant secretary for readiness and force management

Thursday, September 20, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 20, 2012


In today's news...
FCW: Group says DOD forgetting 'negotiation objective' 

Federal News Radio: Reducing high-risk contracts yields mixed results 

Federal News Radio: Improvements to how agencies buy goods, services bear out little fruit

Federal Times: 3,000 contractors suspended or debarred last year

Federal News Radio: Peeking inside DoD's next version of Better Buying Power

Reuters: Boeing defence CEO says BAE-EADS merger needs scrutiny

Washington Post: Defense industry is reshaping itself in a multitude of ways

Reuters: Private networks vulnerable to cyber attack: Pentagon

The  Hill: Napolitano: Executive order on cybersecurity is 'close to completion'

PSC Recalculates Sequestration Impact


Based on the House passage of the first continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2013, PSC has recalculated the estimated annualized effect of sequestration on both the Defense Department and civilian agencies if sequestration happens on January 2, 2013. Our previous calculations are available here for comparison. 

For DoD, at the major account levels, PSC now estimates that the reduction in each “program, project and activity” will be 10.1 percent.


For the civilian agencies, at the appropriations act level, the reduction would be 8.2 percent. 


For more information about the impacts of sequestration, visit PSC's Sequestration Preparation page. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 19, 2012

In today's news...

Federal Times: Sequestration might be manageable, experts say

Government Executive: Wanted: ‘Adult’ leaders to fend off sequestration

Defense News: For Pre-Election Sequestration Deal, Time Is Up

Defense News: Sequestration Threatens Tanker Deal: USAF Official

Federal News Radio: DoD makes the shift with its cyber workforce

Washington Technology: How frenzied is your fourth quarter?

FCW: FAS commissioner position is open

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 18, 2012

In today's news...


Government Executive: Contractor suspensions and debarments on the rise, says White House

FCW: DOD officials cautiously tout progress in financial management reform

FCW: OFPP lets DOD deal with pricing complexities first

Washington Post: Lockheed unveils memorial for contractors

Washington Post: Freeze extension among last pieces of Hill business

FCW: Former top DOD officials skewer Congress over sequestration

Reuters: Pentagon needs more details to evaluate BAE-EADS merger: Donley

Federal News Radio: Obama administration a mix of successes and failures

Monday, September 17, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 17, 2012

Happy Monday! In today's news...

FCW: Planning for -- and surviving -- sequestration 

Defense News: WH: Sequestration Would Cost $54.7B in 2013 for DoD

Washington Post: Cuts could hit programs, federal employment

Federal News Radio: Maximizing Savings in the Cloud


Friday, September 14, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 14, 2012

Happy Friday! In today's news...

Washington Post: White House: Dire cuts for military if Congress fails to avoid fiscal cliff

Bloomberg Businessweek: Minority Vendors Say Awards Program at Risk on U.S. Court Ruling 

Federal Times: Republican-backed sequestration bill passes House, but unlikely to go further

WTOP: Region not ready for impact of federal budget cuts

FCW: Counting heads in federal agencies is tougher than it looks

FCW: Data-sharing is good ... when agencies do it right

Thursday, September 13, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 13, 2012

In today's news...

Washington Business Journal: DoD misinterprets and misapplies contractor rate cap 

Federal News Radio: DoD works to institutionalize contracting lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan

Washington Post: General Services Administration is making surplus revenue on federal contracts

Washington Post: House set to pass spending plan to fund government through March

Federal Times: White House issues veto threat of sequestration bill

Politico: Defense firms detail looming losses

NPR: Software, Not Just Bullets, Puts Military At Odds

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 12, 2012

In today's news...
Huntsville Times: Sequestration budget cuts unknown, but expert tells Huntsville companies they can prepare - a little 

Federal News Radio: OFPP keeping a close eye on struggling acquisition system consolidation

Government Executive: Obama v. Romney on federal pay, the size of government and management

Government Executive: House speaker 'not confident' of getting fiscal cliff deal

Heritage: Government Employees Work Less than Private-Sector Employees

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 11, 2012


In today's news...
Federal News Radio: Congress faces continuing resolution, sequestration and postal reform

Washington Post: House focuses on government spending, performance

Defense News: House Panel Unveils 2012 Continuing Resolution With $88B For Afghanistan War

FCW: GOP platform signals possible shift in contractor fortunes

Washington Technology: What? No competition for a $415M Navy contract? 

Washington Post: Telework guru takes phoning it to new levels at patent office

Federal News Radio: White House draft cyber order promotes voluntary critical infrastructure protections

Monday, September 10, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 10, 2012


Happy Monday!  In today's news...
Defense News: Price Wars Prompt Firms To Abandon Service Sector

Washington Post: Contractors wary as DCAA seeks more internal documents 

Washington Post: Government calls for more stringent information controls

Government Executive: Republicans rap White House silence on sequester report

Politico: Defense firms say layoff warnings loom

Federal News Radio: OMB's Zients hints at making strategic sourcing mandatory

Washington Business Journal: Sequestration's regional impact: A chain reaction

FCW: Executive order could institute controversial cybersecurity measures

Federal Times: Lost in the cloud: Agencies go elsewhere for computing needs

Friday, September 7, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for Sept. 7, 2012

Happy Friday! It was a big night in the government contracting world last night as the finalists for the 2012 GovCon Awards were announced. Check out the list of outstanding companies vying for the honors in today's top story!


Washington Technology: CACI's London leads group of 2012's top contractors 

FCW: 'Byzantine warren of fiefdoms' lets contracting fraud run rampant

Washington Business Journal: Agencies to strengthen contractor past performance evaluations

FCW: Defining the role of technology in fighting waste, fraud, abuse

Government Executive: Innovation Isn't Aways Big

Washington Technology: Sequestration nightmare over by Sept. 30? Maybe


Thursday, September 6, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for September 6, 2012


In today's news...
The Hill: Top Pentagon, defense industry leaders to hold talks on sequestration

Washington Post: Senate to hold another hearing on GSA progress after scandal

Reuters: More budget cuts might change Pentagon view on mergers: Northrop

Federal News Radio: Army Contracting Command easing burden on contracting officers

FCW: Analysis: Some long-term contracts put government at a disadvantage

NextGov: Big Data Could Play a Role in Improving Education



Wednesday, September 5, 2012

SmartContracting Daily Intel for September 5, 2012

In today's news...

Time: Countdown to Sequestration: Four Months to Go

Washington Technology: Is cost cutting holding your growth prisoner?

Washington Post: Dorothy Robyn is GSA’s pick as Public Buildings Service commissioner

Federal News Radio: Management successes paving the way for One-DHS

Information Week: Big Data Working Group To Tackle Security

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

PSC Estimates Sequestration Impact on Civilian Agencies

Since the Congress and the president have agreed to start fiscal year 2013 funding with a six month continuing resolution (CR), the fiscal year 2012 enacted levels will likely serve as the basis for determining the application of the sequestration reductions to each federal agency if it takes effect on January 2, 2013.

PSC has prepared a chart that shows our best estimate of the effect of sequestration on the top line funding for the major civilian agencies under a CR, based on the fiscal year 2012 enacted levels. It is important to note that the Budget Control Act exempts all Veterans Affairs Department programs but we have excluded the VA entirely from our sequestration calculation, even though some VA civilian agency personnel and other VA spending could be subject to sequestration. 

Earlier this month, we provided a similar analysis of the estimated effect of sequestration on the major accounts in the Department of Defense. 


Find out more about sequestration, including the latest news, on PSC's sequestration page

SmartContracting Daily Intel for September 4, 2012


Happy September! In today's news...

Government Executive: Sequestration would cost civilian agencies $39 billion, contractor group says

Federal News Radio: Conference investigation leaves some questioning GSA IG's aggressive tactics

Washington Post: OMB reports savings through government efficiencies

Charleston (W.V.) Journal News: Manchin: DOD spending largely contractor expenses

Federal Times: Should-cost review can be alternative to formal contract proposal