SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 31, 2013

Happy Friday! In today's news...

Federal Times: White House wants new caps on contractor pay 

http://bit.ly/18E2lUP

USA Today: ANALYSIS: Why cyberwarfare is the great equalizer

http://usat.ly/1386ttS

Federal Times: Agencies should plan for up to 10% cut in FY15, OMB says

http://bit.ly/18COpNj

                Related memo: http://1.usa.gov/16vWhAj

Federal News Radio: Marine Corps prepares to cut cord on NMCI

http://bit.ly/1435o7G

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 29, 2013

In today's news...

Politico: An alliance for embassy security 

http://politi.co/12itFZT

Washington Post: House spending bills neutral on 2014 federal pay raise

http://wapo.st/Zt4Rwt

Washington Post: Defense workers begin receiving furlough notices

http://wapo.st/158Lfgd

Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network: Foreign Assistance Dashboard Adds Treasury and Defense Data

http://bit.ly/18yGFJz

Government Executive: How to Start Transitioning Your Agency to a Shared Services Model

http://bit.ly/10zOTPN

Federal Times: DoD close to approving cyber attack rules

http://bit.ly/15iwffc

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 28, 2013

In today's news...

Washington Post: GSA seeking industry feedback on cybersecurity 

http://wapo.st/12fTHwI

FCW: IT dashboards: Picture perfect? 

http://bit.ly/1aviP0o

The Atlantic: What Would It Mean for Governments to Compete Like Businesses?

http://bit.ly/10y08YY

Federal News Radio: DoD waging 'continuing war' on unproductive acquisition bureaucracy

http://bit.ly/13g5mav

Washington Business Journal: DOD gave more than 1,000 contractors work restricted to federal employees

http://bit.ly/Zckqq4

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 21, 2013

In today's news...

Fiscal Times: Pentagon’s Failure to Audit Contracts Wastes Billions 

http://bit.ly/11VkgXW

FedScoop: 10 tips for maximizing data-driven innovation

http://bit.ly/16JWjnO

Federal News Radio: OMB reworking financial system requirements to focus on outcomes, not inputs

http://bit.ly/165wn6k

FCW: DOD business systems under fire -- again

http://bit.ly/10j6DPh

Government Executive: The Furloughs That Never Came

http://bit.ly/16JWFLd

Federal Times: Sequester doesn't add up for IGs

http://bit.ly/12JrD1s

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 20, 2013

In today's news...

NextGov: Contractors Ask GSA to Freeze Cyber-Related Regulations 

http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2013/05/contractors-ask-gsa-freeze-cyber-related-regulations/63244/

FCW: Rep. Van Hollen, DHS' Borras appeal to midsize contractors

http://fcw.com/articles/2013/05/17/van-hollen-borras-sequester.aspx?utm_source=feedly

Washington Post: How do you keep a business innovative?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-business/post/how-do-you-keep-a-business-innovative/2013/05/08/196cd0d8-b72b-11e2-aa9e-a02b765ff0ea_blog.html

OMB Blog: Building a 21st Century Infrastructure: Better Outcomes, Faster Timelines, and Less Red Tape

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/05/17/building-21st-century-infrastructure-better-outcomes-faster-timelines-and-less-red-t?utm_source=feedly

SIGAR Report Confirms PSC Findings on Afghan Taxation of U.S. Contractors

The recent Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report on Afghan business taxes improperly levied on U.S. contracts confirms many of the Professional Services Council’s findings on the impacts of such inappropriate Afghan tax levies on U.S. contractors.

 

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 16, 2013

In today's news...

Washington Post: Exclusive: GSA failed to pay thousands of small government contractors since 2008

http://wapo.st/10ZHPXP

GAO: Strategic Sourcing: Leading Commercial Practices Can Help Federal Agencies Increase Savings When Acquiring Services. 

http://1.usa.gov/106UkFI

USAID Impact Blog: “How to Work with USAID” 101 (PSC)

http://1.usa.gov/17zneSQ

FCW: VA seeks input on new standards for veteran-owned small businesses

http://bit.ly/147c1oI

Federal News Radio: OMB fuels the passion, synergy between mobile, open data

http://bit.ly/10SlAZN

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 15, 2013

In today's news...

Politico: Pentagon furloughs planned at 11 days 

http://politi.co/10OSHOa

Federal News Radio: DoD wants to know real costs of IT business systems

http://bit.ly/17uEcSi

FCW: GSA to provide help choosing between contracts

http://bit.ly/15MHsJj

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 14, 2013

In today's news...

Bloomberg: Contractors for U.S. Hit by Almost $1 Billion in Afghan Taxes (Attached)

http://bloom.bg/10Lu7xE

Related: SIGAR: Taxes: Afghan Government Has Levied Nearly a Billion Dollars in Business Taxes on Contractors Supporting U.S. Government Efforts in Afghanistan        

http://bit.ly/ZXVYpK

Federal Times: Senators: Sequester-avoiding deal not likely before Aug. recess

http://bit.ly/11BrfFg

Government Executive: Defense Agency Will Use Sequester, Other Cuts to Make Big Changes

http://bit.ly/19nOznE

Federal News Radio: Government needs senior execs willing to break agency mold, report says

http://bit.ly/13vi2w5

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 13, 2013

In today's news...

Defense News: DoD Sets Up Institutes for Manufacturing

http://bit.ly/17XuHc3

Washington Post: SAIC moves forward in company split

http://wapo.st/10lJNG7

Politico: Sequester signals need for real deficit reduction

http://politi.co/10ImlVf

Federal News Radio: DoD's military construction budget appears safe from sequestration cuts

http://bit.ly/15FFc6u

FedScoop: Green Button use continues to expand

http://bit.ly/ZUQ4Wb

PSC Opposes NIST Proposal for New FFRDC

The Professional Services Council (PSC) questioned the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) plan to create a new Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), in comments submitted May 9.

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 10, 2013

Happy Friday! In today's news...

FCW: GSA is saying what?

http://bit.ly/YKwHUI

FedScoop: SBA sees drop in set-aside contracting participants

http://bit.ly/ZTV1SA

Quartz: Big business isn’t investing in people anymore, so big government has to

http://bit.ly/ZNqdPW

FCW: A fear of audits might be holding back real IT security

http://bit.ly/12lCNb1

PSC CIDC Supports Rep. Connolly’s 2013 Global Partnerships Act

PSC’s Council of International Development Companies (CIDC) has given its support to the direction reflected in Rep. Gerry Connolly’s, D-Va., bill to improve foreign assistance. The “Global Partnerships Act of 2013,” H.R.1793, advocates an “implementing partner-neutral” approach to international development programs, which PSC believes will help ensure that U.S. development policy puts the best that America has to offer to work, PSC’s CIDC tri-chairs said in a letter to Connolly on May 7.   

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 7, 2013

In today's news...

Associated Press: White House recalculates sequestration cuts for some agencies

http://bit.ly/10E8OYO

Washington Post: As sequestration begins, contractors report lowered profits

http://wapo.st/18rCPTu

Federal Times: Leaders fear sequester's impact on recruitment, retention, service

http://bit.ly/Ys8Czy

Washington Technology: Contractor convicted of spying on former company

http://bit.ly/17JJzed

PSC Urges Congress to Preserve Development Assistance for Afghanistan

The Professional Services Council urged Congress to preserve development assistance for Afghanistan during the 2014 appropriations process, in a May 6 letter to key legislators.

PSC asked that key development assistance accounts be maintained at levels necessary to build on and sustain the successes of the investments that the U.S. government has already made in Afghanistan over the last decade.

“Precipitous reductions in development assistance would put those hard-won gains at risk and hinder achievement of our nation’s long term diplomatic, security and economic goals in the region,” PSC President and CEO Stan Soloway said in the letter. “The trajectory of development success in key sectors—health, education, economic growth, and women’s empowerment—clearly points to irreversible progress towards our goals in Afghanistan if we maintain a sufficient level of effort.”

Read the letter here.

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 6, 2013

In today's news...

Washington Business Journal: On the hunt for acquisitions, services companies come up empty

http://bit.ly/16O3b2I

Federal News Radio: OMB's Metzenbaum leaves behind an invigorated performance culture

http://bit.ly/15kVCkE

Government Executive: Afghans May Not Be Ready to Take Over Security

http://bit.ly/11Om3J2

FCW: CIOs seek best side of sequestration

http://bit.ly/18pSym4

Federal News Radio: Zients out as OMB deputy director for management

http://bit.ly/16O3fiV

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 2, 2013

In today's news...

Washington Technology: Critical furlough questions you have to ask your customers

http://bit.ly/120UgFA

FCW: What's wrong with IT at Veterans Affairs?

http://bit.ly/100hVJ2

Government Executive: Defense Furlough Decision Coming Soon

http://bit.ly/ZpwzVD

Federal News Radio: Sequestration already biting Navy, Marines readiness

http://bit.ly/11Yo4nq

PSC Recommends Changes to GSA's OASIS Draft Solicitations

The Professional Services Council (PSC) recommended several changes to the General Services Administration’s OASIS procurement draft solicitations in comments filed on April 29. In its comments, PSC also praised GSA for its extensive outreach efforts and expressed overall support for the intent of OASIS.

SmartContracting Daily Intel for May 1, 2013

In today's news: 

Wall Street Journal: Military Contractors Seek Clarity on Pentagon Cuts

http://on.wsj.com/ZmMsMz

Federal News Radio: Industry begins feeling impact of sequestration

http://bit.ly/11XFtM3

Federal News Radio: SBA relying on shared services to improve cyber posture

http://bit.ly/18cR91T

FCW: USAID tackles mobility in the developing world

http://bit.ly/103yjUC