All Learning Content
Rethinking Outdated Approach to Paying for Infrastructure
Dec 19, 2017
Crumbling infrastructure can be fixed if we change how we fund capital investments and maintenance, according to Dr. John Brown Miller, principal at Ironside Strategies and recognized expert on infrastructure. As he explains, the separation of capital from maintenance activities is at the root of...
‘Amazon for Government’ Plan Could Lead to Acquisition Reform
Dec 18, 2017
The General Services Administration’s (GSA) plan to make it easier to purchase from online retailers could also allow for a deeper look at government acquisition moving forward, according to a former Department of Defense acquisition official. “I actually think this is a good idea,” said Stan...
Virgin Care – Should It Pay Back UK’s National Health Service?
Dec 18, 2017
It was reported recently that Virgin Care, a private sector provider that has considerable business with the UK’s National Health Service, has agreed a settlement with various NHS Trusts after Virgin challenged the results of a procurement process.
Virgin had held the contract for a range of care...
Planned New Legislation for Beneficial Owners of UK Property and Bidders for Public Procurement Contracts
Dec 15, 2017
Entities that hold UK property (beneficial owners) or bidders for UK public procurement contracts will have to register their beneficial ownership information in a public register under government plans for new legislation. As Lexology reports: “This week’s announcement of a specific timetable...
Waste Management Procurement Research
Dec 15, 2017
Global procurement intelligence advisory firm, SpendEdge, has launched its Waste Management Procurement market intelligence report. It aims to help buyers understand the current supply landscape of the facility management sector. It outlines the difficulties in identifying and defining the scope of...
2018 NDAA: Congress Enacts Changes to DoD Debriefings
Dec 15, 2017
Almost a year ago, we wrote of a memorandum from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy urging agencies to strengthen the debriefing process. OFPP’s rationale was simple: because effective debriefings tend to reduce the number of protests, agencies should be inclined to enhance the debriefing...
Despite Economic Growth Many Countries Still Cutting Back on Higher Education Spending
Dec 15, 2017
The divide in European university funding is getting wider, warns a new report by the European University Association. Many countries in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe are failing to repair cuts to public spending made since the financial crisis despite an economic recovery, and are falling...
German Defence Procurement Feels Strain of Unfilled Roles
Dec 15, 2017
A report by Germany’s Defence Ministry this week says the German military’s procurement agency has 1,300 unfilled jobs, accounting for about 20 percent of its entire workforce, which is putting further strain on an already troubled acquisition system. The empty positions are mainly high-level...
SmallGovCon Week In Review: December 11-15, 2017
Dec 15, 2017
As we reach the halfway point of December, we have managed to escape any real signs of winter weather here in Lawrence. Our chances for a white Christmas may also be dwindling as the long range forecast is predicting sunny skies and zero precipitation. But I’m not complaining: bring on the sun...
ASBCA Appeals: Contractors Prevailed In 57.6% of FY 2017 Decisions
Dec 15, 2017
Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about the fact that the GAO bid protest “effectiveness rate” was a sky-high 47% in FY 2017.
But, somewhat under the radar, contractors did even better at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. According to the ASBCA’s annual report,...
Global Effectiveness At Stopping Money Laundering Stands At 32%
Dec 15, 2017
Global anti-money laundering body, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), since 2014 has been assessing whether countries’ measures to stop ‘dirty money’ are actually working in practice, whether they are effective and the extent to which written laws are in place. “Large-scale corruption...
Federal Agencies Discovering New Uses for Blockchain
Dec 14, 2017
By breaking blockchain down to its core concept, agencies are coming up with new uses for it, like physical asset management and smart contracts. “We think that blockchain and the distributed consensus ledger will and should have the same sort of impact that the World Wide Web has had,” said...
