All Learning Content
SBA All Small Mentor-Protege Program: Annual Evaluation Forms Now Available
Aug 10, 2017
The SBA’s All Small Mentor-Protege Program office has issued its annual evaluation forms for ASMPP participants. The purpose of the reports is to “determine whether the business is eligible to continue to participate in the All Small Business Mentor-Protege Program.”
The annual evaluation...
UK Military Comms Satellite Contract Awarded Without Competition
Aug 10, 2017
Last week the UK Ministry of Defence announced a major new contract had been awarded – without any competitive process. The single source announcement was made “in the interest of transparency”.
“The ISS Networks Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract to...
Communication Breakdown: Fixing the Way Buyers and Suppliers Talk
Aug 9, 2017
Several years ago, while I was an active duty Air Force acquisition officer, I received a call from a buddy who worked at a large defense contractor (which shall remain nameless). He explained that he was part of a business development team working on a new proposal and he had a dilemma.
“This...
Procurement Technology: Why is the Public Sector Absent from the Table?
Aug 9, 2017
While private sector companies invest billions to innovate and create commercial technologies that streamline and improve the procurement process, the federal government (especially) and local governments (to some degree) continue to lag way behind, choosing to build custom applications and...
Andrew Forzani is New UK Ministry of Defence Chief Commercial Officer
Aug 9, 2017
Andrew Forzani has been appointed the new Ministry of Defence Chief Commercial Officer. He takes over from Steve Morgan, who we believe is retiring. Morgan had a long and successful career in the Canadian Military and then held senior commercial roles in major UK infrastructure businesses prior to...
Meet the New Face of Government IT Contractors (Part 2)
Aug 9, 2017
Last week, my blog discussed a letter that eight winners of the Department of Homeland Security’s now-cancelled FLASH agile software development contract wrote commending DHS for its innovative approach to the procurement. I am using their letter as an occasion to get to know some of the new...
Senate Passes Bill to Curb Improper Spending
Aug 9, 2017
The Saving Federal Dollars Through Better Use of Government Purchase and Travel Cards Act tasks the General Services Administration with combing through data to identify “patterns of potential misuse,” the bill’s authors said. Auditors have already identified high-profile instances of federal...
The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Government Projects
Aug 9, 2017
It is not unusual to find examples of the “sunk cost” fallacy in government procurement projects. That fallacy relates to our feeling that how much money (or time, or effort) we have already invested in a project or activity then plays a role in deciding whether to continue with it and invest...
Why Government Contractors Don’t Have Private Sector Clients
Aug 9, 2017
If you pay attention to the federal market, you’ll notice something strange. Few small businesses successfully manage to support commercial and federal sector clients at the same time. Here’s some data: Over the past five years about 80 companies have scored repeat performances on Washington...
The Five Ways to Get the Most Out of Category Management
Aug 9, 2017
In the never-ending quest to deliver more value, procurement organizations are trying to squeeze more savings and innovation out of spend categories. But, eventually the well starts to run dry, and when that happens, you need to either get more out of that well (fracking for spend savings,...
Fair Trade Trousers and ESL Developments in German Public Procurement
Aug 8, 2017
The Lexology legal news and content website features an interesting article here from Thomas Voland and Kristin Vorbeck of top law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. The title of the article is certainly attention grabbing – Firefighters and Their Fair Trade Trousers: Human Rights in Public...
Ostensible Subcontractor Affiliation: Hiring Third-Party Employees OK
Aug 8, 2017
Under the SBA’s ostensible subcontractor affiliation rule, hiring incumbent employees can be evidence of affiliation, but the importance of that staffing plan in an affiliation analysis depends on what role the incumbent contractor will play in the awardee’s performance of the contract.
In a...
