All Learning Content
GAO: Procuring Agency Needn’t Disclose Inter-Agency Consultation
Jul 19, 2017
As many contractors and attorneys can attest, federal acquisitions sometimes seek items that are federally regulated, which can result in some complex compliance issues. A classic example of this interaction is the procurement of aircraft. Not only must bidders comply with the requirements of the...
Best Value vs. Best Price in Federal Contracts: Who wins?
Jul 19, 2017
Spending isn’t likely to explode in the next year, but there are definite priorities among government buyers that are important to pay attention to. For the fourth year in a row, the federal government reached its small business contracting goals, spending nearly $100 billion on small businesses,...
SpaceX on Steroids: Disruptive Innovation Comes to Spy Satellites Over North Korea
Jul 19, 2017
With the recent spate of North Korean missile tests, the U.S. military’s interest in good spy satellite pictures of what is going on around North Korean launch pads has, not surprisingly, shot up. The military would like the capability to strike missiles while they are still on the launch pad....
GAO: Exception To Protest Timeliness Rules Didn’t Apply To NASA SBIR Competition
Jul 19, 2017
This story is about a glider, a balloon, the planet Venus, and Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. This subject matter is the fabric of the universe, but the lesson it teaches is as mundane as linen sheets.
A NASA Small Business Innovation Research offeror cannot always wait for a debriefing to file...
Public Versus Private Sector Procurement: A Research Agenda?
Jul 19, 2017
(This guest post comes from Dr. @Richard Craven from the University of Leicester Law School and Dr. @Luke Butler from Bristol University.)
Introduction
In 2013, Peter Smith of Spend Matters wrote about findings from a survey on the differences between public sector and private sector...
Recent SBA OIG Report Reveals Continuing Concerns With 8(a) Approvals
Jul 19, 2017
To be eligible to participate in the 8(a) Business Development Program, an applicant firm must be a small business that is at least 51% owned and controlled by a socially- and economically-disadvantaged individual (or individuals) who are of good character and citizen(s) of the United States. The...
Navigating the UK IT and Digital Procurement Landscape – Guidance Now Available
Jul 18, 2017
We mentioned in our Newswire last week that the UK’s Local Government Association (LGA) – a membership of councils working to influence central government on issues that matter to local authorities – had released its National Technological and Digital Procurement Category Strategy guidance....
Using the Acquisition Process to Increase Cybersecurity
Jul 18, 2017
Cyber attacks are not only more common now, but also more sophisticated. To keep pace with current cyberthreats, national security and defense agencies need to streamline their technology acquisitions. There are opportunities for vendors and defense agencies to collaborate and accelerate federal...
Shadow IT Still an Issue in the Federal Workforce
Jul 18, 2017
A recent survey by FedScoop found that many federal employees use personal devices to boost their productivity. However, using unsupported devices, usually called shadow IT, can pose security risks. Yet still, IT workers feel they don’t really have a choice but to use their devices anyway....
Public Sector Contracts Can Have a Serious Impact on a Firm’s Performance
Jul 17, 2017
There has been a perception in the UK in recent years that the major providers to the public sector in areas such as IT and outsourced services have made excess profits. “Big suppliers rip off Government” is a general view that much of the public still hold, whether or not that is the case.
But...
NASA and Elon Musk to Explore Mars, Partnership
Jul 17, 2017
An article from Quartz looks at efforts by the newly reinvigorated National Space Council to return to manned space flight and eventually put “boots on Mars.” But current limitations on technology at the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) prevent a timetable from being...
