All Learning Content
Former OFPP Admin: Go Back to Clinton-Era Reforms
Apr 20, 2017
With White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner leading a new office of innovation, former Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Angela Styles said the office should look at past acquisition reform efforts before implementing new ones. “I actually think there’s a lot left to reform,...
Claiming Damages Resulting from an Unfavorable CPARS Rating
Apr 18, 2017
Past performance is an important step in being successful as a federal government contractor. Once firms get into the mid-tier range, they normally have amassed a sizable portfolio of past performance on federal government contracts in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)....
State Supreme Court Considering Philly Procurement Case
Apr 18, 2017
Philadelphia city commissioners are asking the state Supreme Court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit that would throw three commissioners off the Board of Electors. Philadelphia watchdog the Committee of Seventy filed suit against Common Pleas Court President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper, for...
GSA Responding to Industry Concerns Over Pilot Program
Apr 18, 2017
The General Services Administration (GSA) is open to adjusting its pilot Transactional Data Reporting program, said Kevin Youel Page, the deputy commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service. The program has come under criticism from industry, which has said that while the pilot is supposed...
Public Spend Forum Newswire | 4/17/2017
Apr 18, 2017
Bloomberg: IT Spending Continuing to Rise
Bloomberg Government looks at federal agencies’ information technology spending, finding that the federal budget still operating under a continuing resolution has not slowed spending. In fact, Bloomberg reports that IT contract spending rose 2.4% at...
Why Don’t Small Businesses Sell to the Government?
Apr 18, 2017
I have been interested in the question of getting successful commercial companies, especially tech companies, to sell to the government from the time I was in government myself as administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, now almost 25 years ago. Even at the time, I was worried...
How Procurement Can Become “Customer Obsessed”
Apr 17, 2017
Think about it: what is that you love about your favorite brands? Among other things, great quality and world-class customer service, I’m sure are at the top of the list. The best businesses and organizations in the world, first and foremost, understand their customers better than anyone and...
GAO: DoD Needs to Improve Mentor-Protégé Program
Apr 14, 2017
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a new report, arguing the Department of Defense (DoD) should strengthen its Pilot Mentor-Protégé Program to ensure it’s fully benefitting the protégé companies. The program is designed for established defense contractors to assist...
Senators Ready “Procurement Fraud Prevention Act”
Apr 14, 2017
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has announced he will introduce a bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the Procurement Fraud Prevention Act, with the aim of preventing small businesses from being defrauded when they register to bid for federal contracts. The bill “would require small...
Public Spend Forum Newswire | 4/13/2017
Apr 14, 2017
Senators Ready “Procurement Fraud Prevention Act”
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has announced he will introduce a bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the Procurement Fraud Prevention Act, with the aim of preventing small businesses from being defrauded when they register to bid for...
OMB Guidance Continues Ideas from Past Administration
Apr 14, 2017
FCW looks at the memo from Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, providing guidance to agencies on how they should spend their budgets now that the hiring freeze has been lifted. The article notes that many of the directives seem to be continuing the policies of the past...
Small Business Group Sues DoD over Access to Internal Documents
Apr 14, 2017
The American Small Business League (ASBL) is taking the Department of Defense (DoD) to court, arguing it should have access to internal documents related to the Pentagon’s Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program, which is intended to assess whether “comprehensive subcontracting plans on...
