Why Are Public Procurement Reforms in Ukraine So Slow?
Jul 21, 2017
Success in the Ukraine in launching anticorruption agencies and patrol police to make public procurement transparent, and improve economic regulations (especially when it comes to energy markets), opening public registries, decentralisation, etc, are being called ‘slow’ and the pace of change...
New Public Procurement Guidelines Ireland
Jul 21, 2017
EU Procurement Directives were transposed into Irish Law in 2016. The Revised public procurement guidance and templates, to simplify rules and support SME access, form part of Ireland’s National Procurement Policy Framework. This consists of 5 strands: Legislation (Directives, Regulations),...
Welsh Health Board Criticised for Significant Failings in Awarding HR Contracts
Jul 21, 2017
WalesOnline reports that Cardiff and Vale Health Board has been heavily criticised for “numerous and significant failings” in the way it procured and managed HR contracts. It paid RKC Associates Ltd £290,000 for HR leadership services over 17 months. The Auditor General for Wales finds that it...
SmallGovCon Week In Review: July 17-21, 2017
Jul 21, 2017
Greetings from Fargo, North Dakota where I will present a luncheon seminar today on recent developments in government contracting. The seminar is sponsored by the SBA, North Dakota PTAC, and National Contract Management Association, and should be a great event. It’s wonderful being back in the...
More Support for Local Suppliers Needed, Says Digital Jersey
Jul 21, 2017
The Jersey Public Accounts Committee raised serious concerns recently about the progress being made with e-gov – the digitisation of government services – and made a number of recommendations as to how the project could and should be improved. It said that there was ‘unnecessary tension in...
‘Amazon-like Marketplaces’ In Favor With Trump Administration
Jul 20, 2017
No stranger to acquisition reform, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) has found favor for his committee’s proposal “to require the government to create new business deals with at least two companies that already run commercial e-commerce platforms.” Officials from the General Services...
Booz Allen and Splunk Partner Up to Offer Cybersecurity Service
Jul 20, 2017
The Booz Allen Cyber4Sight for Splunk service works to provide threat intelligence data to security analysts through both analytics-based insights from the Splunk Enterprise Security platform and intelligence data from Booz Allen’s Cyber4Sight threat intelligence platforms. “As hackers continue...
GAO Analyzes DOD Use of Commercial Items
Jul 20, 2017
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed data on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) acquisition of commercial items, finding that while spending on commercial items has declined over the last decade, the decline generally tracked DOD’s budget downsizing over that same period. With...
Open Data Initiative Working for Chattanooga
Jul 20, 2017
Chattanooga, Tennessee is known for being an early leader in open data, thanks to strong local partnerships. This week, the city launched its new map-based open data exploration tool called City Insider that can be used by the public, civic stakeholders, local officials, and municipal employees to...
General Electric Awarded $409 Million Contract
Jul 20, 2017
General Electric won a position on a potential $409 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to research and develop thermal, power, and control systems for aircraft engines and airframes. The Air Force awarded the first spot under the NGT-PAC contract to Lockheed Martin in late June and added...
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...
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...
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Perspectives and Insights
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 …
The Contractor Accountability and Transparency Act of 2017 (S. 651), introduced by Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., is yet another example of a …
Think you know all about public sector owned professional buying organisations (PBOs) and what they do? Here are ten interesting facts that might just surprise …
Policies and Regulations
It’s no surprise President Trump has been systematically dismantling President Obama’s executive orders, since taking office. Obama himself knew it was a possibility: Frustrated by …
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 few months back, we published several articles about the very interesting – and somewhat shocking – court case around the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning …