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News Archive

FAR Councils raise simplified acquisition threshold

September 1, 2010

The simplified acquisition and subcontracting thresholds are among several acquisition ceilings that will increase on Oct. 1. The Federal Acquisition Councils issued a final rule today detailing several changes, including increasing the simplified acquisition threshold to $150,000 from $100,000.

Nuclear security remains bulk of Energy budget

August 30, 2010

From nuclear weapons to wind turbines, the Energy Department has a singular focus: security. Much of the department's investment centers on the research and development necessary to reduce the nation's dependence on petroleum, which is inherent in improving economic stability. But most of its budget, however, remains firmly committed to securing the nation's nuclear stockpile and vulnerable nuclear material around the world, as well as cleaning up the radioactive waste that is the legacy of Cold War nuclear programs.

Small businesses net bigger share of contracts

August 27, 2010

Small businesses earned a record amount of prime federal contract dollars in fiscal 2009, but the government once again fell short in meeting its statutory 23 percent goal for contracting with undersized firms, according to new data released on Friday

Court rules against government, again, in small business parity

August 16, 2010

For the second time this year, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled that companies operating in Historically Underutilized Business Zones must have top priority among small businesses when competing for government contracts.

Pentagon abandons insourcing effort

August 10, 2010

The Defense Department's experiment with bringing contractor functions back in-house appears to be over. While announcing deep personnel cuts and the elimination of the Joint Forces Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday said the Pentagon will no longer automatically replace departing contractors with full-time government personnel. Some exceptions, he said, could be made for critical areas such as the acquisition workforce.

Gates announces major cuts at Defense

August 9, 2010

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday said the department would cut funding for contractors, freeze hiring for all but critical jobs, eliminate three major organizations and propose cutting at least 150 senior executive service positions and 50 general and flag officer positions during the next two years as part of a wide-ranging effort to reduce duplication and overhead in military organizations

Contracting Abuses Could be Solved With New Bill

August 4, 2010

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Small Business held a hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Small Business Administration and its Programs,” which focused on longstanding contracting abuses at the U.S. Small Business Administration. Follow this link for more information: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100729006633&newsLang=en

Lawmakers seek to update jobs program for blind and disabled

August 2, 2010

A pair of lawmakers has introduced legislation to modernize a program that provides jobs for the blind and disabled. The 2010 Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act would update the nearly 40-year-old AbilityOne program by giving it additional resources and oversight, and making regulatory changes. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., and Brian Bilbray, R-Calif.

AGENCIES PROVE TRANSPARENCY IS MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD

August 2, 2010

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REVIEWED 94 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OFFICER'S REPORTS FROM 2009 AND FOUND MORE DOCUMENTS WERE AVAILABLE PUBLICLY THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. MELANIE PUSTAY, DOJ'S DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION POLICY, TELLS OUR OWN JASON MILLER ABOUT THE PROGRESS AGENCIES HAVE MADE SO FAR AND WHERE THEY ARE HEADING IN THE FUTURE

Cutting-edge research projects change face of energy

August 2, 2010

Dr. Majumdar tells the DorobekINSIDER Department of Energy projects that have been awarded money all center around the electrical power system. Listen to the full interview by following the link below.

Defense races the clock on 2005 BRAC implementation

July 26, 2010

The Defense Department has just 14 months left to meet the deadline for implementing the largest base realignment and closure plan in history. Contracting and construction delays have left no margin for further delays in the department's plans to relocate 123,000 personnel and execute hundreds of actions affecting more than 800 Defense locations by Sept. 15, 2011, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis.

Process for Correctly Determining Size Standards

July 21, 2010

Memorandum issued by by the Department of Defense detailing their process for determinging contractor size standard.

Contractors caught gaming the system avoid punishment

July 16, 2010

Nearly eight months after a watchdog report found extensive fraud in a contracting program designed to help injured veterans launch a second career, the government has yet to suspend or debar any companies, according to witnesses at a hearing on Thursday.

State will turn to contractors for support in Iraq

July 13, 2010

The State Department will have to hire thousands of contractors to provide security and logistical support as the U.S. military begins to withdraw from Iraq in 2011, according to new findings by a congressional commission.

LHI earns award from Department of Defense

July 9, 2010

Logistics Health Inc. in La Crosse was named one of 15 recipients nationwide Thursday to earn the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, for support of employees who serve in National Guard and Armed Forces Reserve units.

Are contracting reforms working

July 8, 2010

Are contracting reforms taking hold across government? The Office of Management and Budget says agencies are turning the corner in reducing the risks in contracting. A new fact sheet from OMB shows agencies are competing more contracts and using fewer risky types of procurements, such as time and materials. But one former OFPP official says at least some of the progress could be attributed to insourcing. Federal News Radio's Jason Miller joins us with details on the progress agencies seem to be making

Defense aims to use interagency contracts judiciously

June 30, 2010

The Defense Department will encourage its contracting officers to use the General Services Administration's Multiple Awards Schedule if GSA can justify that the value of the services provided is commensurate with their price, the Pentagon's top career procurement policy official told an industry association on Wednesday.

Small business owners air contracting frustrations

June 28, 2010

Small business owners and advocates told members of the Obama administration on Monday that it must quickly break down barriers to contracting opportunities. At a jam-packed public meeting in the Commerce Department auditorium, dozens of small business contractors expressed frustration with a system they claim is geared unfairly to large companies.

Notice of Public Meeting to Offer Views on the Challenges Small Businesses Face

June 22, 2010

On April 26, 2010, President Obama established an Interagency Task Force to develop proposals and recommendations for enhancing the use of small businesses in Federal contracting, including businesses owned by women, minorities, socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and service-disabled veterans of our Armed Forces

Obama directs government to withhold pay from delinquent contractors

June 18, 2010

President Obama signed a memorandum on Friday establishing a Do Not Pay list, a single online destination where agencies can check the status of recipients of federal funds before sending payment.

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council New Rules

June 17, 2010

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) published a number of interim and final rules in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-42

Pentagon procurement officer describes overhaul in contracting

June 1, 2010

Edward M. Harrington deals with big bucks. More than $132 billion annually, in fact. As the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for procurement, he helps oversee how the Army spends every dollar, buying a range of items and services: from complex computer software to run electronics programs, to setting dining tents for soldiers in deserts, to buying armored tanks, ammunition and weapons from contractors.

SBA Honors National Small Business Champions

May 25, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thirteen small business owners and leaders of small business support organizations were hailed today by the U.S. Small Business Administration for their outstanding support of entrepreneurs. The Champion Awards were presented today in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual observance of National Small Business Week.

Pentagon reports progress on anniversary of procurement reform law

May 20, 2010

In the year since President Obama signed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act into law, the Defense Department has made significant strides in gaining control over the cost and development of its procurement programs, Pentagon officials testified on Wednesday.

Federal acquisition councils anticipate mandate to increase transparency

May 13, 2010

The Obama administration could be inching closer to requiring federal agencies to post online copies of their contract documents. On Thursday, the civilian and defense acquisition councils, which craft changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, published an advance notice of proposed rule-making that could set the stage for arguably the most ambitious effort to date in procurement transparency.

Congress weighs federal funds for Gulf cleanup

May 5, 2010

Federal funding could be needed to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as well as to help the region's devastated fisheries and blunt the effects on the economy, leading lawmakers and Democratic aides said Tuesday. And one vehicle for such funds could be the upcoming supplemental funding bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fourteen Ineligible Firms Received $325 Million in Sole-Source and Set-Aside Contracts

May 3, 2010

FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: GAO identified $325 million in set-aside and sole-source contracts given to firms not eligible for the 8(a) program. Most were obtained through fraudulent schemes.

VA is exceeding veteran contracting goals, says watchdog

April 30, 2010

The Veterans Affairs Department has made impressive progress in awarding a high percentage of its contracts to veteran-owned small businesses, but needs to improve its ability to verify the status of those firms, a government watchdog testified on Thursday.

Federal Register Change

April 22, 2010

Federal Register/Vol. 75 No. 55/Tuesday March 23, 2010/Rules and Regulations The Federal Acquisition Regulation has been amended to implement the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). The system is designed to enhance to Government’s ability to evaluation the business ethics and quality of prospective contractors. A section has been added in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) regarding criminal/civil/administrative proceedings. The proceedings page on CCR is to be completed when the contractors do their annual update unless they log into the registration prior.

Technology Innovation Program

April 16, 2010

The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is seeking proposals for high-risk, high-reward research projects in the area of Critical National Need: Manufacturing.

Important change to HUBZone regulations

April 15, 2010

On May 3, 2010, an important change to the HUBZone regulations will go into effect concerning the definition of an employee.

2010 Marks the 30th Anniversary of the UWM Small Business Development Center

April 12, 2010

This year, the UW–Milwaukee Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has a lot to celebrate, including 30 years of: •Helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses •Supporting the development and growth of dynamic small and medium enterprises in southeastern Wisconsin •Working with wonderful public and private partners to buttress this critical segment of our economy that provides over 70% of net new jobs

Final Rule to Extend Use of Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

March 19, 2010

The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to revise subpart 13.5, ``Test Program for Certain Commercial Items,'' to implement section 816 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 (Pub. L. 111-84). The rule extends the program for two more years.

Court puts HUBZone firms at top of small business pecking order

March 8, 2010

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has rearranged the small business contracting hierarchy with a ruling that firms in low-income neighborhoods take priority in federal awards.

Senator: Contracting provisions will be passed in next jobs bill

March 4, 2010

A bill to make it easier for small businesses to win federal contracts on Thursday cleared the Senate committee where similar provisions have stalled, and the panel's leader said she is confident the legislation will become law.

Coming soon: New guidelines on which federal jobs can be outsourced

March 1, 2010

The Office of Management and Budget plans to release new guidance later this month that will help federal agencies define which tasks should be performed by the government and which are suitable for outsourcing, according to the Obama administration's new procurement chief.

EPA plans to spend $2.2B to protect Great Lakes

February 22, 2010

The federal government plans to spend $2.2 billion to clean up pollution in the Great Lakes and halt the spread of invasive species over the next five years. That plan, announced Sunday, marks a "significant investment" in fighting some of the biggest environmental threats to the nation's largest freshwater lakes, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said. The EPA will use the money to prevent beach pollution, clean up toxic hot spots, and fight Asian carp and other invasive species. That effort "will leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation than the condition in which we inherited them," Jackson said.

Report finds federal regulations have delayed stimulus projects

February 19, 2010

A bevy of strict regulations imposed on agencies and government contractors have slowed the pace of some Recovery Act projects, according to a report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office.

VA tightens rules for veterans contracting program

February 10, 2010

The Veterans Affairs Department has set strict guidelines for bidding on contracts set-aside for veteran-owned small businesses. Entrepreneurs will be allowed only one company at a time in the contracting program and must work full time in the business, according to a final rule published on Monday in the Federal Register.

DoD STTR Solicitation

February 5, 2010

The DoD STTR Solicitation will be released on February 23. Proposal preparation instructions and requirements, important new information about this program, program description, definitions, methods of selection and evaluation criteria, and contracting information are now available to review.

The Quadrennial Defense Review

February 4, 2010

The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is a legislatively-mandated review of Department of Defense strategy and priorities. The QDR will set a long-term course for DoD as it assesses the threats and challenges that the nation faces and re-balances DoD's strategies, capabilities, and forces to address today's conflicts and tomorrow's threats. See the website below for articles dealing with future Defense spending.

Obama wants nearly $80B for IT projects

February 3, 2010

President Barack Obama today requested $79.4 billion in spending on information technology projects for fiscal 2011, a 1.2 percent increase from what he proposed in fiscal 2010 and a slight decrease from the $80.6 billion the 2010 budget actually allocated.

Obama goes after tax-delinquent contractors

January 20, 2010

President Obama issued a memorandum on Wednesday designed to ensure that companies that are seriously delinquent on their taxes are not awarded federal contracts. The order directs the Internal Revenue Service commissioner to review the certifications firms submit when bidding for federal contracts showing they are up-to-date on their taxes. The IRS chief is to report to the White House within 90 days on the accuracy of those certifications.

Upcoming News for 2010

December 21, 2009

Each year, there are big important stories, and few would argue with our picks for 2009. We rank the most important stories of this year and beyond. But we highlight these particular stories not only for the immediate impact they had but also for the lasting influence they continue to exercise. In essence, these stories aren’t over. They will keep people talking and make headlines in 2010 and beyond.

Oshkosh Joint Venture Project

December 16, 2009

This multidisciplinary joint venture team led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison is attempting to develop a commercial-scale method for thoroughly mixing and dispersing nanoparticles in molten metals to enable the manufacture of large and complex metal castings with greatly enhanced performance characteristics. The joint-venture team includes Eck Industries, Inc., Nanostructured & Amorphous Materials, Inc., the Oshkosh Corporation, and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. To improve performance and energy efficiency, engineers increasingly are turning from iron and steel to lightweight alloys of aluminum and magnesium.

Federal Debt Flag will be in production 11-30-2009

November 30, 2009

Federal Debt Flag will be in production 11-30-2009. The FAR mandating the FDF is being published 11-30-2009 and will be active in February 2010.
CCR receives updated data from Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Treasury, for the Federal Debt Flag once per week.
FAQ’s:
Q: What does it mean if my registration shows “yes” for the Federal Debt Flag?
A: If a registration shows “Yes” for Federal Debt Flag, that registrant will need to contact Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Treasury, at 800-304-3107 with any questions regarding that debt. A: CCR receives updated data from FMS for the Federal Debt Flag once per week. If it has been more than a week since the debt has been rectified, you can check with FMS at 800-304-3107.
For more information click HERE

GAO finds fraud in SDV program

November 24, 2009

The Government Accountability Office audited a handful of service-disabled veteran-owned small business contracts, and might have discovered the tip of a large iceberg of fraud. Of more than 100 allegations of fraud and abuse, GAO audited 10 firms between October 2008 and November 2009 and found that ineligible companies improperly received millions of dollars in setaside and sole source SDVOSB contracts. The audited firms received approximately $100 million in SDVOSB contracts and another $300 million through other small business programs such as the 8(a) program for disadvantaged minority groups and the HUBZone program for firms located in historically underutilized business zones. According to the Small Business Administration, $6.5 billion in federal contracts were awarded to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in fiscal 2008.

Wisconsin Contractors Boast Great Record

November 24, 2009

Northeastern Wisconsin boasts several companies that have done handsomely thanks to Uncle Sam. Institutional furniture maker and designer Krueger International in Bellevue — known simply as KI — is among them. It has rung up $76 million in government work this year, much of it under contract with the Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons . The company puts tooling and equipment into federal prisons. The state has drawn a much larger proportion of federal contract work in recent years.

WI Contractors Tap into Federal Dollars

November 24, 2009

Julio De Arteaga built his career brick by brick. Now, 20 years since he formed his namesake firm as a masonry contractor, De Arteaga, of Greenville, has grown his team to 65 people. Not only has he grown his firm, he also has partnered with Miron Construction, the big Town of Menasha contractor, on a $28 million Department of Labor project for a new Wisconsin Job Corps center in Milwaukee. Not bad for a guy who apprenticed with Miron in 1989. "I've been doing governmental work for quite a while," De Arteaga said. "But it really boomed when we started our joint venture and I was able to capitalize on the resources that Miron could provide." They are among the group of Wisconsin firms expected to ring up about $4.6 billion in government business in fiscal 2009, a sum roughly on pace with the previous year.

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