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Alisha Lees , , ,

The 53% Minority | Federal News Network

The Small Business Administration’s senior management team recently flew to Sweden on a boondoggle just when they were needed in Texas to help small businesses hit hard by the Hurricane. President Bush certainly understood the importance of helping those hit the hardest and he was quickly at the site of devastation, but key members of his team, and those with direct responsibility for providing the counsel and help to the small business community, were missing…

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The Small Business Administration’s senior management team recently flew to Sweden on a boondoggle just when they were needed in Texas to help

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Alisha Lees , , , ,

GAO ruling gives small businesses a boost

The Government Accountability Office has significantly changed the face of government contracting.

In a ruling issued Oct. 8, GAO says agencies must set-aside any task or delivery order under a multiple award contract for small businesses if two or more of them are qualified to bid-commonly known as the Rule of Two.

GAO determined that the Navy should have restricted competition to small businesses under a task order to design and develop training and simulation…

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The Government Accountability Office has significantly changed the face of government contracting.

In a ruling issued Oct. 8, GAO says agencies must set-aside

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

Networx on Slow Roll | Federal News Network

Karl Krumbholz, GSA’s director of Networx services program, says while agencies realize the importance of the program, they are hitting some road bumps including planning for the Trusted Internet Connections initiative and IP Version 6.

Krumbholz says hopes once more agencies make their decision on who will be their vendor, the transition process will move a lot faster.

The next deadline for agencies is April 2010 when they have to have…

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Karl Krumbholz, GSA’s director of Networx services program, says while agencies realize the importance of the program, they are hitting some road bumps including planning for the

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

Contracting Keys with DoD | Federal News Network

Jim Schweiter, Of Counsel, McKenna Long & Aldridge, November 4th, 2008

Larry and Jim Schweiter discuss the 2009 outlook for Department of Defense spending and priorities, as well as the possible reorganization of Congressional committees having oversight for procurement and contracting. Jim Schweiter formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower) and Minority Chief of Staff for the House Armed Services Committee. His background and knowledge of the key players and priorities…

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Jim Schweiter,
Of Counsel,
McKenna Long & Aldridge,
November 4th, 2008

Larry and Jim Schweiter discuss the 2009 outlook for Department of Defense spending

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Alisha Lees , , ,

Labor picks Verizon under Networx

The Labor Department awarded Verizon to provide wide area network services under the Networx telecommunications contract.

The agency confirmed that the nine-year contract would be worth $63 million. Verizon also provided Labor services under the current telecommunications contract, FTS2001.

Under the deal, Verizon will provide managed network services to Labor locations under a service level agreement.

It will operate and manage Labor’s network operations center and security operations center,…

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The Labor Department awarded Verizon to provide wide area network services under the Networx telecommunications contract.

The agency confirmed that the nine-year contract would be worth $63 million. Verizon

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Alisha Lees , , , , , , , ,

White House sets standard code for federal scientists to follow across government

The White House, following up on one of President Joe Biden’s earliest priorities in office, is setting a common standard for science and research policies across the federal government.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy earlier this month released a framework for strengthening federal scientific integrity policies and practices.

The framework, released on Jan. 12, provides the first governmentwide definition of scientific integrity, and gives agencies a model scientific integrity policy meant…

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The White House, following up on one of President Joe Biden’s earliest priorities in office, is setting a common standard for science and

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

Increased contract spending a boon for small businesses

Last year’s big spending at the Pentagon will continue this year, with small business getting more opportunities to share in the wealth. Defense contract spending rose 6.7% in 2022, hitting its second highest annual total at $436 billion, according to a report from Bloomberg Government. The spike in unclassified procurement resulted from numerous factors including inflation, weapons exports, the federal COVID-19 response, the war in Ukraine and defense infrastructure spending. It represented a rebound from…

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Last year’s big spending at the Pentagon will continue this year, with small business getting more opportunities to share in the wealth. Defense

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

What the FAA messaging system debacle said to all federal contractors

Few people heard of the FAA’s NOTAM system until it crashed and brought aviation to a standstill earlier this month. The FAA blamed a contractor for accidentally deleting files, such that the system failed to synchronize. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin next guest says the incident speaks to all contractors about the need to supervise their people. Federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen joins me now.

Tom Temin
Somebody wasn’t watching the watcher or something broke down here in a procedure, Larry, the files were deleted. What’s your interpretation of what happened?

Larry Allen
Tom, I think probably

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

A new way to measure the government’s supply chain security readiness

The Federal Acquisition Security Council is developing a scorecard to help assess governmentwide supply chain security readiness. The council was created four years ago to coordinate IT supply chain policies, like the ban on Huawei. In 2020, the Government Accountability Office found most agencies hadn’t implemented supply chain risk management programs. In addition to developing the new scorecard, the council is also pointing agencies to revised National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance on…

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  • The Federal Acquisition Security Council is developing a scorecard to help assess governmentwide supply chain security readiness. The council was created four years ago
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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

Contractors possess a lot of Defense Department property, but no one knows how much

For various reasons, defense contractors have quite a bit of Defense Department property in their possession. But DoD can only guesstimate how much it’s all worth. That figure isn’t small. Like, $220 billion worth. The Government Accountability Office found Defense officials don’t have a good plan for figuring it out. For more, the Federal Drive with Tom spoke with Kristen Kociolek, the director of GAO’s financial management and assurance team.

Tom Temin
Let’s begin with the nature of the stuff that contractors hold for the Defense Department. It’s not like they loan them tanks. Or do they?

Kristen Kociolek
They

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Alisha Lees , , , ,

Big questions continue to swirl around CMMC in 2023

“Every single business doing any kind of business with the Department of Defense will need to get certified and get a third-party audit that they have basic cyber hygiene.”

It’s been nearly four years since former Pentagon official Katie Arrington said those words and unveiled the “Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification” during a May 2019 conference in a windowless lecture hall at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

At the time, the plan was…

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“Every single business doing any kind of business with the Department of Defense will need to get certified and get a third-party audit

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Alisha Lees , , , ,

Navy wants local help figuring out what to do with a now-closed facility

All National Science Foundation employees on an excepted service pay scale will receive a 4.6% average pay raise for 2023. NSF leadership announced the update in an email to staff, after previously making plans to implement a 1% raise for upper level employees in that pay scale. NSF said they’ll consider other options to correct pay differentiation issues among separate pay scales at the agency. General Schedule employees at NSF received the 4.6% raise,…

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  • All National Science Foundation employees on an excepted service pay scale will receive a 4.6% average pay raise for 2023. NSF leadership announced the
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Alisha Lees , , , ,

Strategic asset spotlight: GSA’s OASIS

About a decade ago, the General Services Administration commenced with the implementation of the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) professional services contract vehicle. This program consists of Multiple Award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (MAIDIQ) vehicles for the acquisition of complex professional services divided between unrestricted vehicles (OASIS U) and small business (OASIS SB) vehicles for the following services:

Program management
Management consulting
Logistics
Engineering
Scientific services
Financial services

Under…

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About a decade ago, the General Services Administration commenced with the implementation of the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) professional services contract vehicle. This program consists of

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Alisha Lees , , , ,

Now is the time to weigh in on the future of federal HR services

When it comes to modernizing back office functions across the government, sometimes you have to start at the bottom.

Forget about the cloud or the modern software for a second, and focus on basic definitions.

That’s what the Office of Personnel Management is doing with the first update in five years to the Human Capital Business Reference Model (HCBRM).

Jeff Pollack, the HR Line of Business program manager at OPM, said they are focusing on…

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When it comes to modernizing back office functions across the government, sometimes you have to start at the bottom.

Forget about the cloud

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Alisha Lees , , , , ,

CMMC spurs cybersecurity awareness, but don’t sleep on everything else

As I was about to enter a large breakout room at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville back in July 2013, I was excited to deliver a presentation on the forthcoming cybersecurity requirements contractors would face. It was a long road coming: I had applied to speak at the National Contract Management Association’s (NCMA) annual World Congress six months earlier and the presentation was not originally selected. When the agenda was released and no cybersecurity presentations…

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As I was about to enter a large breakout room at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville back in July 2013, I was excited

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