What do 18F, the HHS and DHS Innovation Labs, and OMB’s recent call for more labs, have in common? All are designed as work-arounds from the government’s current commercial item acquisition systems. At their core, 18F and its cousins are all about seeing just how much of the FAR they can be excused from so that the government can get tech fast. Just like quadruple heart by-pass surgery, though, if we need this much work-around, the central organ of Read more
Companies are in business to do business and make money. That’s great, but if you don’t know that the rules governing your business have changed, you may not end up keeping all of the money you’ve made. Quiz time: How many new rules has the current administration imposed on contractors? 8? 12? How about 16, at least. Now, can you name one? No one likes to think Read more
Of the 25 largest federal civilian agencies, 19 are slated for an IT funding increase under the FY’17 budget proposal submitted by the President earlier this year. After years of a flat or declining federal IT budgets, total federal IT spending is now near $90 billion. The President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget calls for a 1.28% increase to $89.9 billion. That includes approximately $51 billion for civilian agency spending and $38 billion for DOD IT. All of this is according to a Read more
“This is the biggest year for federal IT contract vehicles in a decade, and when the dust settles by the middle of next year, the playing field will be set for the next decade in IT services,” says one veteran federal IT analyst. No company will be able to be on every vehicle, so research on the best fits for your company is essential. If you will not, or cannot, prime with whom will you Read more
The success of innovative acquisition labs at the Departments of Homeland Security and HHS has caught the attention of acquisition leaders. Everyone is now expected to get into the innovative acquisition act per a memorandum from Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Anne Rung and federal CIO Tony Scott, just one of several acquisition-related Read more