Blog

GSA ENHANCES SCHEDULE CYBER CAPABILITIES

The General Services Administration intends to keep its IT 70 Multiple Award Schedule at the forefront of cyber solutions contracts.  To do that it is issuing an RFI, perhaps as early as today, proposing to add new Special Item Numbers (SINs) that will provide customers with faster access to a broader variety of CDM solutions.  GSA and DHS already have a number of Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA’s) in place for CDM, but customers have told both agencies that they Read more

MAIL BAG – WHEN IS A BUSINESS SMALL?

Alert reader G. Paltrow writes, “My small office in Waco, TX only has 15 people in it doing $2 million a year in sales.  I think we’re a small business, even though our parent company, located all the way in New York City, has 2,000 people and $50 million in sales.  They’re not really part of our operation, aren’t we small?”  Sorry, G., the most likely answer is “no”, your business is not Read more

PRESIDENT’S BUDGET SAYS MANY THINGS, WILL MOST BECOME REALITY?

We don’t need to re-hash the broad figures laid out last week in President Trump’s proposed FY’18 budget.  The Washington Post did a fine job of doing that on the front page of its March 16th edition.  What we can do, though, is bring a slight dose of reality to the proceedings.  The bottom line is that the degree of cuts proposed simply cannot pass Congress.  With Republican control of the Senate sharply narrowed, there aren’t enough votes, even assuming that all Republican Senators back the President’s plan – something which is doubtful.  As such, no one should be surprised that FY’18 final budgets for State and EPA will probably be higher than the 30% average cut put forth by the Administration.

The Administration probably knows this, too.  The President has a background as a shrewd business person.  The best way to look at this budget, therefore, is as an opening negotiation position to take with Congress.  Will there be reductions?  Most probably, especially in areas like EPA that many Republicans think over-reached during the last Administration.  On the other hand, contractors need to keep in mind that Defense, VA, and DHS spending are all slated to go Read more

VACANCIES MAY SLOW UPDATES/INNOVATION

CNN, Bloomberg Government, and The New York Times have all reported in the past week on the slew of vacancies still to be filled by the Trump Administration, slowing forward movement on a host of government functions, including acquisition.  CNN estimates that nearly 2,000 appointee positions are unfilled, with most not even having a nominee identified.  Max Stier, President of the Partnership for Public Service perhaps best summarized the impact on government saying, “Uncertainty is the bane of good management. And there’s an awful lot of Read more

IT CONTRACTOR CA PAYS $45 MILLION FOR SCHEDULE NON-COMPLIANCE

GSA IT 70 Schedule contractor CA is paying the Department of Justice $45 million for failure to fully disclose its commercial sales and discounting practices.  In addition, the company must pay its legal and expert witness fees and possibly the legal fees of the plaintiff, making the total expense of the case close to $50 million.  CA was accused of violating both the Defective Data and Most Favored Customer portions of the Schedule’s Price Reduction Clause.  Although not a new monetary record, the fine underscores just how expensive the risks of non-compliance can Read more