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CURRENT CR FORECAST: FUNDING INTO DECEMBER, THEN CLOUDY

While Congress is not expected to vote on a Continuing Resolution until the week of September 19th, at the earliest, the most likely way forward as of now is for the passage of a measure funding agencies to sometime in December. This approach has become pretty standard as Congress consistently fails to enact appropriations measures on time. There is hope, though, that a final Military Construction bill would be included in the CR, providing those accounts with Read more

DOD OFFICIALS ADMIT THEY EXPECT LITTLE DURING Q1

Government by Continuing Resolution is expensive, disruptive and causes DOD operational fits, according to agency leaders testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.  In a story originally reported by Federal News Radio, DOD witnesses made it clear that consistent CR’s are bad for business and cost more money than if appropriations bills were Read more

MAIL BAG: MAKING THE BEST USE OF YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

Loyal reader E. Degeneres writes, “My company’s GSA Schedule is about to be cancelled due to lack of sales.  This is un-American!  Should I contact my Congressman? Your federal elected official will likely respond to your compliant, E., and will probably be happy to send a letter on your behalf.  The trick to getting the most out of your official, though, is knowing when, and when not, to use them.  In your case, have you tried going up the chain of command in your Read more

GSA ISSUES PROPOSED RULE TO HANDLE OTHER DIRECT COSTS

GSA has initiated a solid attempt to make it easier for contractors and buyers to handle Other Direct Costs (ODC’s) for GSA Schedule transactions.  A proposed rule scheduled for the September 9th Federal Register would allow ODC’s to comprise as much as 33% of a total Schedule order.  Contractors, however, would be required to provide at least three quotes for the open market portion of their offer, one of which could be their own offered pricing.  This Read more

DOD PANEL TO STUDY ACQUISITION REFORM

Work is beginning to get underway on the so-called “Section 809” panel charged with reviewing all DOD acquisition rules.  Most industry and government officials believe that the proliferation of new rules over the past decade is a significant obstacle to DOD’s ability to keep pace with change and ensure that warfighters have quick access to the latest tools.  The panel, chaired by former OFPP Administrator Dee Lee, has two years to recommend keeping, changing, or Read more