The Small Business Administration is taking steps to make sure agencies hit the White House’s equity goals. President Biden says he wants to increase the percentage of federal contracting dollars spent on Small Disadvantaged Businesses. Joe Jordan, chief executive officer of Actuparo and former administrator of federal procurement policy, said a little over 10% of […]
There are two issues the Defense Department (DoD) will need to address on the path to innovation: intellectual property and security. That’s according to Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University. McGinn, former principal deputy director for manufacturing and industrial base policy in the Office of the Secretary […]
Unpaid taxes could reach $7 trillion in the next decade. The White House recommends the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) respond by revamping its workforce and modernizing its networks. Shanna Webbers, chief procurement officer at the IRS, said her office’s effort to hire 80 new employees is “fantastic news,” demonstrates a recognition of the value the […]
The Senate passed a new bill aiming to expand small business opportunities in federal contracting. This comes as contractors wrap up their acquisition pipelines for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, said the bill will likely pass the House and is consistent with the administration’s focus on […]
President Biden plans to nominate Biniam Gebre to lead the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). If the Senate confirms him, Gebre would face challenges running the OFPP, such as hiring more acquisition professionals and making it easier to buy cutting edge technologies. Angela Styles, former administrator of federal procurement policy, now partner at Akin […]
Federal agencies have spent more than $61 billion from contracts to respond to the pandemic. But those agencies canceled $4 billion of contract obligations. Marie Mak, director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office, said her office found some contracting officers did not have agency-specific guidance, training or access to available […]
Agencies use OTAs, other transaction authority contracts, for $12.5 billion in pandemic spending. The Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security use OTAs to stay flexible and respond quickly, which sparks questions about transparency and accountability. Jason Knudson, vice president of product development at Second Front Systems and former Chief of Staff […]
