On Wednesday the nation honored our Veterans. Veterans Day is a special time to say thank you to veterans and their families for their service and the sacrifices they have made to keep us all safe and free. In a larger sense, we should all honor and remember our veterans each and every day for all
During the Coalition’s recent Fall Training Conference there were many discussions regarding the pace of MAS purchases. It was widely communicated that MAS purchases leveled off from previous year declines and were growing slightly (approximately 1%) as we enter the new fiscal year. That is good news for government-wide contracting, customer agencies, and MAS contractors.
As you know, on September 30th the Coalition sent a letter to GSA regarding the recent class deviation addressing commercial supplier agreement (CSA) terms that conflict or are incompatible with federal law (Acquisition Letter MV-15-03). The letter requests rescission of the deviation, and it addresses the legal, policy, and operational ramifications of the deviation’s modification
We are looking forward to a wonderful two days of Myth-Busters collaborative and constructive dialogue across the procurement community. We are very excited to have GSA Administrator Denise Turner-Roth as our Keynote Speaker for the EIPs and the Honorable Dr. Jack Gansler as our Keynote Speaker for the Fall Training Conference. As the Training Conference
With the Senate’s passage of the NDAA this week, we are approaching the finish line for this critical piece of legislation. This conference agreement undertakes needed reform, and the process leading to it should be lauded as an example of bipartisan cooperation across the Congress. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this process continues.
The Coalition is excited to announce the 2015 Excellence in Partnership (EIP) Award Winners! The EIP Awards were developed 16 years ago to honor individuals and organizations in the acquisition community that have made significant contributions to the procurement system while providing best value to the taxpayer. The EIP Lifetime Acquisition Excellence Award is the
As we approach the fiscal year deadline, the chances of another government shutdown have grown. The most recent federal government shutdown occurred in 2013. It lasted seventeen days, and not many people were happy with the end result. This approach to appropriations may not be the way to “run a railroad,” but FAR & Beyond
I can’t believe we’re just over four weeks away from our 2015 Excellence in Partnership Awards & Fall Training Conference, taking place on the evening of October 21st and all day on October 22nd. This two day event will be held at the Westin Tysons Corner in Falls Church, VA and discounted room rates are available
As students return to school and Congress returns to Capitol Hill, there is a feeling of anticipation in the air. Some might attribute this feeling to the autumnal equinox arriving in less than two weeks, and others might associate it with the expected flurry of legislative activity surrounding the end of the government fiscal year.
On July 31st, GSA issued a Class Deviation to “mitigate the legal risk of incorporating into GSA contracts common Commercial Supplier Agreement (CSA) terms and conditions that conflict with or are incompatible with Federal law.” As I explain below, the impacts of this deviation cannot be understated. The deviation establishes a new GSAR Clause 552.212-4,