Friday Flash, 07.03.14

FAR and Beyond Blog This week the FAR & Beyond blog is dedicated to the Fourth of July. The blog highlights a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. On July 4th, 1863, Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to the Union Army of the Potomac, a major military victory for

Information Technology - Thought No. 6 of the Fourteen Thoughts for 2014: “Standardized labor categories: Towards coin-operated Schedule contracts for professional services.”

This week’s blog continues the discussion on Schedules Modernization. I was interviewed this week by Federal News Radio’s Francis Rose regarding schedules modernization; to listen click here. At the beginning of the year the FAR & Beyond blog identified Fourteen Thoughts for 2014 with each thought subsequently being addressed in at least one blog during the year. In

Friday Flash, 06.27.14

FAR and Beyond Blog This week’s blog continues the discussion on Schedules Modernization. I was interviewed this week by Federal News Radio’s Francis Rose regarding schedules modernization; to listen click here. At the beginning of the year the FAR & Beyond blog identified Fourteen Thoughts for 2014 with each thought subsequently being addressed in at

Federal Supply Schedule - Thoughts on “Modernizing GSA’s Schedules Program…”

On June 12th Tom Sharpe, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), posted a new blog entitled “Modernizing GSA’s Schedules Program for Today’s Marketplace.” As you may recall, earlier this year GSA published its Strategic Plan for the next four years. The plan did not set forth a strategic vision for the MAS program—a troubling statement about the future of

Friday Flash, 06.20.14

FAR and Beyond Blog On June 12th Tom Sharpe, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), posted a new blog entitled “Modernizing GSA’s Schedules Program for Today’s Marketplace.” As you may recall, earlier this year GSA published its Strategic Plan for the next four years. The plan did not set forth a strategic vision for

Contract Duplication - The National Dialogue on Improving Federal Procurement (aka the “Open Dialogue”). An opportunity to jump start acquisition reform??

In April 2014, the National Dialogue was launched by the Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) Council in conjunction with the FAR Council, the Chief Information Officers Council, the General Services Administration and OMB’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy. With the use of social media, the National Dialogue collected feedback from the public about the rules,

Friday Flash 06.13.14

FAR & Beyond Blog: The National Dialogue on Improving Federal Procurement (aka the “Open Dialogue”). An opportunity to jump start acquisition reform?? In April 2014, the National Dialogue was launched by the Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) Council in conjunction with the FAR Council, the Chief Information Officers Council, the General Services Administration and OMB’s Office

Small Business - GSA’s FSSI for Office Supplies: Time to Pause and Reflect

At least 10 firms filed Government Accountability Office (GAO) bid protests this week against the six month extension of the strategic sourcing Office Supply (OS2) Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). GSA had extended the OS2 BPAs for a six month term beyond the original five year period. The intent of the extension was to provide BPA

Friday Flash, 06.06.14

FAR and Beyond Blog At least 10 firms filed Government Accountability Office (GAO) bid protests this week against the six month extension of the strategic sourcing Office Supply (OS2) Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). GSA had extended the OS2 BPAs for a six month term beyond the original five year period. The intent of the extension

MAS Pricing Policy - The Multiple Award Double-Standard, Part II

For this week’s comment I wanted to share with you my latest blog post that was first published on the Federal Times’ Acquisition Blog (www.federaltimes.com) on May 16, 2014. The Multiple Award Double-Standard, Part II April’s blog focused on the Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy’s (DPAP’s) double standard regarding the treatment of orders under the GSA Schedules program