It’s an honest enough mistake but couldn’t have been better timed. In the midst of debate over how to pursue spending for the rest of this year — and days before President Obama’s 2012 budget recommendations — the Navy released this solicitation for, you know, stuff. Clearly, somone accidentally posted a template instead of the proper announcement. Still, despite the inevitable frustration of meeting the contract requirements for whatever it is, we already have some takers! One reader of Wired’s Danger Room, where the post was first brought to light, has offered up a canoe, “guaranteed to be stealthy,” for less than $2 million each. The…
Monthly Archives: February, 2011
A new online tool from the General Services Administration aims to make it easier for federal building managers to compare environmentally friendly options for renovation projects. The “Sustainable Facilities Tool” released Feb. 7 features a 3-D interactive walkthrough of potential office interiors and prompts users to consider multiple aspects of office performance. It also suggests dozens of different materials to promote sustainable workplaces. “With this tool we are sharing GSA’s experiences using innovative tools and strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of our buildings with the rest of the government and the general public,” Stephen Leeds, GSA’s senior sustainability officer,…
Not that there was much suspense, but the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday evening formally adopted a Republican blueprint for slicing almost $35 billion in discretionary spending from agency budgets for this fiscal year. The 27-22, mostly party-line vote followed an hour or so of debate in which Democrats decried the proposed reductions as harsh and Republicans defended them as necessary. The blueprint covers the remainder of this fiscal year, which began in October. Overall, non-defense, non-security outlays would be chopped by about 9 percent. While transportation and housing programs would take a 17 percent hit, funding for the State…
Critical access and rural hospitals will receive a $12 million boost in technical support funding to become meaningful users of certified health information technology, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced Tuesday. The funding will flow through ONC’s regional extension centers, which provide doctors with training and support services and guidance for adopting electronic health records. In September, regional extension centers received $20 million for the same purpose. Similar to other ONC programs, aid for the hospitals is provided through the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in the 2009 stimulus package. The added…
The White House Office of Management and Budget is usually tight-lipped with details about forthcoming money matters—except when it elects not to be. In a New York Times op-ed piece Sunday, OMB Director Jack Lew dropped a couple of tidbits from the Obama administration’s fiscal 2012 budget request due out next week. As the White House had already revealed, it wants to cut the Community Service Block Grant program in half, but Lew attached a number–$350 million—to the amount of that proposed reduction. Cuts to the Community Development Block Grant program are also in the cards, he said, and the…
Fairfax-based General Dynamics Information Technology was awarded an $83.6 million contract to provide network support services for U.S. Special Operations Command. Under the five-year contract, the company will manage global enterprise information technology data, voice, and video communications networks for USSOCOM. Most of the work will be performed at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Attention, postal junkies: Here’s a look at a door knocker used by nineteenth-century mailmen to save wear-and-tear on the knuckles. Interesting to learn that the mailbox requirement came about only a century or so ago as an efficiency move. See–even then, what is now the U.S. Postal Service was trying to cut work hours. Thanks to the Smithsonian Institution for the info.
Dan Gordon, administrator for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said Friday he would consider disclosing more information about government and contractor interactions, but reiterated that the administration’s so-called “myth busting” campaign will not alter regulations or statutes. “We don’t believe we need statutory change or regulatory change, Gordon said in an interview with reporters. “What we really need is cultural change” in the federal contracting community. It could be months before a cultural shift occurs, but Gordon expects increased awareness about proper communication with industry will result in fewer bid protests and more success stories, especially for high-risk and large…
[HTML1] In response to the press conference, Sen. McConnell’s office released this statement: The only people talking about shutting down the government are a handful of Senate Democrats at a press conference today. (Thursday, February 3, 2011) Don Stewart, Communications Director for the Senate Republican Leader: As Republicans focus on constructive ways for the two parties to work together on cutting spending and debt, Senator Schumer seems strangely preoccupied with the notion of a government shutdown. It is our hope that he soon realizes the only person talking about a shutdown is Senator Schumer. Most Americans and even many in…
The administration’s top procurement policy official issued a memo Wednesday encouraging more constructive talks between government and industry, as part of a larger initiative to debunk myths about the acquisition process. In a 13-page memo to senior procurement executives and chief information and acquisition officers, Gordon stressed the importance of “early, frequent and constructive engagement with industry,” especially for high-risk procurements and large information technology projects. The government spends more than $500 billion on goods and services, and “our industry partners are often the best source” for the latest information on pricing and efficient technology, the memo said. Under the…