Monthly Archives: May, 2011

Lest anyone forget, today’s the last  day on the job for some U.S. Postal Service administrative employees who agreed to leave or retire early in return for a $20,000 buyout. It’s part of an organizational “redesign” aimed at cutting some 3,000 administrative positions, or almost 21 percent of the total. But that overall number masks some pretty big differences in how the reductions are being apportioned among different USPS organizations. At Federal Times’ request, the Postal Service provided a breakout of the impact on area offices, district offices and headquarters and HQ-related field units, such as the USPS accounting service…

In direct response to a presidential order under consideration, lawmakers today introduced two bills to prevent federal agencies from collecting or using information about contractors’ political expenditures. Several lawmakers — most of whom are Republican — have asked the president to abandon his plans for an executive order, a draft of which was leaked last month, that would require potential contractors to report their campaign contributions and political expenditures before being awarded government contracts. After the leak, White House officials said they are considering the policy as a way to add more transparency to the contracting process. But it has been a month with…

The Koniag Development Corp. has hired former GSA assistant commissioner Ed O’Hare to lead its Technology Business Sector, the company announced Wednesday. O’Hare was the assistant commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service’s Information Technology Services at the General Services Administration before leaving the agency in January. The FAS IT Services is the largest fee-for-service IT procurement and services operation in the federal government, with contracts exceeding $22 billion a year. Immediately after leaving GSA, Dynanet Corp. hired O’Hare to oversee its business development and delivering services to state and federal government customers. Now as senior vice president of the Technology Business Sector for Koniag Development, a…

The agency that ensures federal contractors are meeting federal employment rules is seeking more information from contractors. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) says the changes should make the process easier on contractors while also providing better data for their evaluations. But corporate law firms and consultant groups are alerting contractors via their blogs and websites that the additional data OFCCP wants will actually be a new burden for them. OFCCP, which checks contractors’ compliance with federal affirmative action and equal employment opportunity requirements, sends what’s called a Scheduling Letter to contractors selected for a compliance evaluation. That letter lists what data the…

Providing limited liability protection to private companies could be a sticking point for lawmakers working to pass cybersecurity legislation. Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., ranking member of the national security, homeland defense and foreign operations questioned whether companies that adhere to federal  cybersecurity policies should not be held liable for the impact of a breach. Tierney also raised concerns that government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security are conducting risk assessments for companies that should be responsible for doing them. “I don’t know why we have to give you incentives,” said Tierney, in response to TechAmerica President Phil Bond’s remarks about providing…

GTSI was awarded a $425 million contract to provide information technology to the Federal Aviation Administration, the company announced Tuesday. The contract, which includes one base year and four one-year options, was awarded under FAA’s Strategic Acquisition of Various Equipment and Supplies program. The program’s goal is to  streamline FAA’s IT acquisition and deployment process and improve financial management, GTSI said. The Herdon, Va.-based company’s work will include data storage and network solutions.

The Government Printing Office has named Richard Davis its chief technology officer. In his new role, Davis will oversee the Office of Programs, Strategy and Technology, which includes development of GPO’s Federal Digital System. The next generation system provides online access to federal documents and publications. Prior to becoming CTO, Davis served as acting superintendent of documents and managing director of library services and content management. There he oversaw the transfer of government information to the FDsys.

The U.S. Postal Service and its largest union have made it official, tying the knot on a contract that will run until May 2015. “We worked together to negotiate a responsible agreement that is in the best interest of our customers, our employees and the future of the Postal Service,” Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a statement noting that the agreement with the American Postal Workers Union took effect Monday. The APWU’s membership overwhelmingly ratified the agreement in a vote announced May 11. “I am pleased that we were able to negotiate a contract that will strengthen the Postal…

Listen up, people: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor even the temptation of a yummy breakfast shall keep mail carriers from their appointed rounds. And anyone who suggests differently may be hearing from U.S. Postal Service lawyers. Burger King found that out the hard way after airing a television ad geared around a fictitious carrier who sang: “With pancakes and eggs on my plate, the mail has to wait,” according to an article posted on a USPS site. That didn’t sit well with the Postal Service, which probably has enough problems without the insinuation that your high-priority package is…

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