Oversight

Travel policies temporarily loosened in Southern California

GSA revises per diem for food and housing, relaxes regulations on fuel. Wildfire response photo gallery

Oversight

House panel chair accuses Blackwater of tax evasion

Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., requests a host of documents on the security contractor’s business dealings, contract awards.

Oversight

Interagency contract use expected to decline

Large departments like Defense want to reduce their dependence on other agencies, top officials say.

Oversight

Survey indicates dissatisfaction with government management

Two-thirds of Americans questioned said they don’t understand how government spends its money; 92 percent said they’re unsure the best value is received on contracts.

Defense

Changes to Air Force IT contract could benefit new vendors

Proposal would split new version of the contract vehicle into three parts.

Defense

State Department downplays report of security contractor drawdown

Agency spokeswoman says it’s “premature to speculate” about major policy changes.

Oversight

House votes to halt debt collection outsourcing at IRS

Prospects for passage could be tougher in Senate; President Bush has threatened a veto.

Oversight

Lawmaker demands records on fired Blackwater employee

Chairman of House oversight panel wants to know what the State Department did to alert the Pentagon to 2006 shooting incident.

Oversight

Former building security contractor pleads guilty to bribery

Ex-GSA contracting officer also charged in connection with the scheme, for allegedly accepting more than $100,000 in bribes.

Oversight

Army to consolidate environmental contracts

Critics are concerned that the overhaul will make it more difficult to address local environmental concerns.

Oversight

Panelists say bias a barrier for minority-owned contractors

A lack of accountability, contract bundling and preferences for Alaska native firms are also cited as obstacles facing small companies seeking federal work.

Management

Between the Lines

The comptroller general wants to redefine ‘inherently governmental,’ two words that could change contracting.

Oversight

Senate Dems seek probe of wartime contracting

Bipartisan commission would be charged with reviewing nearly all contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Oversight

Recruiting remains a key concern for acquisition chiefs

Procurement leaders are using direct hiring authority, dangling benefits such as telecommuting before job candidates, and expanding their searches beyond the Beltway.

Defense

Senate Dems hear whistleblower claims of abuse

Contractors claim they were retaliated against for exposing fraud and mismanagement of Iraq projects.

Oversight

Lawmaker suggests cutting losses on mismanaged IT projects

Number of projects on OMB management watch list has decreased, but watchdog agency says figures may be understated.

Oversight

OMB finds performance of federal programs improving

Administration rated 48 new programs in this round of evaluations, with 77 percent found to be at least adequate.

Oversight

GSA: Politics to blame for collapse of Sun contract

Congress needs help to gain better understanding of how contracts work and the roles of acquisition officials, GSA chief says.

Features

The Gatekeepers

Chief acquisition officers hold the keys to improving the effectiveness and speed with which agencies buy.

Oversight

Sun Microsystems quits GSA multiple award contract

Company has been under ongoing scrutiny from the agency’s inspector general and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.