Jason Miller outlines 10 ways to improve the odds of agencies winning a part of the $100 million Technology Moderization Fund.
Source: Here’s how your agency can win some of the $100M IT modernization fund
Today’s interview is with Nicole Priester, president of Encore Solutions Inc., and Al Thomas, president of Thomas Solutions Inc. Both have extensive experience in complex information technology projects for the federal government.
During the discussion they expanded upon how to understand requirements for federal projects, the advantages of small business, and some strategic considerations for long term success. They both brought distinct backgrounds to the topic.
Source: Turning the tables on start-ups – FederalNewsRadio.com
My company, DSFederal, serves the federal government with IT and software development, data analytics and program management services, mostly in the health IT and biomedical research spaces. We started 11 years ago with one employee (me!) working day and night from a table at a Barnes and Noble coffee shop. Now, DSFederal is a successful graduate of the SBA’s 8(a) program, and we’re entering our second decade with over 40 contracts and over 160 employees in several states.
Source: Growing a small contracting business: 10 pieces of advice for aspiring owners – FederalNewsRadio.com
The sixth version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard wasn’t pretty. If Congress took away most agencies’ iPhones and grounded them for a week, it wouldn’t be surprising.
The committee released the grades last Tuesday and brought two of the agencies that are struggling with FITARA — the Defense and the Agriculture departments — out to the woodshed to answer for their bad grades.
Source: Getting under the hood of the FITARA 6.0 scorecard to find true IT reforms – FederalNewsRadio.com
Defense contractors who work with small businesses could be getting paid sooner. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced a bill requiring DoD agencies to pay small prime contractors within 15 days of receiving an invoice. Current law requires the agency to pay within 30 days. The bill would also apply to large prime contractors working with small subcontractors. The senators attached the bill as an amendment to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act. (Sen. Mike Enzi)
Source: Senate bill calls for small defense contractors getting paid quicker – FederalNewsRadio.com
Even as Congress debates the 2019 defense authorization act, the Defense Department is working off a backlog of tasks from prior year NDAAs. Among these efforts is a new rule to help stave off counterfeit electronic parts. And on a less crucial note it adds language to the rule so companies know the purpose of defense procurement. Procurement attorney Joseph Petrillo, of Petrillo and Powell PLLC, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more discussion.
Source: DoD still working off old NDAA tasks while Congress debates new bill
Modernizing the Defense Department’s software will take more than just updating the development process — it will also require reforming the way the agency buys it.
Source: DoD’s acquisition and sustainment chief shares path forward for new office
The most recent FITARA scorecard wasn’t a total wash — five agencies did manage to improve their scores, and another eight didn’t lose any ground. But 11 agencies saw their scores drop — the most ever. And nine agencies received a score of “D” or “F,” the most in two years. But that was expected; the process was designed to yield lower scores this time.
Source: FITARA grading was tougher by design, official says – FederalNewsRadio.com
When a big department spends 40 percent of it contract dollars through indefinite delivery – indefinite quantity contracts, it is worth checking to see if IDIQs offer enough competition. The Government Accountability Office looked at two years worth of IDIQ spending by the Defense Department. Bill Woods, director of contracting and national security acquisition issues at the GAO, talked with Federal Drive with Tom Temin about what auditors found.
Source: GAO says it’s necessary to make sure IDIQ contracts are competitive
The federal government remains on a hot streak in meeting its small business contracting goals.
For the fifth year in a row, it exceeded its governmentwide small business contracting goal — about 23 percent of its contracting spending — on small businesses.
Source: SBA scorecard: Small business contracts exceed $100B for first time ever – FederalNewsRadio.com