GovGab Blog
GSA's voice in the blogosphere

07 September 2010 Learn to Write Your Own GSA Schedule
This one-day training course provides companies with all the information and templates needed to write their GSA Schedule. No lengthy speeches just a detailed review of each step in the GSA Schedule writing process.

27 August 2010 Small Businesses rack up record Fed contracts in 2009
Small businesses won a record $96.8 billion in federal prime contracts in fiscal 2009, an increase of more than $3 billion from 2008 numbers, according to the Small Business Administrations fourth annual score card released today

25 August 2010 NSA to Host State and Local Partner Reception
The National Security Agency is partnering with a group of regional business organizations to hold a State and Local Partner Reception on August 25, from 5 pm to 7 pm

13 August 2010 GSA on track with $3.5B satcom contract
Awards expected in 2011.

06 August 2010 Contractor performance data to become public
Some federal contractor performance data will be made public as part of the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act, which President Obama signed into law July 29

04 August 2010 New law requires OMB to post information on contractors
A bill President Obama recently signed requires the Office of Management and Budget to disclose on a public website contractor integrity information housed in a new vendor performance database, reversing a recent decision by the Defense Department to block public access to the entire database.

03 August 2010 GSA slams its way through IT improvements
The General Services Administration has adopted a new strategy to address its critical information technology challenges, according to an agency official.

30 July 2010 $114 billion still available for federal contractors before Sept. 30
The federal government still has $114 billion in play for contract spending before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, an industry analyst has concluded

23 July 2010 NIH wins approval for $30B government wide contract
OMB OKs contract to help with expected overhaul of the health-care system.

20 July 2010 GSA Ponders Prize Contract Vehicle
The General Services Administration may add a contract program that would allow agencies to buy from a menu of technology products, marketing services and technical assistance for running contests. An April White House memo required that GSA "as expeditiously as possible" craft a contract vehicle for purchasing such goods.

14 July 2010 GSA seeks better prices, easier customer interface with IT procurement
The General Services Administration expects its information technology portfolio to grow as it launches initiatives to improve pricing and customers' experience, according to the agency's new Federal Acquisition Service chief.

12 July 2010 GSA to vendors: Go green or else
Government contractors will have to track their greenhouse gas emissions or risk losing out on new contracts, under a new General Services Administration plan.

08 July 2010 GSA issues final terms for $5B satcom contract
Agreement will trim acquisition costs, establish common marketplace.

29 June 2010 DHS puts finishing touches on $22B opportunity
RFP for EAGLE II expected to be issued by end of September.

25 June 2010 GSA Issuing $90 Million RFP for Maryland Courthouse Construction
The GSA and the administrative offices of the US District Courts intends to issue a RFP for a Construction Management (CM) professional services contract for the Southern Maryland Courthouse Annex Project.

24 June 2010 GSA wants vendor ideas to improve communications
Agency creates Web 2.0-based site for dialog.

22 June 2010 Can the fed IT market break $100B? You bet
New Input survey forecasts 5.4 percent annual growth rate.

22 June 2010 For contractors, offering federal cloud services is a risky business
Companies offering cloud services to government agencies will have to address federal security and data retention requirements, possibly making it difficult for small businesses to sell their services, according to a new report released by a law firm.

17 June 2010 GSA developing system to track buildings' energy and water use
The General Services Administration is launching a new tool to measure the performance of green building projects funded by the Recovery Act.

11 June 2010 Billions in multiple awards lead May contract countdown
Ranking of the 10 largest contracts awarded during the month of May.

24 May 2010 GSA solicitation solidifies cloud commitment
Agency also launches web site to support Apps.gov.

23 May 2010 Feds serve as green tech 'test bed'
The General Services Administration will use the roof of the Maj. Gen. Emmett J. Bean Federal Center in Indianapolis to test four alternative photovoltaic systems.

20 May 2010 Kundra: Cloud computing standards next step for feds
Standards for security, interoperability and data portability are needed to drive forward the massive transition to cloud computing under way across government, the nation's top technology chief said on Thursday.

11 May 2010 New details emerge on GSA's plan to buy cloud services
A managed infrastructure solution might meet GSA's demand for better e-mail and collaboration.

2 May 2010 2011 could bring more training, IT support for procurement staffs
General Services Administrator Martha Johnson last week asked Congress for almost $50 million to provide better training and information technology support for the federal procurement workforce.

28 April 2010 GSA wants millions to build acquisition workforce
Martha Johnson puts in budget request for $24.9 million.

17 April 2010 GSA announces new chief of staff
The General Services Administration on Tuesday announced that the White House has appointed Michael Robertson as the agency's chief of staff.

16 April 2010 Consultants: Government is thirsty for foreign tech expertise
Federal business opportunities abound for foreign-based small companies that specialize in technology -- if they are willing to move, according to Washington area consultants.

13 April 2010 Maybe we need more GWACs
It seems we can hardly do a story about a large contract without getting comments from people complaining that the government already has plenty of vehicles and that it is wasting taxpayers money by putting out more contracts.

9 April 2010 GSA's quest for free contest app may be fruitless, some say
The government is asking industry and other interested groups for a free application that will let agencies launch online competitions, but developers who run such contests and some contracting specialists say the government may not get what it is looking for.

7 April 2010 GSA's new satellite contract a one-stop shop for government
A new General Services Administration satellite procurement will be a one-stop shop for all government commercial satellite communications needs.

6 April 2010 DISA launches huge integrated technology contract
The Defense Information Systems Agency issued a request for information on Tuesday for an integrated technology contract that would provide the Defense Department with a range of support services that industry analysts valued at $100 million or more.

5 April 2010 Stimulus stokes $23B in health IT opportunities
Integrators assist with data aggregation efforts, health information exchanges.

5 April 2010 NIH contract in GSA's crosshairs brings in $2.1 billion a year
Agency maneuvers could bring new business to GSA.

1 April 2010 GSA could be trying to kill rival agency contract
Are other GWACS next on the hit list?

26 March 2010 What's next for GSA?
Martha Johnson shares her thoughts on green IT, tapping the collective intelligence, collaboration among agencies and industry, and the state of telework.

24 March 2010 GSA now on the fast track, top exec says
Johnson plans to prepare agency for rapid growth.

22 March 2010 Federal Acquisition Service gets new acting commissioner
Steve Kempf will assume the post April 3.

16 March 2010 Cape Cod Wins Broadband Stimulus Grant
OpenCape Corporation won the $32 million contract to deploy massive high-speed broadband backhaul to connect government agencies.

10 March 2010 SBA's report on women-owned businesses: The unabridged version
The Small Business Administration determined that women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) were winning fewer contracts.

09 March 2010 GSA loses senior official to retirement
Leader leaves government after after more than 30 years.

08 March 2010 GSA announces $10 billion telecom contract to complement Networx
The General Services Administration launched a $10 billion telecommunications contract to complement its massive Networx program.

02 March 2010 DHS kicks off Eagle II procurement
Bidding will be unrestricted on DHS IT services acquisition vehicle.

26 February 2010 GSA cancels cloud request for quotations
Agency plans to issue a new RFQ for cloud infrastructure as service.

22 February 2010 10 tips to cracking GSA's Top 100
Advice on how to the sales and marketing techniques that can generate more business

19 February 2010 Happy first birthday to GSA's Alliant contract
A year after awarding two massive information technology contracts, the General Services Administrations Alliant program appears to be working well.

18 February 2010 GSA, DISA ready $5B satellite opportunity
The solicitation for the $5 billion, 10-year Future Commercial Satellite Communications Services Acquisition will be issued Feb. 9, said the General Services Administrations assistant commissioner of IT Services.

05 February 2010 GSAs IT Services chief lays out route to success
Communication with customers will key the agency's move forward.

04 February 2010 Senate Confirms GSA Nominee...finally
Martha Johnson was confirmed today by the Senate to head the General Services Administration.

29 January 2010 GSA moves closer to a permanent leader
Nine months after she was first nominated to serve as head of the General Services Administration, Martha Johnson's name will finally reach the Senate floor for a vote.

28 January 2010 Natural selection: Defense contractors must adapt to survive
Whether it is developing new command and control systems, addressing cybersecurity issues or fielding new unmanned aerial vehicles, Defense Department customers and contractors alike are obsessing about the need for agility.

27 January 2010 NASA poised to spend billions to consolidate IT services
NASA has issued a final request for proposal for a menu of information technology services such as e-mail, security management, instant messaging and mobile communications. Estimates have pegged the work as worth $2.5 billion.

25 January 2010 GSA Launches new IT focused blog
A top IT official at the General Services Administration (GSA) has started a new blog to discuss acquisition trends and innovations in the federal information technology marketplace.

12 January 2010 Federal IT spending to increase almost 4 percent in fiscal 2010
Government spending on information technology will grow nearly 4 percent, as agencies invest in software applications and services to enable transparency, accountability and modernize old computer systems, according to a federal IT research firm.

10 January 2010 DHS adds oversight to grants, contracts
Top Homeland Security Department officials say their biggest near-term management priority is providing better oversight of the department's $2 billion in annual grants and nearly $15 billion in annual contracts.

8 January 2010 GSA veteran Kempf becomes deputy FAS commissioner
Steve Kempf is set to become the new No. 2 official at the General Services Administrations Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), GSA said today. Kempf will be the new deputy FAS commissioner, as Tyree Varnado, the previous deputy, retired Jan. 3, according to a GSA announcement.

04 January 2010 Senate bill would expand access to GSA schedules for states
States, localities currently can only use GSA schedules when the disaster has struck, but this bill would allow them to prep for emergencies

14 December 2009 Lessons from the top contractors of 2009
The annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards is about more than just networking and recognition for the winners and finalists.

04 December 2009 VA plans wide-ranging IT services contract
The Veterans Affairs Department is planning a multiple-award, task order contract to provide a broad range of information technology products and services for the department and outside agencies, according to the VA.

03 December 2009 Contracting Resources Group, Inc. Makes a Move
CRG, Inc moved office location to Historic Federal Hill in Downtown Baltimore City to offer Baltimore businesses Federal contracting support services and boost the local economy.

02 December 2009 DHS plans EAGLE II take-off
The Homeland Security Department plans to issue a draft solicitation for its $45 billion Eagle II procurement by the end of March, with the request for proposals coming in the third quarter of fiscal 2010, a senior DHS procurement official affirmed today.

20 November 2009 Fed CIOs, GSA smooth agencies' Networx transition path
The General Services Administration has extended by four months a milestone for agencies to transition their telecommunication services from FTS2001 to Networx

13 November 2009 DHS considers contracts for collecting disaster-related imagery
The Homeland Security Department is considering awarding multiple contracts to ensure that emergency officials can quickly get aerial images of disaster areas in a format that can easily be integrated into geographic information systems (GIS), according to a recently published request for information (RFI) from the department.

10 November 2009 Stimulus ties spending on broadband to civic participation
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires a plan for providing high-speed Internet access to all Americans as part of Obama's push to increase public involvement in government; FCC seeking public input in development of plan.

03 November 2009 Twenty must-follow contracts
From international law enforcement to satellite communications to general information technology support services, the 20 largest contracts of coming year cover a broad range of technologies and segments in the government market.

22 October 2009 GSA: Pick your procurement weapon
Selection of the right solution for each IT project's specific requirement is a key element in its success. With pressure to improve quality, project milestones and cost efficiencies, the Government Services Administration is committed to assisting government agencies to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

20 October 2009 2009 Top 100: We rank the largest prime contractors in the government market.
We rank the largest government contractors according to their prime contracting revenue in government fiscal year 2008. Data is collected on government expenditures related to information technology products and services, systems integration, telecommunications, professional services and engineering services.

20 October 2009 Justice kicks off planning phase of 1.5B contract
DOJ begins re-compete process for Information Technology Support Services contract.

30 September 2009 Federal Contracting Databases Prone To Errors
The GSA will award a contract in October to re-architect databases rife with inaccuracies, duplications, and poor system capabilities.

22 September 2009 GSA Devises Search Plan For Federal Web Sites
The General Services Administration plans an upgrade to its USA.gov site and is looking to improve search capabilities across federal Web sites, according to the GSA official overseeing the strategy.

2 September 2009 GSA wants bigger piece of the IT pie
The General Services Administration is losing ground as the primary contract vehicle for federal IT work. Although federal agencies still spend $22 billion annually on IT purchases made through the GSA via government-wide contract vehicles, lots of agencies turn elsewhere to find better deals.

11 August 2009 Taiwan Added to List of TAA-Compliant Countries Effective August 11, 2009
On August 11, 2009, the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council issued an interim rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation ("FAR") to implement a new Free Trade Agreement with Taiwan. This long-awaited interim rule adds Taiwan to the list of "designated countries" from which the U.S. government may order supplies, services and construction materials to fulfill contracts covered by the Trade Agreements Act ("TAA").

31 July 2009 Bill would end HUBZone primacy
The Senate has approved legislation that would eliminate the advantages that small businesses in economically depressed areas have over some firms, and the House also might approve that change.

23 July 2009 Vet-owned firms grow but still short of goals
Government spending with service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses continues to rise but is still short of the mandated 3 percent, according to an analysis by Eagle Eye Publishers .

22 July 2009 Senate panel calls on intel agencies to reduce contracting
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence wants intelligence agencies to reduce their use of contractors by 5 percent in 2010.

13 July 2009 OMB overrides GAO on small-business contracting
Agencies are not bound by two Government Accountability Office rulings this year that contradict federal regulations regarding how to award work to small businesses, the Office of Management and Budget said Friday.

29 June 2009 Advisory panel recommends GSA ax price reduction clause
Vendors should not be required to offer federal agencies their lowest prices, according to recommendations from an advisory panel studying the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedules program.

22 June 2009 Bill would direct new reforms on DoD procurement
The Defense Department would be directed to test alternative approaches to buying information technology beginning next year under a provision in the 2010 Defense authorization bill that is likely to be approved by the House this week.

17 June 2009 Getting harder to get a contract
Like many federal IT shops, you are probably heavily dependent on private contractors. You don't have the staff or the know-how to expand your website easily or to make use of the technology that is available. That being said, it's about to get harder for you to tap the experts outside of government to get the IT job done.

9 June 2009 Stimulus money boosts FABS use
Suppose you wanted to spend a lot of money, very quickly, with complete transparency and accountability. Youd probably lean on the General Services Administrations Financial and Business Solutions federal supply schedule, or FABS. Through FABS, federal managers can procure auditing and budgeting services, financial training, asset management and diverse related support mechanisms.

9 June 2009 GSA Needs a New Crop of Federal IT customers
Federal IT managers are looking the other way when it comes to shopping at the General Services Administration's Schedule 70 offerings. The competition is so intense that GSA recorded a 4 percent decline last year for Schedule 70--from $16.4 billion in fiscal 2007 to $15.8 billion in fiscal 2008, according to an article in the Federal Times this week.

21 April 2009 POGO releases latest version of Federal Contractor Misconduct Database
The top 100 federal contractors have accumulated 673 cases of admitted or alleged misconduct and paid $26 billion in penalties related to those cases since 1995, according to a government watchdog group.

30 March 2009 Contractors jockey for IT, construction, energy projects at DoD
Roof by roof, boiler by boiler, light bulb by light bulb, the Pentagon is launching a $7.4 billion construction blitz that will bring thousands of facility upgrades to military bases nationwide.

17 March 2009 Archives digital system bursting at seams
The National Archives and Records Administration has outgrown its digitized record keeping system and needs major changes to keep up with the high volume of data it must store and manage. NARA this week published a formal request to vendors for information, saying it wanted ideas of software possibilities to replace its Archival Research Catalog.

10 February 2009 In Stimulus Bills, A Windfall for Agency Budgets
The economic stimulus packages under consideration on Capitol Hill represent a massive financial windfall for agencies across the federal government. Taken together, they could lead to more spending for "green" initiatives, the upgrading of federal buildings and facilities, and improved health-care services.

28 January 2009 Senate stimulus bill packed with IT spending
The $365 billion stimulus bill the Senate Finance Committee approved on Jan. 27 is packed with IT spending, including incentives to encourage health information technology, expansion of broadband services and funds for modernization projects at numerous agencies.

19 January 2009 GSA works to improve Schedule 70 operations
The General Services Administration is cleaning up the operations of its $16 billion information technology schedule contract, an official said Jan. 14.

15 January 2009 GSA considers launching STARS II
The General Services Administration plans to launch a second version of its governmentwide technology contract set aside for small businesses, an agency official said yesterday.

6 January 2009 More businesses turning to the government market in 2009
While the economic news in the private sector over the past few years has been consistently grim, government agencies continue to buy goods and services at a steady pace and savvy vendors are adjusting their sales and marketing strategies accordingly.

18 December 2008 GSA awards 72 small business Alliant contracts
The General Services Administration awarded 72 small businesses spots on the Alliant Small Business contract 10 more companies than in the initial award, the agency announced today.

8 December 2008 GSA bumps $50B Alliant awards to 2009
The General Services Administration plans to award the Alliant Small Business telecommunications contract this month, as it seeks to further evaluate bids on the much larger Alliant contract, agency officials said today.

2 December 2008 GSA gets new congressional affairs leader
Brian Mabry, a deputy associate administrator at the General Services Administration's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, will become associate administrator and take charge of the office Dec. 6, GSA announced today.

26 November 2008 GSA Steps Newsletter, Issue No. 20
This issue contains interesting articles on the new Multiple Award Schedule Program Office, a number of articles on issues impacting Global Supply industry partners, and more.

30 November 2008 GSA gets tough with IT vendors over pricing
Government contract negotiators are taking a harder line with many information technology vendors amid growing concerns by auditors and investigators that companies are overpricing.

21 November 2008 Burton: Contractors will get more accountability
The responsibility for accountability will continue to shift during the coming years to federal contractors, a former top procurement official said today.

20 November 2008 Acting GSA administrator backs broad cooperative purchasing plan
The General Services Administration should open up all its supply schedules to state and local governments, the head of the agency said on Thursday.

29 October 2008 GSA creates contract for 'green' support services
GSA creates contract for 'green' support services.

24 October 2008 GSA creates private network for transition teams
Although the president-elect's transition team will not have immediate access to government systems, due to security regulations, they will have computers and key applications via a secure network, a government official said Friday.

21 October 2008 GSA Varnado: GSA must prove its contracts' value
Tyree Varnado, acting commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, said today the General Services Administration hopes to show value to its customers to lead them away from using in-house contracts.

9 October 2008 GSA sees agencies buying more via online shops
As procurement experts consider the General Services Administrations online shopping centers vital to checking prices on the Multiple Award Schedules program, agencies spent more money last year via those shops.

6 October 2008 Panel to recommend rolling back pricing clause
The Multiple Award Schedule Advisory Panel today agreed to recommend that officials remove the price reduction clause regarding products sold on the MAS programs contracts.

1 October 2008 New office will manage schedules contracts
The General Services Administration today announced that a new office will oversee its Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program, a major program in the procurement agency.

29 September 2008 Going through the motions
The Multiple Award Schedule Advisory Panel, which is reviewing various parts of the MAS program, approved seven recommendations at its Sept. 19 and 22 meetings. The recommendations focus on professional services sold through MAS contracts. At its October meetings, the panel will discuss issues related to products. The panel will send its recommended changes to the program to the General Services Administrations administrator.

29 September 2008 GSAs consolidation 2.0 project Agency looks to a shared services model to eliminate costly redundancies in the procurement system
A General Services Administration-managed e-government project with a history of consolidating federal acquisition systems needs streamlining, according to GSA officials.

20 August 2008 Senator upset by Williams appointment
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has said he is disappointed with President Bush for naming Jim Williams acting administrator of the General Services Administration.

19 August 2008 GSA signs agreement on veterans' businesses
The General Services Administration and an organization that promotes veteran-owned businesses signed an agreement today to increase the amount of money GSA sends to service-disabled veterans, the agency said.

August 15 2008 GSA extends deadline for TIC proposals
Vendors working on responses to a statement of work for Trusted Internet Connections services now have until Sept. 10 to complete them, an extension from the original Aug. 18 deadline.

August 12 2008 GSA's still resolving Mobile Armor case
The General Services Administration is still trying to find the right course of action to take about a vendor whose marketing materials falsely implied the government had found its products to be the best, according to GSA officials.

1 August 2008 Williams GSA nomination blocked; options weighed
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) put an unexpected brake on Jim Williams path to head the General Services Administration last week, but the Bush administration does have some options to get around it, according to observers.

28 July 2008 Buzz of the Week: Procurement deja