GSA CIO, IG spar over purchase of China-made video conferencing cameras
The General Services Administration’s top IT official says GSA did not violate the law when it bought more than 100 China-made video conferencing cameras in 2022 as part…
DoD contractors slip the grip of new environmental regulations
Another short continuing resolution is heading to President Joe Biden’s desk today for signing. Congress once again punted the deadline to come to an agreement on government spending…
Why contracting protest appeals are never a zero sum game
Among the more arcane rules of federal contract protests, a company can’t make a money appeal on a protest decision unless that appeal contains a specific dollar amount….
Sen. Ernst hopeful about fixes to small business contracting
The fix is in for federal small business contracting. And this fix is actually a good one. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs…
Advice for contractors when the government really, really could shut down
The brinkmanship in Congress isn’t looking good for 2024 budget prospects. Contracting will continue even with a long-term continuing resolution or even a partial government shutdown. For some…
Figuring Out How AI Can Best Help Employees
Today’s employees worry that they could be replaced by artificial intelligence. Work with them to determine how AI can help them do more for your company while improving…
DoD dispelling lingering myths about OTAs
The Defense Department is increasingly turning to Other Transaction Authority contracts (OTAs) as a mechanism to fund research and development projects. Between 2016 and 2022, DoD took 15,000…
An overview of generative AI
This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower interviews Fergal McGovern, CEO of Visible Thread. Visible Thread(VT) provides support tools and processes for the contractor side of…
Industry groups push back on cyber incident rules requiring “full access”
Proposed cybersecurity rules that would grant the government “full access” to contractor IT systems in the wake of a cyber incident is causing heartburn among industry groups. The…
VA does not have a good handle on its contractor employees
By law and regulation, the Veterans Affairs department is supposed to check out the employees used by its contractors. A recent look-see by VA’s Office of Inspector General…