Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, principal military deputy to the Army acquisition chief, said he believes investing in resources like information technology systems to pull some defense contractors “off the net” could be the best move as the service continues to face cybersecurity challenges, Army Times reported Tuesday.
Read More »Ellen Lord: DoD to Reward Contractors Through Progress or Performance Payments
Ellen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Defense Department and a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said in a video interview aired Friday that DoD plans to use performance or progress payments as an incentive to defense companies that work to fulfill project requirements.
Read More »Frank Kendall Eyes New Policy for DoD-Industry Dialogue on Independent R&D Projects
Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall plans to require contractors to hold technical interchange meetings with the Defense Department before and after they conduct department-backed independent research and development projects, he wrote in a white paper obtained by USNI News. Kendall said he will instruct a council to update the Defense …
Read More »Report: DoD Cut FY 2014 Contract Spending by 8%
Figures released by the Federal Procurement Data System show that the Defense Department‘s overall spending dropped 8 percent last fiscal year to $284.9 billion, Federal Times reported Thursday. Andy Medici writes a Federal Times analysis of FPDS data found that although many non-defense government agencies increased their spending on contracts …
Read More »Pentagon Says Contractors Must Report Hacks of Technical Info; Frank Kendall Comments
The Defense Department released final rules Monday that require U.S. contractors to integrate data security protocols into their unclassified networks, Federal Times reported Wednesday. Sean Reilly writes defense companies must also report cyber theft of controlled and unclassified technical information to the Pentagon under the new policy. “This is an …
Read More »George Allen: Emphasize ‘Best Value’ Defense Contracts, Shorten Bid Protest Process
Former Virginia Governor and candidate for U.S. Senate George Allen wants to emphasize the need to award best value deals instead of “low-price technically acceptable” proposals, GovExec reports. “If you needed heart surgery would you go to the one who was giving you the lowest price,” Allen said to illustrate his …
Read More »Study: Virginia Contractors, Minority-Owned Businesses in Sequestration Firing Line
The Center for Security Policy has released a report claiming defense contractors in Virginia and minority-owned businesses will feel the biggest impact of sequestration cuts if they occur, Federal Times reports. For its study, the CSP compared defense expenses for 2011 against two potential cut scenarios: one a 9 percent …
Read More »Report: MDA to Include ‘Quality’ Parts Clause in Upcoming Contract
The Missile Defense Agency for the first time will include a “Contractor Accountability for Quality” clause in an upcoming contract for ground-based missile defense development and sustainment, Bloomberg reports. The MDA will have the authority to adjust performance fees under this new provision, which covers parts for missiles, radars and …
Read More »Pentagon Starting to Map Defense Contracting Industry
The Defense Department is launching an effort to build a map of the defense contracting industry sector-by-sector and tier-by-tier, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Tuesday. Brett Lambert, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing and industrial base policy, told a House Armed Services subcommittee that the Pentagon wants to go beyond just …
Read More »House Panel Told Defense Cuts Put 880K ‘Main St.’ Jobs At Risk
One million U.S. jobs could be lost if the congressional supercommittee fails to agree on a deficit reduction proposal and automatic defense budget cuts are imposed, according to the Aerospace Industries Association, a major trade group representing many defense contracting firms. The figure comes from an economic impact analysis prepared …
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