Inside Government Contracts

MARCH 1, 2024

On February 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DOD”) issued a final rule that increases the domestic content requirements for defense procurements. The new rule amends the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) to implement Executive Order 14005 (“EO”). The EO was intended to strengthen the requirements of the Buy American Act (“BAA”) by, among other things, directing the FAR Council to issue new rules increasing the domestic content threshold for determining whether a

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Thresholds Procurement Price Quantity 147

GovCon & Trade

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

On December 21, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed a protest by ELS, an unsuccessful bidder on a Department of Defense (DOD) task order opportunity, concluding that it did not have jurisdiction to consider it. GAO reasoned that because “the value of the task order [was] below $25,000,000. it does not have jurisdiction to consider the protest.

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WashngtonExec

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

For WashingtonExec’s Top Pricing Execs to Watch in 2024, we identified the best of the best in building proper pricing models for success, bringing strategic thought leadership to each opportunity, and putting long-term growth and strategy first. Based on their accomplishments, impact on business goals and vision for the near-term future, these execs bring exactly what the GovCon community needs to empower competition and success.

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FedScoop

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Office of the Chief Information Officer has tracked scores of employees bringing government mobile devices abroad, including to countries like China and Iraq, without authorization, according to a document obtained by FedScoop. The issue was highlighted in a DHS inspector general’s report published last July that pointed to concerns about how the emergency management agency handles the security of government-issued mobile devices.

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Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

Logistics

GovLoop

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

National Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March, which this year falls on March 1. Here’s a few ideas to help you honor the occasion. Take a moment to think about each person and communicate thanks. An individualized note can mean a lot. Recognize an employee at a meeting. Consider a creative gesture like a photo collage for the team that points out employee contributions.

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Federal News Network

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

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 Committee, and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, are trying to correct a misunderstanding of congressional intent when it comes to how and when agencies should consider price when reviewing proposals for contracts.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 1, 2024

Textron Systems and General Dynamics ' land systems division have been awarded contracts worth $22.7 million combined to design advanced reconnaissance vehicle prototypes equipped with a 30 mm medium-caliber autocannon for the U.S. Marine Corps. Under an $11.8 million contract, Textron will build an ARV-30 prototype vehicle at its facility in Hunt Valley, Maryland, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

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FedScoop

MARCH 1, 2024

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is among the agencies opting for a more permissive approach to generative AI tools, providing employees the same kind of access the independent agency has for access to the internet, according to its top IT official. “We do not block AI any more than we block general internet access,” Howard Spira, chief information officer of Ex-Im, said during a Thursday panel discussion hosted by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC).

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GovLoop

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Government agencies have a lot riding on improving their constituents’ customer experience (CX), and they understand the consequences. That’s why the White House made CX a federal priority starting with an Executive Order issued in 2021, which recognized that every public interaction with government is an opportunity to build or lose trust, and why state CIOs have ranked CX a top priority every year since then.

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

A subsidiary of General Dynamics‘ (NYSE: GD) mission systems business won a potential $116 million contract to lead the procurement of a management decision software for shipboard and shore-based maintenance activities of the U.S. Navy.

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ExecutiveBiz

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Combining data lakes and meshes will enable government agencies to align their data assets more efficiently in compliance with the executive order on artificial intelligence, said Dave Vennergrund, vice president of AI and data insights at General Dynamics Information Technology. He discussed the significance of information lakehouses to government initiatives enabled by AI and machine learning, and how they can help the development of trustworthy and secure AI.

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FedScoop

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

There’s little debate that facial recognition and automated license plate readers are forms of artificial intelligence used by police. So the omissions of those technologies in the Department of Justice’s AI use case inventory late last year were a surprise to a group of law enforcement experts charged with advising the president and the National AI Initiative Office on such matters.

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GovSpend

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

In a recent webinar hosted by GovSpend Relationship Manager and SLED expert Paige Mockler, procurement professionals were shown how to leverage GovSpend’s public sector intelligence to meet their procurement goals. The agenda promised insights into vendor verification, sourcing new vendors, validating pricing against historical purchase orders, market research, and tailoring bids and RFQs for success.

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

By Kim Koster, VP of Industry Marketing at Unanet As the public sector navigates increasingly complex acquisition and inventory policies for handling government property, inventory and asset tracking has become a challenging area for government contractors to manage.

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ExecutiveBiz

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Tara Martin , formerly vice president of business development for the electro-optical sector at L3Harris Technologies , has transitioned to become VP of BD for the maritime sector at the company, she announced on LinkedIn Wednesday. Martin has been with L3Harris for over three years, initially joining as senior director of BD for the reconnaissance mission systems sector in October 2020.

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USFCR

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Since joining US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) in November 2021, Jeff Hoffses has become integral to our mission to empower small businesses. Originally from Rockland, Maine, Jeff moved to Florida in 1987, bringing a passion for innovation and a commitment to helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

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FedScoop

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security’s information-sharing efforts on domestic extremist threats with social media and gaming companies lack an overarching strategy, a Government Accountability Office report found , raising questions about the effectiveness of the agencies’ communications to address violent warnings online. In response to the proliferation in recent years of content on social media and gaming platforms that promote domestic violent extremism, the FBI and DHS have taken st

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said artificial intelligence systems are driving the demand for leading-edge logic chips and the Department of Commerce is working to meet that demand through its investments under the CHIPS for America program as part of its implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act.

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Government Contracts

MARCH 1, 2024

The Washington state labor and health departments have urged a Washington federal judge to compel GEO Group to let inspectors inside a Seattle-area immigrant detention facility, saying the private prison giant will otherwise continue to block entry and keep regulators from investigating complaints about unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

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USFCR

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Understanding the ins and outs of insurance requirements is a cornerstone of success in federal contracting. The AGAR 452.228-71 and FAR clause 52.228-5 outline the necessity for contractors to hold sufficient insurance coverages, such as Workers' Compensation, Employer's Liability, General Liability, Automobile Liability, and, where applicable, Aircraft Public and Passenger Liability.

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FedScoop

MARCH 1, 2024

A newly introduced bipartisan Senate bill seeks to improve U.S. participation in international standards-setting bodies for emerging technologies by creating a pilot program that would fund the hosting of standard-setting meetings in the United States. Amid growing concern that U.S. companies and technologies are getting outmuscled by China in standard-setting bodies, the Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2024 from Sens.

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

The United States is in the midst of a global race to dominate the space domain, and to stay ahead, the federal government must accelerate its efforts to expand and deepen its space capabilities. U.S.

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Government Contracts

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

The Boeing Co. will pay $51 million to resolve nearly 200 export violations that threatened U.S. national security when its foreign employees downloaded and transferred technical data in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, with $24 million to go toward compliance efforts, the U.S. Department of State announced Thursday.

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USFCR

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Since joining US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) in November 2021, Jeffery Hoffses has become integral to our mission to empower small businesses. Originally from Rockland, Maine, Jeffery moved to Florida in 1987, bringing a passion for innovation and a commitment to helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

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FedScoop

MARCH 1, 2024

Following scrutiny from both an agency watchdog and Congress for its purchases of Chinese-made video-conference cameras that were susceptible to security vulnerabilities, the General Services Administration said Thursday that it must deliver a corrective action plan to its inspector general’s office by March 25. In a statement to FedScoop, a GSA spokesperson said the agency has put corrective actions in place and intends to provide the plan to OIG later this month.

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GovCon Wire

MARCH 1, 2024

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) has launched Altera as a standalone company focused on pursuing growth in the field programmable gate array market and delivering artificial intelligence capabilities designed to help clients facing complex technological challenges.

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Finance 101

Government Contracts

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

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Art of Procurement

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

“Wisdom is given equally to everybody. The point is whether one can exercise it.” – Taiichi Ohno, The “Ten Precepts”. The post Time to Return to Just-in-Time? appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Redstone Government Consulting

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

If you have Government contracts, you probably heard of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, but how much do you know of its parts? Why is it important to know? How could it possibly impact me?

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Data is the key to unlocking important insights that can inform decisions on and off the battlefield. But in order to glean these insights, organizations must process and analyze vast amounts of data, which can be a significant challenge.

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Government Contracts

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday allowed an immigration detention facility to escape a proposed class action accusing it of forcing detainees to work for as little as $1 per day after it argued it couldn't be sued under Georgia law.

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Whistleblower Network News

FEBRUARY 24, 2024

On February 13, Nick Ephgrave QPM gave his first public speech as Director of the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office (SFO), during which he expressed a desire to pay awards to financial fraud whistleblowers in the U.K. “I think we should pay whistleblowers,” said Ephgrave. The SFO and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have historically been resistant to the idea of whistleblower awards.

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SmallGovCon

MARCH 1, 2024

Hello, blog readers and happy Friday. Can you believe it’s already March? In just a few short weeks, spring will (finally) be here! We hope that you’re gearing up for a nice weekend. But before you punch out , let’s take a look at the-week that was. In this edition of the Week in Review, Congress passed a short term spending measure to avoid another government shutdown and a report was released citing that federal employee whistleblower complaints have dropped, and Congress is trying to improve

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GovCon Wire

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

The U.S. Space Force has announced its intention to erect a new field command: Space Futures Command. This wing of the service branch will scout, generate and assess cutting edge technologies and strategies that aid in the overall Space Force and Department of Defense missions.

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Government Contracts

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

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Federal News Network

MARCH 1, 2024

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 of a pilot project. GSA Chief Information Officer David Shive also says nobody at the agency intentionally misled the contracting officer into approving the purchases. GSA’s deputy inspector general, however, says officials in the agency’s Office of Digital Infrastructure Technologies (IDT) supplied the contracting officer with

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