GovContracts Government Contracts & Procurement

GSA kills Oracle Schedule 70 contract

Travis Wheeler — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:17:59 +0000

The General Services Administration has canceled Oracle’s Schedule 70 contract, offering little explanation.

After reviewing the company’s GSA Schedule 70 contract, “it was determined that it was not in the best interest of the government to continue the contract,” Mary Davie, assistant commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service’s Office of Integrated Technology Services, said in a statement.

GSA officials would not provide more any details. However, a spokeswoman said April 19 the contract that has been canceled due to the company not meeting the terms of the contract. The GSA Schedules provide agencies an easy way to purchase commodities and some services. Schedule 70 is specifically for IT.

The cancellation takes effect May 17.

It doesn’t mean that Oracle won’t continue doing business with the government. It has other contracts. Mark Amtower, partner of Amtower and Company, said the GSA Schedule contract accounts for less than 7 percent of total government purchases. Oracle offers services through other avenues, such as NASA’s Solutions for Enterprisewide Procurements (SEWP) and other Defense Department indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts.

“Oracle losing its GSA contract is news, but don’t overlook these facts,” he wrote in a comment on Washington Technology’s initial story about the cancellation.

As a result of GSA’s cancellation, all blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) awarded against the contract will end. Existing task orders may continue through their set period of performance but agencies will be unable to exercise options to these task orders or place new orders.

Agencies can still buy Oracle’s software and software maintenance products through resellers with active IT schedule 70 contracts, Davie said.

GSA has notified agency customers through Federal Business Opportunities website and is contacting agencies with known BPAs directly.

Full article by Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week

Add WaveGen and DVM for Free

Ali Cheung — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:35:04 +0000

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Do you know your customers’ top 5 challenges?

Travis Wheeler — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:50:56 +0000

• Money. Although the government will still spend tens of billions of dollars on IT solutions and services this year, they are facing a more austere financial future. “Our customers are fixated on the dollars right now because change downward in budget is always hard, even if in percentage terms, it’s a fairly modest change,” said Neil Siegel, vice president and chief engineer of Northrop Grumman’s Technical and Engineering Group. To overcome this challenge, he and his team will “re-engineer the customer’s business processes to be better, and better in the sense of moving them to a new price-performance plateau that gives them more capability for materially less money,” said Siegel, noting that the strategy worked extremely well for him when the Defense Department experienced budget cuts in the aftermath of the Cold War.

• Transformation. Government not only needs streamlined, cost-efficient processes but it is constantly in need of new and better ways of accomplishing the mission. Tim Hoechst, co-founder and CTO of Agilex, said that being able to leverage the government’s full sets of data through advanced analytical techniques will be a game changer in terms of improving the value of government services, ferreting out fraud and reducing costs. Another technology strategy that Hoechst will employ is to address the transformation challenge in the “compute cloud,” which spreads the various application needs of a major solution across a cloud of computing resources. “The idea is that instead of buying high-end, specialized, expensive pieces of hardware, I can instead buy lots of little commodity machines and have them cooperate to solve hard problems,” he said.

• Oceans of data. H. Gilbert Miller, corporate vice president and CTO of Noblis, says there exists a growing need for high-performance computing resources to help organizations accomplish the complex analytics and modeling and simulation needed to successfully address what is often called the “oceans of data” problem. High-performance computing, whether using a supercomputer or clusters of computers that maximize processing power, can enable organizations to bring together disparate data that appears to have very little relationship and create actionable information. Areas especially ripe for this type of computing are national security, health care, climatology, aviation, finance and benefits and network resilience and security.

• Cyber vulnerability. The cyber threat to government networks and resources is much more profound than most people think, and “the commercial response to it has been, quite frankly, anemic,” said Neil Siegel, vice president and chief engineer for Northrop Grumman’s Technical and Engineering Group. As such, his company is focused heavily on developing government-specific cybersecurity solutions. “The government, and especially the military, has lots of special problems in this area,” he said. “And agency executives are really waking up to the depth and breadth of the cyber problem and they are going to want to see much more powerful answers than the market has provided to this point.”

• Going mobile. Hoechst notes that only a year ago, companies like his still had to convince agencies to take advantage of the growing availability of mobile devices. No longer. “They are now moving ahead adopting what is a fundamentally different technology at the fastest rate I’ve ever seen in government,” he said. However, challenges abound, not the least of which is the heterogeneous nature of the various mobile platforms and issues surrounding systems management, security and policy. “These are going to be important, interesting dimensions of the dialogue, but make no mistake: The dialogue is going to happen,” he said.

Full article by Heather Hayes, Washington Technology

Inside the critical bid/no bid decision

Travis Wheeler — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:31:04 +0000

Ask business development professionals what’s the key to determining whether or not to bid on a federal contract, and the one word answer you’ll hear most often is “knowledge.”

As Bob Lohfeld, CEO of the Lohfeld Consulting Group and a Washington Technology contributor, puts it, “the best informed win.”

“The single-most important factor in making a bid decision is how well we understand the customer, the customer’s requirements and objectives,” Lohfeld said. “The better we understand the customer, the more likely we are to win.”

Jerry Hogge, senior vice president of business development at QinetiQ North America, said, “To me, the most controlling factor in making business development pursuit decisions is how well we know the customer, how well we understand their requirements, both expressed and intangibles, and what kind of credibility or experience we’ve had with that customer.”

Equally important, you need to know the competition and its capabilities, Lohfeld said.

In other words, “You have to fight in your own weight class,” said Tony Crescenzo, COO at IntelliDyne LLC, a mid-size government consulting company. “Certainly if I get in a fistfight with Northrop Grumman or Lockheed [Martin] or SRA, I’m going to be picking up my teeth with broken fingers.”

“Playing the law of large numbers does not work for small and mid-size companies,” he said. “If you shoot at everything that moves, first of all you’re not going to hit a lot. And second of all, there’ll be a negative perception of you with the contracting shops that clearly you’re not well positioned.”

But small businesses especially might be tempted to use the scattergun approach as a way to join the industry. That was the thinking of Sandra Corbett, CEO of InCadence Strategic Solutions, a government consulting company she founded almost three years ago.

In this tight budget climate, she said new small businesses like hers should invest in a solid infrastructure and bid on as many contracts as they believe they could possibly win.

“The biggest pitfall is to make the mistake of not going after opportunities,” she said. “I feel we can’t afford not to.”

Corbett uses three key indicators in deciding whether to put her company’s time and resources into a bid effort. They all involve knowledge.

“No. 1, do we understand this work?” she said. “Do we have the current talent on staff to understand this technology? No. 2 is do we know this customer? Have we worked with this customer before? Do we understand what their mission is and the direction in which they are going?”

The third crucial determinant is bandwidth. “Is this a small proposal effort that we can accomplish with our internal team? Or is this a massive IDIQ set-aside for small business? If so, do we have the team in place to provide a compliant, compelling proposal?” Corbett said.

“If we don’t have those, it’s a pretty easy decision that we won’t go after it as a prime,” Corbett said, adding that she might however pursue the award as a subcontractor as part of another prime’s team.

“For me, bid decisions are made not as a single decision but as a series of decisions,” Lohfeld said. To help companies make rational decisions, he has created a scorecard, or check list.

“First, the opportunity has to fit our company strategically in the sense that there are certain things that we want to accomplish as a company,” he said. “Indeed, the opportunities that we pursue should be building blocks to help us accomplish our strategic objectives – not procurements that are one-offs and take our company in a different direction.”

Other check-off factors include: Do we understanding the client’s requirements? Can we create the right solution to meet the client’s objectives? Do we have the right teaming partners? Do we have the right management and technical teams in-house to carry out the work? How does the customer feel about us as a bidder? Do we know the competition and can we beat them? Will pursuing this contract help us achieve our financial objectives as a company?

If the bid process moves along successfully, “when the RFP is released it’s really a perfunctory exercise to make the bid decision,” Lohfeld said.

But contractors must be ready to shut down the process if the capture team is not making technical progress toward a viable bid and never take on a project that appears to be risky. The biggest warning sign of trouble is when “you just can’t get inside and understand what this customer wants. You’re unable to get insight,” he said.

Full article by David Hubler, Washington Technology

Emerging GSA scandal brings down top officials

Travis Wheeler — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:19:10 +0000

The General Services Administration’s top official abruptly resigned and her top deputies were fired or put on administrative leave Monday amid a breaking scandal that the White House chief of staff called “a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

In resigning, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson said she made a “significant mis-step” when her agency squandered taxpayer dollars on its annual training conference in Las Vegas in 2010.

“I feel I must step aside as administrator so that the agency can move forward at this time with a fresh leadership team,” Johnson wrote in her resignation letter.

Bob Peck, commissioner of the agency’s Public Building Service (PBS), and Johnson advisor Stephen Leeds were also removed from their positions.

Dan Tangherlini, the Treasury Department’s former assistant secretary for management, chief financial officer, and chief performance officer will take over for Johnson, according to GSA spokesman Greg Mecher.

Jack Lew, White House chief of staff, said in a statement that the administration acted quickly to discipline those responsible for the scandal.

“When the White House was informed of the inspector general’s findings, we acted quickly to determine who was responsible for such a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars. The president was informed before his trip to South Korea, and he was outraged by the excessive spending, questionable dealings with contractors, and disregard for taxpayer dollars,” Lew said.

GSA’s Public Buildings Service spent $822,000 on the biennial Western Regions Conference in Las Vegas for only 300 employees, according to an inspector general’s report.

The expenses included $147,000 for airfare and hotel lodging for six planning trips by conference organizers. That figure included $100,000 on two “scouting trips” and five off-site meetings and an additional $30,000 on catering costs for those trips, according to the report.

Among the other expenses were $3,200 for a mind reader; $6,300 on a commemorative coin set displayed in velvet boxes; and $75,000 on a training exercise to build a bicycle, according to the IG report, which was obtained by Federal Times.

GSA also promised the hotel an additional $41,480 in catering charges in exchange for the “concession” of the hotel honoring the government’s lodging limit.

The agency also spent $44 a person per breakfast and $95 per person for its closing reception dinner.

The agency also spent money on mementos for attendees, clothing for GSA employees and tuxedo rentals, according to the report.

House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., which oversees GSA’s Public Buildings Service, said he plans to hold a press conference Tuesday on the matter.

In addition to the resignations, the General Services Administration is placing four regional commissioners on administrative leave and is canceling all future western region conferences, according to GSA spokesman Greg Mecher.

GSA also said it will:

• Reduce all 2013 travel budgets for GSA Public Buildings Service (PBS) regional offices 7, 8, 9 and 10 and shift oversight of those regions’ budgets to PBS headquarters in Washington.

• Require mandatory annual training for all employees regarding conference planning and attendance.

• Strengthen contracting oversight for all conference-related activities.

Full article by Andy Medici, Federal Times

DOD needs simpler contracting processes, lawmakers told

Travis Wheeler — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:34:55 +0000

Congress and the Defense Department need to simplify the department’s confusing and burdensome acquisition regulations in order to make the jobs of the acquisition workforce and contractors easier, the House Armed Services Committee recommended in a new report.

In one recommendation, the report says DOD and Congress should embark on a comprehensive review of laws and regulations related to procurement. They then should attempt to amend or even repeal outdated regulations. In doing so, officials should consider whether a rule has had unintended consequences that outweigh its original purpose.

“This effort should be undertaken with an eye to simplifying and streamlining all aspects of the acquisition process and reducing the negative cost and schedule impacts,” according to the report released March 20.

The House committee’s Panel on Business Challenges Within the Defense Industry released the report after discussing acquisition issues with more than 150 people from government, industry, think tanks and academia.

The panel learned in those discussions that the acquisition rules are constantly changing and are extremely complicated. The result is unnecessary complexity, confusion, and poor execution, which only furthers challenges for the acquisition workforce, according to the report.

The Office of Management and Budget urged agencies on March 20 to take similar steps in an effort to avoid duplication among regulations. It even urged agency officials to talk to contractors and other experts before they issue a proposed rule.

DOD’s acquisition rules are off-putting to some companies, the panel wrote in its report.

“The plethora of regulations specific to government and defense contracting dissuades many companies from competing for government contracts,” the panel found.

The complexities also make it tough for the department’s acquisition workforce, which is going through a slow rebuilding process. Employees need a lot of training to understand the ins and outs of the acquisitions regulations and manage complex procurements, the panel wrote.

The workforce took a hit in the 1990s with a major reduction in its numbers. Nowadays, defense officials are attempting to rebuild it. They have hired a lot of new employees, dubbed by the panel as a “new-hire bulge.” Meanwhile many senior members are eligible for retirement.

“These parallel bulges constitute a ‘bathtub effect’ as mid-career personnel are not abundant enough to adequately replace the retirement bulge, nor provide for enough on-hands mentorship to the new-hire bulge,” the panel wrote.

DOD’s training now is very important, the panel added. Maturity in the job and higher education are keys to a strong workforce. It’s more than numbers.

Higher education equips acquisition workers with complex skill sets in finance, systems engineering, logistics, and operations management needed to administer large contracts and manage long-term technology projects.

In President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal, DOD requested $374 million in its acquisition workforce development fund for recruiting and hiring acquisition and only $120 million, or less than a third, for training and development of the workforce, the panel points out.

“Just as it takes many years to develop a military leader capable of commanding at the senior ranks of the operational force, it takes a similar amount of time to develop an acquisition professional with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to manage large defense acquisition efforts,” the panel wrote.

Full article by Matthew Weigelt, Washington Technology

Oscilloscopes Redefined

Ali Cheung — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:39:45 +0000

Oscilloscopes are redefined with Agilent’s breakthrough technology that delivers more scope for the same budget. The Agilent InfiniiVision 3000 X-Series offers entry-level price points to fit cusomter’s budget with superior performance and optional capabilities that are not available in any other oscilloscope in its class.

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Scope Smackdown: Agilent MSO-X 3054A vs. Tektronix MSO3054 Oscilloscopes

Michael Fox — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:55:41 +0000

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Technical Communities Names Elaine Ebner As Vice President of Sales/Market Development

Ali Cheung — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:02:13 +0000

Technical Communities, the company that technical organizations rely on for proven government contracting, marketing and sales solutions, announced that Elaine Ebner has joined the company as Vice President of Sales/Market Development.

Based in Technical Communities’ headquarters, Elaine Ebner is responsible for the strategic approach to the company’s business expansion of government advertising and direct marketing practices.

“I am excited about Elaine joining our team at Technical Communities. Her rich and deep background in advertising sales and sales management in the technology and B2B publishing industry will be valuable in the ongoing expansion and development of Technical Communities,” said Peter Ostrow, President and CEO of Technical Communities.

Prior to joining Technical Communities, Elaine was Sales Director for IDG’s PCWorld and Macworld brands responsible for key accounts such as HP, Intel, Acer, Fujitsu, CDW and Xerox. She was also instrumental in developing new initiatives needed for additional revenue streams such as custom content, lead generation, social media, and seasonal programs. Prior to that, Elaine worked in numerous roles at Ziff Davis properties including as Director of Corporate Sales and Integrated Media and as National Associate Publisher of PC Week. She has also been the Publisher of Upside Magazine and has experience selling technology solutions.

GSA moves forward with new professional services vehicle

Travis Wheeler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:12:02 +0000

The General Services Administration is moving ahead with a new contract vehicle for buying professional services.

Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Commissioner Steve Kempf approved the internal business case for the Integrations program earlier this month, according to GSA’s Integrations Blogger’s Blog on the agency’s “Interact” website.

While no dollar value has been attached to the contract’s ceiling, the government spent $79.5 billion on professional services during fiscal 2010, according to GSA data.

Integrations will be a multiple-agency indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. The Integrations contract is expected to include commercial and non-commercial services, that may include program management and consulting services. GSA is also considering having logistics services, professional engineering services and financial services on the menu. GSA is designing the contract vehicle to address needs for professional services that span several types of services that are often difficult to specify or quantify before making an award. However, the contract will elevate risk as a result, wrote Lisa McGuire, program manager for Integrations.

Mary Davie, assistant FAS commissioner for the Integrated Technology Service, said GSA’s Schedules program offers technology and other professional services on an a la carte basis. But agencies want more.

“Agencies have asked us to provide a total professional services solution, which often requires acquisition of multiple services across separate functional areas,” she wrote Feb. 21 on her Great Government Through Technology blog.

Davie said agencies want flexibility. About half of all government spending on complex integrated professional services in fiscal 2010 took place under cost-type contracts.

“That is why we are planning to include all task-order types in Integrations, including cost reimbursement,” she wrote.

Officials intend to make the acquisition process more flexible for all sorts of contract-type task orders and other direct costs at the task-order level, McGuire wrote.

At this point, the Integrations program team is working on a project schedule.

So far though, officials have said they are developing a customer working group, and, for industry, they plan to post draft documents for feedback as the working group meets. GSA wants to make the acquisition planning process to include input from industry and customers. GSA also has to register the contract vehicle with OMB’s MAX Federal website.

Full article by Matthew Weigelt, Washington Technology