ODCs vs Indirect Costs vs Direct Labor: Finally Explained Like You’re Five
Ever sat in a government contracts meeting where someone casually tossed out the terms “ODCs,” “indirect costs,” and “direct labor,” and you nodded along like you totally got it—but had zero clue what anyone was talking about? You’re not alone. Federal contracting is a world with its own language. It’s like going to a party where everyone […]
FDA seeks contractors to replace dozens of feds laid off two weeks ago
The Food and Drug Administration is putting together plans to hire contractors to replace the duties of some federal employees terminated two weeks ago. FDA’s reduction in force (RIF) in early April included the elimination of all employees who worked on coordinating travel plans and logistics for FDA inspectors. About one week after FDA announced […]
Two EOs continue biggest overhaul of federal acquisition since 1990s
The Trump administration is attempting to reshape the federal acquisition process in a way that hasn’t been seen since the 1990s. Not since Congress and the Clinton administration passed two seminal bills, the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act (FARA), into law has there been an effort to modernize and […]
NAVWAR using Catapult to find SBIR technologies faster
The Navy’s Catapult program is finding success in bridging the “valley of death” in the small business innovation research program. The initiative is a path for Navy commands or organizations to find previous SBIR awardees and take advantage of their technologies today. Shadi Azoum, the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command’s program manager for the small […]
HUD headquarters up for sale, as Trump administration downsizes federal office space
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is planning to move out of its downtown Washington, D.C. headquarters, as the Trump administration plans for a massive downsizing of federal office space. The General Services Administration is once again adding HUD’s headquarters, the Robert C. Weaver Building, to a growing list of federal buildings marked for […]
What contractors need to do now to prepare for terminations for convenience
When the government terminates a contract for convenience, the contractor has certain rights and responsibilities. To find out how contractors can prepare in the current environment, Federal News Network’s Terry Gerton spoke with Rogers Joseph O’Donnell contract attorney, Stephen Bacon, on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, to find out more about what contractors should […]
IRS axes flexible work schedules, rejects many ‘deferred resignation’ applications
The IRS gave employees another chance to accept a “deferred resignation” offer and leave the federal workforce later this year. But the agency is preventing many employees from accepting the offer because their work is deemed “critical” to its operations. The IRS is exempting some enforcement personnel, but these exemptions are not across the board. […]
Combating collusive fraud in procurement
This week’s Off the Shelf focuses on the mission of the Department of Justice’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (the PCSF). The PCSF is charged with coordinating the national response to antitrust and related crimes in procurement and grant programs at the federal, state and local levels. Daniel Glad and Sandra Talbott, Procurement Collusion Task Force […]
What the Heck is a Technical Assistance Agreement?
Let’s be real. If you’ve ever sat in a meeting about international collaboration, someone probably muttered the words technical assistance agreement like it was a casual formality. But it’s not. It’s a big deal. And if you don’t understand what it is—or worse, if you ignore it—you might be one step away from making a very expensive […]
10 Unsettling Truths About Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Automation in Federal Contracts
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Automation in Federal ContractsAlright, so here we are, smack dab in a world where the U.S. federal government, the slow-moving behemoth of bureaucracy, is suddenly obsessed with algorithms, machine learning, and automation. It’s weird. And kind of thrilling. Contracts that used to be awarded over months of coffee-fueled handshakes and file […]