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DoD raises formal performance concerns on multibillion dollar moving contract

The Defense Department has issued a formal notice to the contractor on its multibillion dollar household goods moving contract using a compliance mechanism that’s typically reserved for situations in which the government has strong indications that a vendor is not performing according to the terms of the contract. The recent “show-cause” notice from U.S. Transportation Command […]

Designing for people with disabilities

The Public Experience Portfolio’s User Experience (UX) team consistently conducts research to evaluate various aspects of the program. We generally try to recruit a broad audience but also use a prequalification process to ensure diversity. Despite these efforts, we found we weren’t reaching the disability community as thoroughly as we would like. We decided to conduct […]

Financial management QSMO growing in use, providers

There are roughly 47 financial management systems that are considered in need of modernization. That is down from the 56 that needed updating in 2021. The reason for the improvements can directly be traced to the efforts by the Financial Management Quality Service Management Office. “The FM QSMO has really evolved into its role as […]

Acquisitions paused at GSA; Maybe the Army?

The General Services Administration has suspended any new GSA-funded obligations, including new awards, task and delivery orders, modifications and options until further notice. GSA acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian wrote in a memo from Jan. 24 that there are nine exceptions to this suspension of acquisitions. “This short-term pause will permit the new leadership to understand […]

SBA resets some small business goals for 2025

Agencies have some new small business contracting goals for fiscal 2025 and they are more in line with traditional targets. The Small Business Administration specifically reset the small disadvantaged business goals, requiring agencies to at least award 5% of all contracts to these firms. The SBA updated these goals on Jan. 24 assigning every agency […]

Industry laying low as DOGE digs into agencies

Over the first three weeks of the Trump administration’s “shock and awe” approach to reorder the government, contractors have been unusually quiet. From the canceling of contracts to efforts to reduce the federal workforce, industry and their associations haven’t publicly vocalized any broad concerns or offered any true opposition or support for the US DOGE […]

Deregulating to deliver best value mission support for the American people

Unfortunately, the last 30 years have seen the determined, inexorable re-regulation of commercial item contracting. As highlighted in previous blogs, the number and scope of unique federal clauses that now apply to commercial item contracts render the term “commercial item contracting” a contradiction in terms. The hurdles created by a highly regulated federal acquisition system […]

Making vote.gov accessible to all voters

Federal laws protect voting rights for people with disabilities, but many people with disabilities experience barriers to voting, leading to lower voting rates.  After the November 2022 midterm elections, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) estimated that if voters with disabilities had voted at the same rates as voters without disabilities, there would be around 2 […]