Bipartisan Senate Passage of the VA Acquisition Reform and Cost Assessment Act
When Congress reforms acquisition policy, the language usually sounds polite. This bill didn’t bother. In early December 2025, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation led by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)—with support from Sens. Jim Banks, Angus King, Mark Warner, and Mike Rounds—aimed directly at one agency: the Department of Veterans Affairs. The target wasn’t […]
A new opportunity to solve government effectiveness problems
[ad_1] Terry Gerton I know IBM has long been a sponsor of research that offers practical solutions for government problems. You’ve got a new call for research proposals that’s out for 2025-2026. Tell us about that. What are the main objectives of the research for this cycle? Dan Chenok The IBM Center for the […]
A deep dive into government contracting
[ad_1] This week on Amtower Off Center, Kevin Plexico, SVP of Deltek, joins host Mark Amtower for a deep discussion on the current state of government contracting. Kevin Plexico, SVP, Information Solutions, Deltek Topics include: YTD contract activity vs FY 24, and how it has impacted spending The impact on SIs, VARs, small contractors and […]
Air Force meets reduced recruiting target months ahead of schedule
[ad_1] The Department of the Air Force met its fiscal 2025 recruiting targets several months ahead of schedule — after lowering its goal by 3,000 recruits due to budget constraints under a continuing resolution. Last September, the Air Force set an ambitious goal of bringing in 32,500 active-duty Airmen for fiscal 2025. But after Congress […]
Navigating the new era of federal acquisition: Insights from Vertosoft’s CEO
[ad_1] The federal government’s approach to acquisition is changing, driven by a push for consolidation, increased efficiency and greater accessibility for a broader range of vendors. Some of these changes are entirely new and others are reminiscent of past policies, but all are reshaping how agencies procure technology and services. Jay Colavita, CEO of Vertosoft, […]
Trump’s probationary period reforms cemented in OPM final rule
[ad_1] Trump’s probationary period reforms cemented in OPM final rule With OPM’s final rule, agencies can decide fire feds in their probationary period based broadly on agency needs, interests and “organizational goals.” Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED June 27, 2025 6:53 pm 4 min read Agencies officially have more leeway to fire federal employees in their probationary period, […]
New legal questions arise over ‘interested party’ status in bid protests
[ad_1] Terry Gerton: You’ve got a really interesting case for us this week that comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Tell us about Percipient. Dan Ramish: So, Terry, part of the proceeding that’s happening right now is an en banc rehearing in a bid protest case. This is a very […]
Some practical suggestions for those looking to make government more efficient
[ad_1] Terry Gerton Lots of government reformers want to make government run more like a business, but there are important reasons for the differences and important considerations when tackling the government efficiency conundrum. When we hear people coming in to reform government, they often start from a premise that the federal government should operate more […]
USPTO wants to push AI deeper into its processes
[ad_1] The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has already invested heavily in artificial intelligence capabilities. Its employees have access to several tools to review documents and reduce the burden on examiners for administrative and clerical tasks. Through a new request for information, the USPTO wants to accelerate its use of AI tools. In the RFI, […]
What happens when the agency secretary starts reviewing grants and contracts
[ad_1] Terry Gerton: You have been watching something that I think is really interesting happening kind of across the federal agencies now under the Trump administration, where each agency is undertaking a review of all of their contracts. That might be a good thing, but it could also be very confusing. Tell me what you […]