Contracting
The census shows what government does well — and what political interference could break, author argues
A university researcher who embedded in the Census Bureau ahead of the 2020 national headcount warns in a new book that President Donald Trump’s federal workforce reforms, paired with decades of “Jenga politics,” could put the next census at risk.
Labor has mostly stopped checking whether federal contractors are following disability rules
A watchdog found that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has no plans to restart routine audits, leaving less oversight of protections for workers with disabilities.
Lawmaker warns intelligence contractors' Trump ballroom donations may be scrutinized
Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, wants to examine whether contributions were tied to federal contracts or access to administration officials.
VA’s contracting crackdown gave some staff hours to do hundreds of reviews
VA's watchdog office noted these reviews happened quickly under strict deadlines, but generally complied with requirements for terminating contracts.
GSA claims it found $1.2B in suspected COVID-related contracting fraud
The agency previously said it found $13 billion in suspected procurement-related fraud and is investigating other sources of potential fraud.
Updated
‘I love to solve problems’: Awards program honors feds who improved the delivery of public services
The Service to the Citizen award recognizes public servants at the federal, state and local levels as well as contractors.
Musk should testify about overstated savings from DHS contract cancellations, Democrats argue
The Government Accountability Office reported that contract terminations pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency yielded a net of $92 million — much less than the Homeland Security Department’s public report of as much as $10.5 billion in potential savings.
Federal disability employment program faced widespread compliance problems, whistleblower investigation finds
The AbilityOne Commission countered that “many of the compliance concerns cited by [the Office of Special Counsel] occurred during periods of operational disruption, including the pandemic.”
DHS watchdog says Noem-era policy hampered probe into FEMA employees skipping homes with Trump signs
Auditors found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency also did not provide consistent Hatch Act training to employees.
Lawmaker warns of administration’s ‘fetishization’ of Silicon Valley startups
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., discussed his plans to scrutinize Trump-era contracting practices, revive federal IT oversight and push for AI policy.
Federal acquisition rewrite leaves cybersecurity confusion unresolved
COMMENTARY | As the government overhauls its procurement rulebook, contractors are still grappling with a persistent problem that shapes how they price, plan, and perform work: what information must be protected and who is responsible for identifying it.
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Federal acquisition overhaul moves from plan to proposed rules
The long-awaited rewrite effort is entering its next phase, with changes affecting everything from contract protests to security requirements.
Legislative proposal would eliminate contracting preferences for minority, women-owned businesses
The bill would codify and expand on Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal contracting.
OMB seeks details from agencies on their commercial buying, or lack thereof
A new White House budget office memo also outlines what agencies have to do if they want to go down the non-commercial contracting route and who has the approval power over it.
Contractors sue to block Trump’s federal DEI executive order
The lawsuit alleges minority-owned businesses are being forced to trade their First Amendment rights for federal contracts.
IBM agrees to pay $17.1M in first big test of new federal contractor DEI rules
The settlement marks an early signal of how the Justice Department plans to interpret and enforce recently reshaped contractor requirements, with implications for companies doing business with the federal government.
Federal contractor DEI initiatives singled out in latest Trump executive order
Trump’s anti-diversity directives already impacted contractors, but the new order imposes additional requirements.
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Justice Department alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
Kristi Noem misled Congress about top aide’s role in DHS contracts
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Noem denied that Corey Lewandowski had any role in approving contracts. But internal DHS records and interviews with current and former agency staffers contradict her testimony.
Why federal acquisition must adapt to survive
COMMENTARY | In a world where the only constant is change, failure to adapt equals extinction.
