GovCon Insights September 27, 2011: Shutdown Now Unlikely; DOD/Contractor Cybersecurity Pilot Extended; CIA Contractor Killed in Kabul
Senate leaders announce bipartisan agreement to avert government shutdown [Washington Post] – The Senate passed a bipartisan bill that will fund the federal government until November 18 in a deal expected to be ratified by the House next week. The agreement to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) less money than Democrats had sought and to take away spending cuts that Republicans wanted was reached after FEMA said it had enough money to make it through the week.
Pentagon extends program to defend cyber networks [AP] – Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn says the promising results of a pilot program involving sharing cybersecurity information between the Pentagon and around 20 contractors has led to it being extended until mid-November. The military is considering broadening the program to more contractors and subcontractors.
Attack on Kabul CIA office kills agency contractor [Forbes/AP] – A Sunday gun attack on a Central Intelligence Agency office in Kabul, Afghanistan, by an Afghan working for the U.S. government killed an American contractor.
GovWin Recon Roundup, Week Ending Sept. 23, 2011 [GovWin] – The impact of President Obama’s deficit-cutting planon government contractor tax bills and executive salaries and the hack on the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries were among the major government contracting stories last week. The end of the week saw the first votes on fiscal year 2012 budget proposals.
Lockheed cuts 540 jobs, about 215 in Marietta [Atlanta Business Chronicle] – Lockheed Martin has slashed 540 jobs in its aeronautics unit to better the affordability of its products and increase operational efficiency. The layoffs are part of 1,500 planned for the unit.
GovWin Opportunity Review, Sept. 26, 2011: Health and Human Services Opps for 8(a) and Other Small Firms; MEDWeek Preview [GovWin] – This week’s opportunities include 8(a) firms for VTrcks software work and construction at branches of the Department of Health and Human Services. Also, see a preview of potential contractor benefits by attending the MEDWeek conference for minority businesses.
Earned Value Management: Acronym Cheat Sheet [GovWin] – Blogger Lindley Ashline provides a list of commonly used acronyms used in earned value management (EVM).
Federal watchdogs a good bargain, report says [Washington Post] – A Government Accountability Office study [PDF] finds that the approximately 60 federal inspector generals found $43.3 billion in savings in fiscal 2009. Their work led to 4,400 suspensions and debarments of contractors in 2009.
Increased buying activity as the federal fiscal year winds down [GovPro] – Diane Denholm, a former contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR), has seen more activity on FedBizOpps and the General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedule and technology contracts as the fiscal year draws to a close. She recommends contractors put together easy-to-read and well-organized proposals to get the attention of super-busy contracting offices.
America’s Government Contracting Bonanza Bilks Taxpayers [POGO Blog] – Project on Government Oversight (POGO) senior writer Beth Schulman suggests the federal government justified the great growth in contracting by the fact that contractors are paid less than civil servants. She said it should have considered contractor billing ratesand should determine the overall, real cost of every contracted hire compared with the overall, real cost of hiring a public servant in making future decisions.
Vaxin plans to hire up to 12 after landing anthrax vaccine contract [Birmingham Business Journal] – Vaxin won a $21.7 million Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority contract to develop its AdVAV anthrax vaccine. The company, which saw its staff fall to as low as five people, will hire 10 to 12 people in the next 30 to 60 days because of the award.
SAIC Takes On Google With Speech Translation Apps [InformationWeek] – The acquisition of AppTek has led government contractor SAIC to delve into the commercial and consumer market for machine translation technology. It is developing an iPhone app to let people speak into their phones and have translations relayed back, and an iPad app to provide English-Spanish translation for public health officials.
Boeing says Japan could produce F-18 under license [Reuters] – Boeing states that Japanese defense contractors may produce around 75 percent of the F/A 18 Super Hornets under license if the government chooses Boeing’s bid in the potentially $8 billion competition. The company says it has an advantage in the combat aircraft competition because of the planned outsourcing to Japanese companies, competitive pricing and ability to deliver on time.
Today’s GovCon Cons
Sentenced: Bribe & Drug Plot Gets Army Captain 10 Years [Courthouse News Services] – Former Army reserve caption Sidharth Handa was sentenced to 10 years in prison for soliciting $1.3 million in bribes to let Afghan contractors skirt the competitive bidding process. He was also planning to sell Southeast Asian heroin.
DOD Contract Announcements
Contract Announcements for September 26, 2011 [Defense.gov] – Lockheed Martin took Air Force contract modifications of $94.8 million for the Space Based Infrared System high component and $24.4 million for the F-22 program, as well as a $12.2-million contract to upgrade the two existing highly elliptical orbit (HEO) strings on HEO satellites.
The Navy handed out small business contracts of $8.1 million to Ehresmann Engineering for telecommunication monopole towers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Corona, Calif., and $8 million to Raass Brothers for repair and renovation of warehouse buildings at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. See the full announcement for more details and other awards.
Federal Register Updates
Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Only One Offer (DFARS Case 2011-D013) – The DOD is proposing to force contracting officers to resolicit for at least 30 days for competitive acquisitions in which only one offer is received and to determine prices to be fair and reasonable through price or cost analysis or enter negotiations with the offeror after the 30-day period. Comments will be accepted until October 7.
Membership of the Defense Contract Audit Agency Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board – DOD is announcing new members of the Defense Contract Audit Agency Performance Review Boards. The boards provide fair and impartial review of Senior Executive Service performance appraisals and make recommendations to the director regarding final performance ratings and performance awards.
Notice of Debarment: Manheim, Inc. – The Department of Labor is debarring Manheim Auctions Government Services for refusing to permit the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs access to its facilities and otherwise permit the office to conduct and complete a compliance review.
Hopefully It Has More Than a Five-Cent Deposit
US Defense Department offers Boeing 747 for scrap metal [MetalBulletin] – DOD contractor Government Liquidationwill put a Boeing 747-122 cargo aircraft up for auction next month to be scrapped and recycled.
FEMA Could Not Avert This Shutdown
Washington Monument closed indefinitely [Washington Post] – Contractor Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates has completed its interior inspection of the Washington Monument and found more extensive earthquake damage than previously disclosed, which is keeping the monument closed indefinitely. Its “difficult access team,” with the help of a mountaineering and rope-rigging ranger from Denali National Park, will now conduct a block-by-block inspection of the exterior while suspended by ropes.
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