NIST seeks partners for cybersecurity challenges

October 19, 2012 by Camille Tuutti

The federal agency tasked with developing measurements and standards is looking for companies to help solve pressing cybersecurity challenges in a new effort: the National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnerships.  CLICK HERE  for additional information.  

Army looks 30 years into future on acquisition, modernization

Thursday - 10/25/2012, 11:58am EDT By Jared Serbu

 

After spending 11 years focused almost exclusively on large counterinsurgency and stability operations in Afghanistan, the Army is thinking hard about what's next. Service leaders tasked with modernization and acquisition say that means they're now focused on the next few decades — not just the next few years.

 

Despite some serious criticism of Army procurement over the past couple of decades, the service's top acquisition official, Heidi Shyu, says by necessity, the intense tempo of war has led to huge achievements in rapidly deploying equipment and technology to the battlefield: everything from mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicles to state-of-the-art digital communications systems that replaced analog ones. But she argues just because the wars are winding down doesn't mean it's time to step back from acquisition.

 

CLICK HERE   for to read the complete story.

 

   

GSA to pare back supply schedules, grow strategic sourcing

The General Services Administration may consolidate its 31 Federal Supply Schedules into eight, a top agency official said Wednesday  CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article

Executive Order on Cyber security - White House draft cyber order promotes voluntary critical infrastructure protections Friday - 9/7/2012, 7:48pm EDT By Jason Miller CLICK HERE TO READ STORY    

Executive Order on Cyber security - The White House is circulating a draft of an executive order aimed at protecting the country from cyber attacks  CLICK HERE TO READ STORY

DoD opens bidding for secure mobile device project  Tuesday - 10/23/2012, 12:07pm EDT  By Jared Serbu  CLICK HERE TO READ STORY  

Agencies to cut billions in commodity IT spending Wednesday - 10/24/2012, 6:43am EDT  By Jason Miller  CLICK HERE TO READ STORY  

Wisconsin has a new publication for Wisconsin's Department of Defense contractors. The Wisconsin Defense Report is published by Capstone National Partners and is available at Wisconsin Defense Report site.

 

Defense procurement officials have added a clause to their contracts to get prime contractors to pay their small subcontractors faster, an effort the Obama administration is pushing. From FCW by Matthew Weigelt - Oct 16, 2012. To read the rest of the story CLICK HERE

 

OSHKOSH, Wis. (Oct. 17, 2012) — Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), and producer of light, medium and heavy tactical and armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, today celebrated the delivery of its 100,000th military vehicle. Oshkosh employees gathered to commemorate the accomplishment as the Company’s 100,000th vehicle, a MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV), rolled off the manufacturing line. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.

The Small Business Dilemma - a series by Federal News Radio

The federal government has missed its 23 percent small business contracting goal for the past six years. In our special report, The Small Business Dilemma, Federal News Radio explores the dynamics that make small business contracting a challenge for agencies - specifically the Defense Department, the government's biggest spender. We explore what the Pentagon is doing to increase opportunities for small firms and get best practices from agencies that are already creating big opportunities for small business. We also examine why agencies are struggling to find contractors in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones).
CLICK HERE  to read the 3 part series

Acquisition executives figuring out how to deal with budget woes

Wednesday - 10/3/2012, 6:00am EDT - by Jason Miller 1500 Federal Radio

 

Agency chief acquisition officers are not playing a big role in planning for sequestration or even future budget cuts.

 

An exclusive Federal News Radio survey of federal CAOs and senior procurement executives found 57 percent of the respondents said they are not preparing for smaller budgets.

 

Joe Jordan, the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said the survey responses weren't that surprising.

"With the budget situation overall, agencies have some good foreknowledge usually

into what their agency's budget will look like," Jordan said in an exclusive interview on In-Depth with Francis Rose. "The important thing is to make sure that planning is integral to the acquisition process overall, make sure agencies are doing good acquisition forecasting, creating robust plans and conducting the appropriate market research, so they can cast a wide net for new businesses that can deliver the goods and services they need in the best possible way."

 

CLICK HERE  to read the rest of the article