House panel looks at reforming DoD acquisition process
A new panel in the House Armed Services Committee will look at reforming the acquisition process inside DoD.
Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) says the vice chairman of the committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), will lead the panel. DoD's acquisition process takes a lot of criticism. But some parts of it should be a model for other agencies to use. Bill Greenwalt, a visting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, testified to a subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee about how DHS could apply some lessons learned from the Pentagon. He talks about what he told the subcommittee.
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Acquisitions Chiefs Describe Effects of Budget Uncertainty
By Claudette Roulo - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2013 – With assessments ranging from “sobering” to “painful,” acquisitions chiefs from each of the military services yesterday described the devastation being wreaked upon their branches by sequestration and the continuing resolution.
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EPA REGION 5 SMALL BUSINESS CONFERENCE
November 6, 2013 in Chicago, IL
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Q&A with FAS Commissioner Tom Sharpe

He will talk about the Federal Acquistion Service's Value Proposition and speciific programs such as IT GWACs, assisted services and multiple award schedules.

Sharpe will also go into detail about category management, explaining what it is, and what it means for FAS and its industry partners.

CLICK HERE to listen to the interview

Comptroller: Shutdown Cost DOD $600 Million in Productivity
By Claudette Roulo -  American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 – Furloughs of civilian employees as a result of the government shutdown cost the Defense Department at least $600 million in productivity, the Pentagon’s top financial officer said today.  CLICK HERE for the story

DOD moves to shore up obsolete parts pipeline
DOD logistics planners are taking further steps to cope with diminishing sources of spare parts.
With declining number of manufacturers supplying the Pentagon and other federal agencies with spare parts, the Defense Logistics Agency has moved to shore up its “Diminished Manufacturing Sources Shared Data Warehouse” program. The cluster of web-based database applications is designed to link unconnected sources of information about obsolete parts, declining manufacturing sources and material shortages.
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GSA extends OASIS deadline to Oct. 30
Businesses will have until Oct. 30 to submit proposals for the General Services Administration’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) request for proposals, according to an Oct. 17 notice on Fed Biz Opps.

The First Destination Transportation and Packaging Initiative (FDTPI) supports the 2010-2017 Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Plan to leverage industry capabilities, and realize process excellence by balancing efficiency and effectiveness. FDTPI is an enterprise-wide initiative to reduce acquisition costs for eligible procurements and gain other efficiencies by leveraging the government’s negotiating clout and inherent economies of scale within targeted supply chains. Currently, FDTPI targets primarily Class IX material as well as some Class IV and VII materials. Aviation, Construction and Equipment, Industrial Hardware, Land and Maritime are the supply chains participating in FDTPI at the present time.  CLICK HERE for additional information.           

Defense Budget Picture Begins to Take Shape  
October 2013 by Lt. Gen. Lawrence P. Farrell, Jr., USAF (Ret) - president National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
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Government shutdown, spending cuts pinch businesses in Wisconsin  By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel
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No. 2 at Pentagon, Ashton Carter, stepping down as deputy defense secretary
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REGISTER NOW
MARKETPLACE 2013 - TEAMING FOR SUCCESS
October 15 -16, 2013 - Milwaukee, WI
An opportunity for small, minority, woman, veteran, MBE, WBE, DVB, 8(a), SDB, WOSB, EDWOSB, HUBZone, SDVOB, VOB, DBE, EBE, or SBE
to LEARN, NETWORK, participate in ONE ON ONE MEETINGS with government agency and prime representatives and locate TEAMING PARTNERS to
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VA retains the decider role over veteran-owned status protests
The Veterans Affairs Department decided to remain the final decider on all acquisition protests to whether a company is a service-disabled veteran small business, a veteran-owned small business or not.
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Contractors Start to Feel the Shutdown Pain
As the government shutdown drags on, contractors both large and small are raising alarms about ripple effects on their workforces and cash flow that threaten to worsen if the budget stalemate continues.
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Wisconsin delegation reacts to shutdown with dismay, disgust 

By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel
Read more from Journal Sentinel: CLICK HERE

National Contract Management Association (NCMA) summarized a number of changes / proposed changes post October 1:

• DOD Proposes to Increase Protections for Personally Identifiable Information - 10/02/2013
• DOD, GSA, and NASA Expand the Definition of “Contingency Operation” - 10/02/2013
• DOD, GSA, and NASA Propose to Shorten Contractor Comment Period on Past Performance Evaluations - 10/02/2013
• DOD, GSA, and NASA Standardize Past Performance Evaluations - 10/02/2013
• DOS Amends ITAR Brokering Regulations - 10/02/2013
• GSA Proposes to Increase Standards for Non-FAR Acquisition of Transportation Services - 10/02/2013
• House Introduces Bill to Implement Information Security Requirements for Federal Procurements - 10/02/2013
• House Passes Bill Requiring Congressional Approval of Major Rule Changes to Federal Regulations - 10/02/2013
• Senate Introduces Bill to Force Federal Contractors to Disclose Corporate Owners - 10/02/2013

Nearly 200 furloughed at 128th Refueling Wing due to shutdown CLICK HERE

Government shutdown will affect southeastern Wisconsin  CLICK HERE

Shutdown to Freeze DoD Contracting  CLICK HERE

Government shutdown shutters refuge, furloughs military employees - Juneau Times - CLICK HERE

Fort McCoy to furlough 900 civilian workers - Leader-Telegram -  CLICK HERE

3 Wisconsin firms land $62 million in defense contracts  CLICK HERE for details

66 questions and answers about the government shutdown  CLICK HERE for details

Agency-by-agency shutdown guidance  CLICK HERE for details