Contract Management articles from April 2003

Contract Management archives from April 2003

Reader response corner.
April 1, 2003... Proposals as Corporate Stress Tests Backed by 25 years of consulting experience to DOD, NASA, and aerospace contractors, I fully agree with every point Tim Whalen made in his hard-hitting and too-brief Best Practices article, "Proposals as...

Working positively with negative people. (Professional Development).
April 1, 2003... We all deal with negative people in the workplace, which can make a difficult job even more frustrating. While your tendency might be to avoid them, this is often impossible in a team environment. What if you're required to cooperate with...

DOD contracting in an electronic age: new technical capabilities, increased data demands, and political forces have pushed the U.S. Department of Defense to be more responsive to Congress, the taxpayer, and the warfighter.
April 1, 2003... How many times do you rely on your word processor when writing solicitations and contract actions? How many site-unique provisions and clauses do you use in your work? Do you make "pen and ink" changes to documents because the contract writing...

CM software--a key e-business ingredient: orgnaizations can increase their efficiency significantly by including contract management software as part of their e-business strategy.
April 1, 2003... During the dot.com craze, the term "e-business" was showcased in the media as the savior of business as we know it. While the same term is now viewed with extreme caution and skepticism, the reality is that well-implemented e-business truly can...

Best security practices for contract systems: security measures (and policies and procedures) need to be flexible and not overly rigid. Otherwise, their value may be diminished by unneeded operational constraints and impediments.
April 1, 2003... Enterprise application systems found in most government organizations, government contracts, and commercial companies will include management systems for human resources, financial management, and contract and procurement. The data stored...

The benefits and challenges of telework--implementing a program: find the most effective program for you by taking an assessment of employer and employee capabilities for handling telework. (Part Three of a Three-Part Series).
April 1, 2003... This article is the last of a series exploring the benefits and challenges of telework--work that is performed at a site other than the usual employer's office location. The work might be performed in the employee's home, at an employer's...

Performance-based service contracting for information technology requirements.
April 1, 2003... A PBSC can be used effectively to secure many IT services. However, preparation can be a difficult process in practice, since it requires providing many specific points of information and defining meaningful performance. The...

Toward a total federal e-acquisition solution: why GSA's Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) is an important, yet separate component of agency e-acquisition systems.
April 1, 2003... At least 10, and likely many more, federal government agencies are currently implementing e-acquisition systems in order to improve and streamline their acquisition operations. At the same time, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is...

Managing contracts and projects as a team. (Information Technology).(Upside Software offers UpsidePMO and UpsideContract products)
April 1, 2003... This product was reviewed in January 2003. Organizations spend tremendous energy in team building. The team's challenges become very complex when systems and processes are not aligned, causing information disparit and duplication of effort....

Indefinite quantity termination. (Case Commentary).(Wyoming Refining Co. contract)
April 1, 2003... In the transition from JP-4 jet fuel to JP-8, Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) urged potential suppliers to modify their facilities to refine the new fuel, and recognized that capital improvements to the plants and facilities would have to...

Small-size standard. (Small Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed to increase the current size standard for North American Industry Classification System code 561210 (facilities support services) from $6 million to $30 million (Federal Register,...

Contract bundling. (Small Business Briefs).
April 1, 2003... The SBA, Civilian Agency Acquisition Council, and Defense Acquisition Regulation Council have proposed changes to SBA's regulations and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (Federal Register, January 31, 2003), in response to recommendations made...

Federal procurements in support of Homeland Security. (Small Business Briefs).
April 1, 2003... The FAR Council has issued an interim rule with request for comments to implement Sections 852-856 and 858 of the Homeland Security Act (Public Law 107-296 (Federal Register, January 27, 2003, effective January 24, 2003). The changes cover...

State and local government purchasing. (Small Business Briefs).
April 1, 2003... The GSA has proposed to amend its Acquisition Regulation to implement Section 211 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Federal Register, January 23, 2003). The proposed rule would create a new GSAR subpart 538.70 and open the Federal Supply...

Federal COTS purchases. (Small Business Briefs).(commercially available off-the-shelf)
April 1, 2003... An advanced notice of proposed rulemaking solicited comments from interested parties on whether provisions of law should be made inapplicable to contracts for acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items (Federal Register,...

It's all about relationships: "collaborate, collaborate, collaborate". (Book Review).(book review, written by Janice Twombly and Jeffrey Shuman )
April 1, 2003... Everyone Is a Customer: A Proven Method for Measuring the Value of Every Relationship in the Era of Collaborative Business By Jeffrey Shuman and Janice Twombly (with David Rottenberg) Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2002, 240 pp. ISBN...

Making cases for using GSA's e-Buy. (GSA Case Study).(legal case studies)
April 1, 2003... The following case studies--and concluding practical tips--were developed to provide readers with inside, firsthand information about e-Buy, the on-line REQ program recently launched by GSA. Case Study #1 Heidiann Arnold is a civilian...

Bill regarding purchases from Federal Prison Industries introduced in Senate. (Legislation).(introduced by Carl Levin)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Senator Carl Levin has introduced a bill in the Senate, which, if enacted, would amend the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (OFPPA) (41 U.S.C. (Section) 403 et seq.) to require competition in the procurement of any product that is...

Bill regarding discrimination in federally funded projects introduced in house. (Legislation).(introduced by J.D. Hayworth)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Representative J.D. Hayworth has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives titled "Open Competition and Fairness Act of 2003." If enacted, the bill would amend (Section) 8(e) (Enforceability of Contract or Agreement to Boycott Any Other...

Bill regarding contracting with companies not in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act, certification requirements introduced in house. (Legislation).(introduced by Representative Ted Strickland)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Representative Ted Strickland has introduced a bill in the House of representatives titled "Responsibility in Federal Contracts Act." If enacted, the bill would prohibit the federal government from entering into contracts with any company that...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding general provisions of FAR cost principles. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have issued a proposed rule to amend the general provisions of the cost principles in the Federal Acquisition...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding debriefing unsuccessful offerors under competitive proposals. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a proposed rule to amend the FAR to implement sections of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) with regard to the debriefing of unsuccessful offerors under competitive proposals. The proposed rule...

DOD issues final rule regarding emergency acquisitions. (Regulations).(U.S. Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD has issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to allow certain emergency acquisitions in direct support of U.S. or allied forces deployed in a country or region subject to economic...

DOD issues interim rule Regarding Contractor Performance of Security-Guard Functions at military installations or facilities. (Regulations).(U.S. Department of Defense rules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD has issued an interim rule amending the DFARS to provide temporary authority for contractors to perform any security-guard functions at military installations and facilities in excess of those in place on September 10, 2001. This...

DOD issues interim rule regarding Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment requests. (Regulations).(U.S. Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD has issued an interim rule amending the DFARS to implement Section 1008 (Plan for Electronic Submission of Documentation Supporting Claims for Contract Payments) of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year...

DOD issues proposed rule regarding alternative payment protections for fixed-price construction subcontracts. (Regulations).(U.S. Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend DFARS Part 228 (Bonds and Insurance) to allow the use of alternative payment protections or for construction subcontracts over $25,000 but not exceeding $100,000 issued under cost-reimbursement...

DOD issues proposed rule regarding contractor liability for loss or damage under vessel repair and alteration contracts. (Regulations).(U.S. Department of Defense proposed rule)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The DOD has issued a proposed rule that would amend the DFARS to increase a contractor's liability under vessel repair and alteration contracts. Currently, the clause in DFARS Part 252 (Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses) holds a...

SBA issues proposed rule regarding contract bundling. (Regulations).(U.S. Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations to implement recommendations from a report drafted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) titled "A Strategy for Increasing Federal Contracting...

Announcing a National Achievement award winner. (Association News).(from National Contract Management Association)
April 1, 2003... The National Achievement Award gives special recognition to those volunteers who make notable contributions in such areas as educational product development, a unique NCMA advocacy program, promotion of the certification program, or any other...

Presenting the new CFCMs. (Association News).(at National Contract Management Association)
April 1, 2003... "Certification is the key to professionalism" NCMA is proud to present the newest Certified Federal Contracts Managers (CFCMs)! These individuals passed the November 15, 2002, examination, which was administered at sites throughout the...

New chapter is chartered: NCMA welcomes old dominion. (Association News).(Old Dominion Chapter celebrates new charter)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Old Dominion Chapter celebrated its new charter on February 12, 2003. Officially granted in June 2002, the official chartering ceremony took place to induct the new officers and present the charter document. This chapter submitted its...

CM 2003 editorial calendar.(contract management calender)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... August--Articles Due: May 1, 2003 Contract Law and Negotiations Information security, digital signatures, online contracts, online payment, taxation of online commerce, mediation, arbitration, limited liability corporations, contract...