Contract Management articles from December 2002

Contract Management archives from December 2002

Reader response corner.
December 1, 2002... Kudos to CM An excellent Part I in the series on "The Contract Manager as Problem-Solver," by Michael Tim Winn (Contract Management, August 2002), particularly the section given to germinating ideas. Overall, a disciplined approach to...

Learning to manage change. (President's Forum).
December 1, 2002... "Surely there's got to be a better way!" We've all said it and sometimes we have even found a better way. However, a better way means change, and change can include confusion, misunderstanding, and a sense of insecurity. A couple of weeks...

Workplace ethics: it starts with you. (Professional Development).
December 1, 2002... Ethics--a word that should have new meaning today, after some of the country's major business executives have made headline stories. Ethics can be defined as how one deals with customers, employees, co-workers, and business practices....

Private industry and GSA together: smoothing out the ride in the "ups and downs" business.
December 1, 2002... The U.S. General Services Administration recently overhauled its elevator maintenance and repair program, enlisting industry's help. A strategic partnership emerged, with "lessons learned" and good practices for general contract imitation. ...

Wrestling with real: understanding and dealing with common fears and misunderstandings about requests for equitable adjustments can help contractors seek compensation for customer-driven changes.
December 1, 2002... Doing business with the federal government' almost guarantees an encounter with a "request for equitable adjustment" (REA). An REA occurs when a customer changes a contract in a way that affects the contractor's cost or schedule performance....

Deliverables: on-track, on-budget, and as-promised: can't be possible with software, right? Public and private sector organizations have done it, implementing contract management software. Here are two case studies to prove it.
December 1, 2002... A Tale of Two Distinct Organizations So, what's the difference between a public sector organization and an established railway? A lot. Each organization has its unique ways of operating to begin with, but adding a different governance...

PBSA at the Pentagon.
December 1, 2002... Acquisition in the federal government is in the midst of an immense change. Contracting for services is increasing, as are outsourcing and the technological complexity of requirements. Further, as agency procurement budgets have declined,...

Adding value across the spectrum of enterprise technologies: realize the significant benefits of optimizing the contract management process through enhanced contract management technology.
December 1, 2002... Computer technology has rapidly expanded from being used primarily for storing vast amounts of transactional data to managing an enterprise's complex information in a systematic and comprehensive manner. While this computing evolution has...

The FAR'S commercial flexibility: when using simplified acquisition procedures, contracting professionals must ensure that the procedures are just that--straightforward, with minimal requirements to determine the winner.
December 1, 2002... Imagine you are a contracting professional who works for the federal government. Across your desk comes a new requirement for several million dollars worth of commercial items and services. How do you get these items into the hands of your...

Preparing for Y2K -- what the government did right: flashback to that anticipated day in history. Here few reasons why nothing catastrophic really happened.
December 1, 2002... For those preparing for the Y2K rollover, major efforts were expended at all levels. Congress mandated that preparations begin two years in advance, but the majority of testing was completed in the last six months before January 1, 2000. A...

Performance-based contracting: the usaid experience; performance-based contracting can be very useful in overseas development projects, if done properly and with sensitivity to trilateral cultural and procurement relationships.
December 1, 2002... The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implements many of its foreign sustainable development programs through long-term technical assistance contracts to U.S. contractors. The basic premise in the implementation of...

Sovereignty and risk allocation. (Case Commentary).
December 1, 2002... In the fall of 1995, jousting between the executive and legislative branches of the government resulted in the absence of appropriations to fund government fiscal year 1996. The result was a government shutdown on and after December 15, 1995,...

A compilation of procurement news affecting Small Business. (Small Business Briefs).
December 1, 2002... * Contract Bundling Continues to Grow A report released by the Office of Advocacy in the Small Business Administration (SBA) faults the new data collection process used by the federal government to track contract bundling. That process...

Changing paradigms for the times. (Book Review).
December 1, 2002... Leading Change by John P. Kotter Published by Harvard Business School Press, 1996, 187 pp. $24.95 Leading Change provides a detailed roadmap for business leaders interested in orchestrating change throughout their organization. ...

Integrating business software for cost savings. (Case Study).
December 1, 2002... Implementing an integrated business software that automates many previously-manual tasks can dramatically reduce administrative costs and improve the growth of a company. Here is a case of a contractor who saved thousands of dollars for a firm...

Outside the box, the contract designed for you. (E-Business).
December 1, 2002... Contract administration increasingly includes the "drafting" as well as the "reviewing" of contract documents. Quickforms, founded by John A. Newman (an attorney who provides the text) and Thomas R. Mielke (who provides the coding), claims to...

Legislation. (Final Edition).
December 1, 2002... Bill Providing Risk-Sharing and Indemnification for Government Contractors Introduced in Senate Senator John Warner has introduced a bill in the Senate to provide risk-sharing and indemnification for government contractors supplying...

Regulations. (Final Edition).
December 1, 2002... DOD, GSA, and NASA Issue Proposed Rule Regarding Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration' (NASA) have issued a...

CM 2003 editorial calendar.
December 1, 2002... April Articles Due: Jan. 1, 2003 E-Business Wireless technology, paperless office, procurement, information technology, smart cards, on-line catalogues, auctions and reverse auctions, buying consortiums, on-line collaboration,...

Outstanding contributions in education. (Association News).
December 1, 2002... NCMA's National Education Award goes to a person who has made Outstanding contributions to the profession through major education efforts. Any of the following would be reason for award. Activities or contributions to the profession that *...

Top volunteer leaders serving our association. (Association News).
December 1, 2002... A past national president and one of the founding members of NCMA, Albert Berger knew that dedicated leaders are the foundation of a successful professional association. He had a high regard for those who offered a lifetime of leadership and...

Chapter bulletin board. (Association News).
December 1, 2002... Caption: FORT MON MOUTH AREA CHAPTER The chapter held a member appreciation day at the riverside Olde Union House, where they presented scholarships, inducted new officers, and held a luncheon. The luncheon speaker, Dr. Henry B. King, MBA,...