Contract Management articles from June 2002

Contract Management archives from June 2002

Reader response corner.(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2002... A Request to CM Authors--More Concrete Application I am a relative newcomer to the NCMA fold. Over the past half-year, I have been diligently reading each monthly issue of CM and have noticed a large percentage of the articles pertain to...

Revitalizing NCMA certification. (President's Forum).(National Contract Management Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The greatness of an organization is not determined in times of prosperity when everything is going just right. The true test of greatness comes in times of turmoil and crisis. NCMA has not been immune to the impact of the September 11 attack on...

Who's afraid of reverse auctions? reverse auctions offer real-time access to the marketplace, increase competition, lower costs, and save time. So what are you waiting for?
June 1, 2002... While much has been written about reverse auctions, questions still abound. For example, a recent article title asked, "Do Reverse Auctions Violate FAR 15.307(b)?" (1) Another article's subhead asked if reverse auctions are "the wave of the...

E-commerce in the federal marketplace.(Industry Overview)
June 1, 2002... By studying the private sector's electronic commerce successes and failures, government procurement professionals can harness new tools to improve the federal acquisition process. For the past several years, "acquisition reform" has been...

The "right" stuff: business success today not only requires that companies take advantage of new technologies, but that they carefully select and implement them, too.
June 1, 2002... The current economic conditions, coupled with cutbacks in technology budgets, are putting tremendous pressure on information technology (IT) managers and department heads to select and implement the "right" software packages. A successful...

Public E-procurement: policy and practice; E-procurement initiatives vary greatly among federal, state, and local agencies, Emerging best practices and lessons learned may benefit future efforts.(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... By 2005, federal, state, and local government e-procurement and online purchasing is expected to exceed $285 billion, according to New York-based Jupiter Media Metrix. In many ways, the federal government has led the transformation to...

The role of certification in contract management.
June 1, 2002... In the contract management field, the NCMA Contract Management Certification and Accreditation Board administers two certification programs: certified professional contracts manager (CPCM) and certified associate contracts manager (CACM). These...

The contract management body of knowledge.(developing a certification program)
June 1, 2002... A fully developed and current body of knowledge will bring further credit and heightened credence to the membership of NCMA and the profession of contract management. In his article, "The NCMA Body of Knowledge" (Contract Management,...

Test development for certification programs.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Test development for certification programs follows the same process as for any other mastery test development situation. The first step involves defining a body of knowledge from which measurable objectives can then be developed. A table of...

Bringing certification advisors on board.(Contract Management Certification and Accreditation Board)
June 1, 2002... The newly established Contract Management Certification and Accreditation Board (CMCAB) is comprised of nine worthy individuals, who bring various experiences and talents across a wide spectrum of the field. They come from the government,...

CACM--it's not what you think it is.(certified associate contracts manager)(new program offers standards, training)
June 1, 2002... Do you think you know all about the certified associate contracts manager (CACM) program? Do you think of a CACM as a junior CPCM (certified professional contracts manager)? Not so fast. The purpose of the CACM program is to recognize the...

NCMA certifications as performance benchmarks.(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2002... Certification is not just a plus for the individual who gets certified. Federal agencies and civilian employers, too, stand to gain from a more widespread recognition of the value of certifications. The private sector has for years...

CACM to CFCM.(NCMA's certification programs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... For a combined total of almost fifty years, NCMA has administered a certification program. The CPCM was inaugurated 26 years ago in 1976 and the CACM 22 years ago in 1980. Recently, NCMA's Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved a...

Presume innocently? No. never miss a pre-bid site tour. (Case Commentary).(Bureau of Land Management's contract with Sagebrush Consultants)
June 1, 2002... In September 1999, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior, contracted with Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C. (SCL), to make a cultural resources inventory on acreage at Death Creek near the West Tintic Mountains in...

Fast connect link options in e-procurement. (E-Business).(PublicBuy.Net)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Getting buyers and sellers together has been a tradition since the days of the Greek agora. In these days of electronic communication, buyers and sellers can more easily reach each other through a variety of automated services. One such...

Total contract visibility now possible. (Information Technology).(contract management software from AMS Inc.)(Procurement Desktop-Industry)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... The firm. that pioneered the Standard Procurement System (SPS), now called Procurement Desktop Defense ([PD.sup.2]) is once again blazing its own trail with its soon-to-be released contract management software, Procurement Desktop-Industry...

Waiver of non-manufacturer rule. (Small Business Briefs).(for unmounted and mounted bearings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a notice of intent to waive the non-manufacturer rule for both plain, unmounted bearings and mounted bearings (Federal Register, April 4, 2002). The SBA has been unable to identify a small...

Size standards. (Small Business Briefs).(disaster loans for travel agencies after September 11, 2001)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The SBA has issued an interim final rule to revise eligibility standards for economic injury disaster loan assistance attributed to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. The rule (Federal Register, March 15, 2002,...

Defense 8(a) awards. (Small Business Briefs).(streamlining procedures for contract awards )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The SBA has entered into an agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) to implement a partnership focused on streamlining procedures for contract awards under the 8(a) program. An interim rule (Federal Register, March 14, 2002, effective...

Base closure and realignment: local business preference. (Small Business Briefs).(use of local businesses in acquisitions in support of a base closure or realignment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a rule to amend its Defense Acquisition Regulation Supplement, clarifying its policy regarding use of local businesses in acquisitions in support of a base closure or realignment. Effective March 14, 2002 (Federal Register,...

DOD mentor-protege program now open to women-owned businesses. (Small Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... DOD has issued a final rule--effective March 14, 2002--officially adding women-owned small businesses to those businesses eligible to participate as proteges in the DOD mentor-protege program. In addition, the rule clarifies that businesses...

Performance evaluations. (Small Business Briefs).(dispute resolution rules from the General Services Administration)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Contrary to a U.S. Air Force policy that permits the consideration of a contractor's willingness to engage in alternative dispute resolution during performance evaluations, the General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a policy letter...

HUBZone and 8(a) preferences. (Small Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Legislation has been introduced in Congress to give-statutorily--businesses that are certified under both 8(a) and HUBZone programs a preference over those that are certified under only one of them. This legislation, S. 1994, introduced by...

SB newsletter. (Small Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The SBA publishes several newsletters that are available for free to the public and private sector. Through this site, http://web.sba.gov/list, interested parties can subscribe to e-mail service for the following newsletters: *...

President's SB agenda. (Small Business Briefs).(American Small Business: Driving Innovation and Creating Jobs report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The administration has issued its report, American Small Businesses: Driving Innovation and Creating Jobs, to delineate policy with respect to SBs (the report is available at www.sba.gov/news/smallbusinessagenda.html). The report proposes the...

Irony and conclusion. (Small Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... While federal government auditors are constantly giving advice for contractors on recordkeeping and continually pressing for more information and better access to contractors' accounting records and practices, the DOD has admitted that it...

Bill regarding improvement of Small Business Advocacy introduced in House. (Legislation).(Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act of 2002 introduced)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Representative Donald Manzullo has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives titled "Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act of 2002." If enacted, this bill would, among other things: (1) establish an independent office of small...

Bill regarding purchasing of steel introduced in House. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Representative Bart Stupak has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that places limitations on the secretary of defense's authority to purchase non-domestic steel. If enacted, the bill would prohibit the secretary of defense from...

DOD issues final rule regarding streamlined contracting procedures. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a final rule to amend the DFARS in order to eliminate the requirement for posting solicitations on the Research and Development Streamlined Solicitation (RDSS) Web site. This final rule amends DFARS Subpart 235 (Research and...

DOD issues interim rule regarding Competition Requirements for Purchases from a Required Source. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued an interim rule to amend the DFARS Parts 208 (Required Sources of Supplies and Services) and 210 (Market Research), to implement Section 811 (Applicability of Competition Requirements to Purchases from a Required Source) of...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding miscellaneous cost principles. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have issued a proposed rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 31 (Contract Cost Principles...

DOD issues proposed rule regarding competition requirements under Multiple-Award contracts. (Regulations).(for purchase of services)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a proposed rule regarding competition requirements for the purchase of services under multiple-award contracts. The proposed rule amends the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Parts 208 (Required...

DOD issues final rule regarding changes to profit policy. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a final rule to amend the DFARS with regard to the DOD profit policy. Currently, the DOD uses weighted guidelines in order to determine target profit objectives for negotiated contracts. These guidelines generally focus on...

DOD issues interim rule regarding Codification and Modification of the Berry Amendment. (Regulations).(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued an interim rule to amend DEARS Parts 225 (Foreign Acquisition) and 252 (Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses), in order to implement Section 832 (Codification and Modification of Provision of Law Known as the "Berry...

DOD issues proposed rule regarding foreign military sales customer involvement. (Regulations).(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the DFARS with regard to the participation of foreign military sales (FMS) customers in the development of contracts that are awarded on their behalf by the DOD. According to the DOD, FMS customers...

DOD issues final rule regarding balance of payments program. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a final rule to add policy to the DFARS regarding the balance of payments program (BPP). The BPP was established in 1960 to provide a preference for U.S. products and services that are to be used overseas. While there is no...

DOD issues final rule regarding NAFTA procurement threshold. (Regulations).(Department of Defense, North American Free Trade Agreement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The DOD has issued a final rule that amends the DFARS by increasing the dollar threshold for applications made under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for the procurement of goods from Mexico. On February 21, 2002, the U.S. Trade...

NASA issues final rule regarding safety and health provisions in NFS. (Regulations).(NASA FAR Supplement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NASA has issued a final rule, which amends the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) with regard to certain safety and health provisions. NASA clause 48 CFR [section] 1852.223-70 (Safety and Health) requires that contractors, among other things: (1) take...

DOE announces new Industry Interactive Procurement System. (Regulations).
June 1, 2002... The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that on June 1, 2002, it will be using the Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) to handle its financial assistance applications. The Web-based IIPS will provide for (1) the posting of...

"Do you know what means to miss New Orleans?". (NCMA Association News).(National Contract Management Association's latest conference)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NCMA's recent Commercial Contracting Conference (CCC) in New Orleans, April 28-30, was an experience and opportunity not to be missed by members! Featuring a three-tracked conference with various seminars, workshops, and keynote speakers,...

Air Force announces Contracting Award winners. (NCMA Association News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The U.S. Air Force formally recognized its contracting award winners for Fiscal Year 2001 during a ceremony held on April 18, 2002, at the Pentagon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., Contracting units and professionals Air Force-wide competed for...

"Beyond A-76"--a closer look in a winning thesis. (NCMA Association News).(Capt. Kurt Allen Chelf)("Beyond A-76: How to Achieve the Goals without the Pain")(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... "No pain, no gain." This is a popular saying, but this year's NCMA/AFIT Award winner proposes "no pain, lots of gain" in his thesis. Capt Kurt Allen Chelf of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) recently was awarded this honor for his...

Memorializing a true NCMA "Lifer." (NCMA Association News).(Carl Carr)(National Contract Management Association)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 1, 2002... Pioneers and founders are celebrated figures in America's history--and also in NCMA's. Carl Carr was one such figure. It is with heavy heart, then, that the Georgia-Carolina Chapter reports the passing of one of its most active members on...

Changing the face of contract management training.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Once you go beyond the world of government contracting and move into commercial contracting, your knowledge of intellectual property (IP) rights needs go beyond just understanding technical data...