Contract Management articles from June 2004

Contract Management archives from June 2004

"It's about the profession ...".(President's Forum)(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2004... It is hard to believe that this is my last opportunity as the national president of NCMA to address you all in this column. While the term went quickly, it was packed with a number of significant and exciting opportunities for me, for the...

Contract professionals and human research data privacy: federal regulations on the privacy rights of human research participants have a major impact on those institutions funded with federal dollars.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Federal regulations that affect the privacy rights of human research participants are constantly evolving. These regulations have a major impact on organizations that conduct research, in particular, those institutions funded with federal...

Managing organizational conflicts of interest: keep your organization competitive by understanding and managing organizational conflicts of interest.
June 1, 2004... The government relies heavily on contractors to get much of its work done, and outsourcing is a trend that appears to be continuing. Given the number of mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations that have taken place in the defense industry...

From "Just Do It" to "Do the Right Thing": a case study of the evolution of procurement at Nike; Nike's history shows it is possible to promote discipline in a company without stifling creativity or the entrepreneurial spirit.
June 1, 2004... A winning basketball team may owe much of its success to the scoring acumen of several key players; however, the team also must develop a strong defense to keep the other team from scoring. Further, attention to the discipline of accurate...

Business process reengineering: the cornerstone of successful enterprise IT systems implementation; build your accounting system to provide relevant and useful business information.
June 1, 2004... Contracting for acquiring and implementing new enterprisewide IT systems is an art and not necessarily a science. Numerous variables come into play, including risk management, contract type, budgets, skill sets, and people resources....

Obtaining worthy performance: here is a valuable model for capturing necessary elements for a person to perform well on the job.
June 1, 2004... In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt once addressed U.S. governors at the White House, remarking, "The conservation of our national resources is only preliminary to the larger question of national efficiency." (1) Several years later, in his...

Equitable adjustment or certified claim?(Government Contracting)
June 1, 2004... For non-commercial items, the standard "changes clause" (FAR 52.243-1) allows a federal agency to alter the terms of the contract under certain circumstances. These changes may be formal changes made by a contract modification or change...

8(a) program gives small business a helping hand.(Small Business)
June 1, 2004... There is a famous Swedish proverb that says, "God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest." Isn't that great? We are all given the same opportunities, but it is up to each individual to make the most of those...

What I've learned in NCMA.(Beginner's Corner)(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2004... On the day I graduated from college, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write for a living. I pictured myself writing novels, living in a loft in the big city, and never, ever working in corporate America. When I got hungry, I'd pawn my...

Constructive acceptance.(Case Commentary)
June 1, 2004... On September 19, 1996, an indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery (IDIQ) contract was awarded to Fischer Imaging Corporation (FIC) for commercial diagnostic x-ray systems and related equipment. Payment of 80 percent of the price was to be...

Protecting what matters: GSA supports homeland security.(GSA Case Study)
June 1, 2004... GSA provides agencies with products and services to meet mission-critical needs. The Department of Homeland Security has looked to GSA and its 10,000+ contractors to ensure the safety of airports, federal facilities, and the general public....

A tailor-made contract management solution.(Information Technology)(OpenContract)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2004... This product was reviewed in March 2004. Contract management is a core function for any business. When the business environment is highly outsourced, struggles with high risk, and is in the very high-value range, contract management...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2004... CM regrets the error printed in the GSA Case Study Corner on page 64 of the April 2004 issue. At the bottom of the first column, the sentence should read, "All task orders issued by the ACSS are completed peer to peer, resulting in more than...

Purchasing scope from external organizations.(Book Review)(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... Project Procurement Management: Contracting, Subcontracting, Teaming by Quentin W. Fleming; (October 2003) ISBN: 0-9743912-0-4 276 pp. $39.95 (PMI Member Price: $32.95, www.PMIbookstore.org) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This book describes...

NCMA National Education Seminar (NES) series: participation at each NES seminar earns you .7 CEUs or 7 CLPs!(NCMA National Education Seminar)
June 1, 2004... Best Contracting Practices for Business "Best Contracting Practices for Business" is for those in government or commercial contracting. This interactive seminar examines and offers best practices in building highly successful contract...

National Defense Authorization Act 2005 introduced in senate and house.(Legislation)
June 1, 2004... Senator John W. Warner and Representative Duncan Hill have introduced similar bills in the Senate and House of Representatives, titled the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005." The proposed bills are generally intended to...

Bill regarding acquisition system improvement introduced in house.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Representative Tom Davis has introduced a bill into the House of Representatives titled the "Acquisition System Improvement Act" (ASIA). The proposed bill is intended to supplement the last year's Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule to amend FAR--government property provisions.(Regulations)(Department of Defense)(General Services Administration)(. National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD, GSA, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have issued a final rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions that pertain to the disposition of government property in the possession of contractors....

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule to amend FAR--cost principles.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a final rule to amend the FAR cost principles. Specifically, the new rule defines "direct costs" and revises the definition for "indirect costs" to be consistent with their usage in the cost accounting standards...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule to amend FAR--unsolicited proposals.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a final rule amending the FAR to implement Section 834 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, regarding unsolicited proposals. Section 834 requires that a valid unsolicited proposal not respond to a previously...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule to amend FAR--unique contract and order identifier numbers.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a final rule amending the FAR to require that federal agencies assign a unique identifier for every contract, purchase order, basic ordering agreement, basic agreement, and blanket purchase agreement reported to...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule to amend FAR--oversight of Mentor Protege Program.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a proposed rule to amend FAR Part 19, Small Business Programs, by transferring the management of the Mentor Protege Program from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to the individual military departments and...

DOD issues proposed rule to amend DFARS: small business subcontracting plans and leader company contracting.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) by: (1) removing Subpart 217.4, which pertains to leader company contracting for small disadvantaged businesses, and (2) decreasing the...

DOD issues proposed rule to amend DFARS: threshold for small business specialist review.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the DFARS Small Business Program policies subpart by revising section 219.201, General Policy, to eliminate the requirement for small business specialist review when acquisitions are within the scope...

NASA issues final and proposed rules to amend NFS scope and content.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... NASA has issued three final rules and one proposed rule to amend the scope and content of the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS). The agency stated that these rules amend the NFS by removing from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) those portions of...

NASA issues interim rule to amend NFS: Representations and Certifications-Other than commercial items.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... NASA has issued an interim rule revising the NFS, amending the "Offeror Representations and Certifications-Other Than Commercial Items" provision used in solicitations for non-commercial simplified acquisitions. This interim rule makes...

CM magazine 2004 editorial calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... October--Articles Due: July 1, 2004 Government Contracting--Best Practices Best practices in the contract management process including solicitation preparation, source selection, contract formation, contract administration, and...

Announcing NCMA's new board of directors.(Association News)(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2004... CM wants to welcome the new NCMA national officers and board directors for program year 2005. These are the board directors who will assume their duties on July 1, 2004. Terms End June 2005 Charles "Chuck" Woodside, CPCM, CFCM ...

Four at-large board of director members.(Association News)(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2004... These four candidates were elected at the board meeting on April 24, 2004, to sit on the 2004-2005 Board of Directors. Gary Poleskey and Leonard Vincent will serve on the board for a one-year term, and Paul Robert, and Sandra Sieber will...

Award news: Dana given to long-time NCMA "MVP".(Association News)(National Contract Management Association)
June 1, 2004... The Charles A. Dana Distinguished Service Award is named for one of the first founding members of NCMA--Charles Dana, who was president of GCMA (1959-1960). The award celebrates distinguished service to the association over an extended period...

Q & A with Maj Gen Scott, DCMA.(Association News)(Defense Contract Management Agency )(Interview)
June 1, 2004... In March 2004, CM magazine staff interviewed Maj Gen Darryl Scott (USAF), as an accomplished member and leader of NCMA who has had several recent promotions. Maj Gen Scott is now the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency in...

Recognition of an NCMA past national president.(Association News)(National Contract Management Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The communications department would like to convey our sincere apologies for a recent omission in NCMA's 45th anniversary brochure. In our best efforts to compile and quickly publish the past presidents' photo timeline in the brochure for...

Chapter bulletin board.(Association News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CHESAPEAKE CHAPTER Neal Couture, NCMA executive director, presents the Graalman banner to President Deidre Murree (center) and National Director Paula Schueller (right). The chapter won the Silver Award for Category II Chapters for...