Contract Management articles from March 2003

Contract Management archives from March 2003

Continual careering. (President's Forum).(National Contract Management Association's career development services)
March 1, 2003... Professional development...it's an interesting concept. We start our professional careers with great enthusiasm and expect great things of ourselves. We know we can go far. Our destiny is in our own hands. Do you remember those thoughts and...

A project manager's guide to everyday team building. (Professional Development).(project management)
March 1, 2003... It is a well-documented fact: Project managers set the tone for their project teams. The mood of a project team will be a direct reflection of the mood the project manager carries while strolling the halls, facilitating meetings, and conducting...

A model for change: with the comprehensive eight-step Kotter Model, contract managers finally have an effective approach for leading change within their organizations.(contract management)
March 1, 2003... Too often, change is believed to originate from individuals at the top of the organization, those in plush offices detached from the nitty-gritty of the day-to-day business. Leading change typically is perceived as only the job of those...

The benefits and challenges of telework--the employer's perspective: what's in it for the employers? From another point-of-view, there are numerous benefits, as well as challenges, to consider. (Part Two in a Three-Part Series).
March 1, 2003... The first article examined the subject from the perspective of the employee; this one examines it from the perspective of the employer; the final article will examine different approaches to implementing a telework program. Both public and...

Executing expert procurement strategies: choosing the right contract vehicle is as important as choosing the right vendor, when outsourcing in today's leaner economy.
March 1, 2003... When projects require outsourced production, these goods and services must still adhere to the project's technical, quality, schedule, and cost objectives. After all, a project is only as good as the contracts the project manager negotiates and...

The federal mentor-protege program: companies considering whether to participate in the mentor-protege program first should assess the legal ramifications, competitive risks, and immediate financial benefits of such a partnership.
March 1, 2003... Companies considering whether to participate in the mentor-protege program first should assess the legal ramifications, competitive risks, and immediate financial benefits of such a partnership. The mentor-protege program was first...

Is your contract dying of self-inflicted wounds? Avoiding self-inflicted wounds requires diligence in understanding the contract terms and a quick reaction to problems when they arise.
March 1, 2003... If you do business with the government, have you ever asked yourself, "Why am I punishing myself this way?" Has navigating the deep and muddy river of government regulations sometimes made you think that spending the rest of your life in an...

Fixed-price contracting--risky business? There are numerous elements of risk that must all be dealt with in a fixed-priced contract. Protecting your organization against their negative financial effects should be the ultimate goal.
March 1, 2003... Odds are that contracts and project managers will spend a considerable amount of time throughout their careers managing fixed-price projects, and in doing so will worry about the associated risks. Contract professionals, in particular, can...

Cost limitation and overrun. (Case Commentary).(Moshman Associates Inc. contract)
March 1, 2003... Since 1982, Moshman Associates, Inc. (Moshman), provided substantive health services research, policy materials, and documents for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its most recent "cost-plus-fixed-fee" (CPFF) contract was set...

Reviewing Quantum Business Solutions. (E-Business).
March 1, 2003... As has been said many times before, large contracts--ones requiring the scrutiny of several departments within a major organization--present epically large headaches to those responsible for their upkeep and management. This is especially true...

Take Sympaq software into account. (Information Technology).(Aldebaron Inc.'s accounting software Sympaq SQL)
March 1, 2003... This review of Aldebaron, Inc. "Sympaq SQL" accounting software was reviewed in January 2003. See www.aldebaron.com for details. Aldebaron's Sympaq SQL accounting software offers many features that are highly valued by government...

National Guard and Reserve call-ups. (Small Business Briefs).(may be possible for the war in Iraq)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Many small businesses are concerned about the possibility that employees in the National Guard or Reserves could be called up for duty as our international confrontations escalate. The Small Business Administration (SBA) knows that a call-up of...

Mentor-Protege Program. (Small Business Briefs).(from U.S. Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Department of Defense (DOD) Mentor-Protege Program has extended the period during which companies may enter into mentor-protege agreements. As required by Public Law 107-107, such agreements may be entered into through September 30, 2005....

FedBizOpps. (Small Business Briefs).(Web site from the U.S. federal government)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The federal government provides notice of its requirements through an electronic posting service, FedBizOpps, on the Internet. The government has now announced that it is seeking comments on its desire to charge a "modest annual fee" beginning...

PRO-Net and CCR linked. (Small Business Briefs).(by the U.S. Department of Defense and Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Department of Defense and SBA have integrated their two federal contractor databases, the procurement marketing and access network (PRO-Net) and the central contractor registration (CCR). Now, small businesses do not have to enter and...

Mileage reimbursement rate adjusted. (Small Business Briefs).(for privately owned vehicles, adjusted by U.S. General Services Administration)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has reduced the mileage reimbursement rate for use of privately owned vehicles on official travel (Federal Register, January 6, 2003). Effective January 1, 2003, the new rates are: * 95.5...

State and local government use of federal supply schedules. (Small Business Briefs).(E-Government Act of 2002, information technology laws)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-347, enacted December 17, 2002) contains a provision that permits GSA to allow state and local governments to acquire information technology (firmware, software, supplies, support equipment, and...

Share-in-savings contracts. (Small Business Briefs).(E-Government Act of 2002, information technology investigation)
March 1, 2003... The E-Government Act of 2002 also contained a provision that gives federal agencies authority to enter into share-in-savings contracts for information technology that improves mission-related or administrative processes or accelerates its...

Important SBA service.(U.S. SBA Office of the Inspector General)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The SBA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducts and supervises audits, inspections, and investigations relating to SBA programs and supporting operations; detects and prevents waste, fraud, and abuse; and promotes economy, efficiency,...

Contract management Learning Center charter membership begins with leading training consultants. (Profile: NCMA Contract Management Learning Center).(ESI International is charter member of NCMA's on-line Learning Center)
March 1, 2003... NCMA welcomes ESI International, as a charter member of NCMA's newest contract management resource, the on-line Learning Center. ESI International is an industry leader in contract and project management training and consulting. For more...

Bills amending provisions of Homeland Security Act 2002 introduced in Senate. (Legislation).
March 1, 2003... Senators Mark Dayton and Joe Lieberman have introduced two separate bills in the Senate to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-296). If enacted, both Senator Dayton's bill, titled the "Wellstone Corporate Responsibility Act...

Bill regarding federal advertising procurement opportunities for minority business concerns. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to create federal advertising procurement opportunities for minority business concerns. If enacted, this bill would' require each executive department and...

Bill regarding regulatory compliance assistance to small business concerns is introduced in house. (Legislation).(Representative John Sweeney introduces the 'National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2003' bill)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Representative John Sweeney has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives, titled the "National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2003." If enacted, the bill would amend the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. (ss) 637 et seq.) to...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue interim rule to implement sections of Homeland Security Act 2002. (Regulation).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have issued an interim rule to amend the FAR to implement Sections 852 (Procurements for Defense Against or...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding depreciation cost principle. (Regulation).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a proposed rule to amend the FAR to revise provisions regarding the depreciation cost principle. According to the agencies, the rule would amend FAR ss 31.205-11 (Depreciation) to, among other things: (1)...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding insurance and pension costs. (Regulation).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a proposed rule to amend provisions of the FAR relating to pension costs and the insurance and indemnification cost principle. If adopted, the rule would amend FAR ss 31.205-6(j) (Compensation for Personal...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule regarding contract bundling. (Regulation).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a proposed rule to amend the FAR to implement recommendations from a report drafted by the 0MB, titled "A Strategy for Increasing Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Business." The 0MB issued the...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue notice of proposed rulemaking regarding commercially available off-the-shelf items. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement section 4203 of the Federal Acquisition Reform Act with respect to acquisitions of commercially available off-the-shelf items. A commercially available...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue notice of public meeting: Reimbursement of relocation costs on lump-sum basis. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a notice of a public meeting to discuss revisions to FAR 31.205-35 (Relocation Costs). The revisions, if implemented, would allow contractors to claim employee relocation costs based on: (1) actual costs; or...

GSA issues proposed rule regarding federal supply schedule contracts. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The GSA has issued a proposed rule to amend the GSA Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to implement section 211 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-347). Section 211 allows the administrator of GSA to authorize the use of federal supply...

EPA issues proposed rule regarding background checks for contractors. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule to amend the EPA Acquisition Regulation (EPAAR) to require contractors and subcontractors to perform background checks and suitability determinations of their employees before...

DVA issues final rule regarding acquisition of Health Care resources. (Regulations).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) has issued a final rule to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) to provide for simplified. procedures for the acquisition of health care resources, as authorized by The...

NCMA Fellows: moving forward with the year's plan. (Fellows Network).
March 1, 2003... The Council of Fellows gathered at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner, Virginia, on November 13, 2002. Functional Director Karen Reuter provided an update to the Operating Plan. She noted that there has been progress in many areas,...

NCMA honors nine new fellows. (Association News).
March 1, 2003... Terry L. Brewer, CPCM, Northern West Virginia Chapter, has been a member of NCMA since 1995. She has served her chapter as membership chair, scholarship chair, vice president, president, arid national director. In June 2000, she served as...

NCMA Board of Advisor member: a key player in defense industry. (NCMA Association News).
March 1, 2003... The new year brought many changes--one in particular. With each of their own career advancements, our members and supporters mutually enhance NCMA's vision of serving as the preeminent source of professional development for contract management....

CM 2003 editorial calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... July--Articles Due: April 1, 2003 Intellectual Property Software rights and licensing, technology transfer, international protection, copyrights, patents, trademarks, data rights, trade secrets, limited use versus restricted rights,...

Project Management solutions: for improved federal government performance. (Management Concepts).
March 1, 2003... Today's federal government programs demand better performance with measurable results. The President's Management Agenda outlines a strategy for meeting that demand throughout the federal government. Agencies must improve project management to...