DoD Funding Cuts Summary In 2010, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his plan to cut 10 percent in spending on support contractors and overall spending cuts over 5 years totalling over $100 billion. The move has not been without controversy in the government contractor community, the military and among political leaders. For starters, Gates

WikiLeaks Summary The leaking of sensitive government documents and spread of content online has renewed some emphasis on security and increased some restrictions on what government employees can view online at work, what people can access and how easy data can be transported and shared. Why it matters to the GovCon space? Written by: Jeff White,

Insourcing vs. Outsourcing Summary The Obama administration has pushed over the last couple of years to increase insourcing or the hiring of direct government employees over contractors. In 2010, the debate over “insourcing vs. outsourcing” seemed to intensify, with contractors and groups expressing their displeasure, and the government trying to soften the impact of their

Two-Year Federal Pay Freeze Summary Though a recent development in 2010, the decision to freeze pay to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense (excluding military personnel), was an important and newsworthy development. Political leaders felt pressure from voters, many of whom are concerned about high unemployment and the growing

Industry Mergers and Acquisitions Summary As with any industry, the economy and changing forces in the government change the way companies do business and whether or not they stay in business. Mergers and acquisitions continued throughout 2010. The question is, what do these deals mean to the industry as a whole? Why it matters to

Changes to the Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) program Summary The Alaska Native Corporation program was created in 1971 to settle land claims and help improve life for native Alaskans. Spending on ANC contracts has gone from $506 million in 2000 to $5 billion in 2009. However, the ANC program has come under greater scrutiny in

HUBZone Preference Summary On September 27th, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act. This new legislation means that businesses in Historically Underutilizied Business Zones (known as HUBZones) are on equal footing with all other small, disadvantaged business programs, including, but not limited to, those relating to Service-Disabled, Veteran Owned Small Businesses and

GWACs – Bigger Budgets and Small Acquisition Workforce Summary Government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) consolidate purchasing across a number of federal government agencies and encourage long-term vendor agreements with fewer vendors. GWACs have become commonplace vehicles for federal clients purchasing a vast array of products and services. GWACs sell information technology products and services to agencies.

Logjam at the Defense Contract Audit Agency Summary DCAA came into the spotlight in 2008 when the GAO revealed there were inappropriate relationships between DCAA employees and government contractors. According to the GAO, contractors had influenced reports and DCAA supervisors pressured subordinates. To help address the challenges at DCAA, Patrick Fitzgerald took charge eight months