congress looks for price fix

notice: undefined index: http_user_agent in /export/wwwroot/fcw/bin/ips/php/common/ips_validate_inputs.php on line 18 congress looks for price fix your browser does not support script advanced search white papers, case studies, vendor information, webinars business bpm cxos columns columnists defense e-government enterprise architecture funding homeland security health it ipv6 lob management procurement privacy policy program management state and local security technology telework workforce more topics subscribe now! table of contents catch up on the latest news and read the current issue. spice up your day with insight and observations about the it community. fcw.com wants to hear from you.send a letter to the editor. about us contact us editorial calendar print subscriptions newsletters advertise media kit latest news fcw gcn washtech the most recent management and policy news from fcw.com ig: irs needs better plan for updating aging hardware bush signs dod spending bill, vetoes labor, hhs, education bill omb again reminds agencies to comply with section 508 new law cuts $3b for border security senate bill would increase ig oversight the latest technology news from gcn.com the latest industry news from washingtontechnology.com raytheon to work on submarine communications avineon to support info security at mint group issues first-responder network requirements eds buys saber for $420m tsc: terror database must rely on biometrics advertisement   congress looks for price fix by matthew weigelt published on october 29, 2007 comment click here to comment on this article related story links fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill (.pdf) fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill’s committee report (.pdf) gao report on dod’s time-and-materials contracts acquisition advisory panel sara panel takes stand against t&m contracts newsletters you might also be interested in these fcw newsletters: daily policy and procurement to learn more, click here. how do companies buy services? the services acquisition reform act panel found that commercial-sector companies that buy services prefer fixed-price contracts and avoid time-and-materials contracts whenever possible. private-sector executives told the panel that time-and-materials contracts give the service provider little incentive to be efficient, though some disagreed with that premise. they added that one problem with buying services on a time-and-materials basis is that the customer becomes the project manager, rather than shifting those risks and responsibilities to the service provider. the panel recommends enforcing limits on how often agencies use the contracts and requiring them to convert the time-and-materials contracts to a performance-based acquisition as soon as possible. it also said agencies should not award this type of contract except when circumstances warrant it. — matthew weigelt regulators left a gap in a final rule on time-and-materials contracts that lawmakers say exceeds the authority that congress granted. now, lawmakers want to close that gap and curtail the use of such contracts. the senate armed services committee said contractors can defraud the government too easily through time-and-materials contracts because departments have a hard time monitoring the work and ensuring that the prices they pay are fair. “this bill contains important management reforms, including…tighter competition requirements for the billion of dollars the [defense department] spends on contract services,” sen. carl levin (d-mich.), chairman of the armed services committee, said in a statement.  in the fiscal 2004 national defense authorization bill, congress wanted dod to mirror commercial best practices for the use of time-and-materials contracts. the office of federal procurement policy determined that companies seldom sell services on a time-and-materials basis unless requirements are not well-understood. but the committee said ofpp gave no evidence that the private sector commonly uses hourly rates to buy even under those circumstances. lawmakers say the ofpp rule published in december also exceeds the intent of the 2004 authorization bill.  lawmakers now want to tighten the leash on the rule about paying contractors based on hourly labor rates. the 2008 national defense authorization act would limit dod from buying commercial items based on time and materials and labor hours except for emergency repairs and for services supporting a commercial item. “congress is saying, ‘go back and do it right,’” said marcia madsen, chairwoman of the services acquisition reform act panel and a partner at law firm mayer brown.  house and senate members have been working out the differences in their versions of the authorization bill since oct. 1. the conference report may come in november. dod in the past decade has turned increasingly to time-and-materials contracts, making them one of the most popular ways to buy. the government accountability office said dod spent at least $10 billion in 2005 on such contracts, up from $5 billion in 1996. but that figure is understated because dod incorrectly coded the contract type for orders made on the general services administration’s schedules contracts, gao found.  the administration disagrees with the need for the provision, citing dod efforts already under way to cut back on time-and-materials contracts. the administration said the bill “would substantially restrict dod’s ability to follow the common commercial practice of acquiring commercial services on time-and-materials or labor-hour basis when fixed-price contracts are unsuitable and the extent or duration of work cannot be accurately estimated.” many government officials and experts agree the provision is too restrictive.  “we don’t like time-and-materials contracts, and we don’t like the provision. that tells you something,” a senior acquisition official said. the official said contracting officers need as much flexibility as possible. the real issue is determining the instances when agencies should use time-and-materials contracts, the official and others said.  madsen said the acquisition advisory panel recommended contracting officers use time-and-materials contracts only on a short-term basis and move to another type once they have a well-defined scope. wt solutions series: applying geospatial applications across the government enterprise november 15, 2007 green computing summit december 5, 2007 rising star awards 2007 december 5, 2007   home | about | contact | customer help | privacy policy | editorial info | advertise | link policy / reprints | site map © 1996-2007 1105 media, inc. all rights reserved.    

Acceuil

suivante

congress looks for price fix  Acheter Maillot de bain Tribord Tr 100 fix foulard lys ro  TOTAL : JEU du FIX MARDI 6 /11 / 2007  CREDIT AGRICOLE SA : fix 25.03 > plein de GAGNANTS >  Scan, Click & Fix : de l’analyse de vulnérabilités à la ...  Procédure d’utilisation de la fonction Facing Fix SANS utilisation ...  NASA delays spacewalk to fix broken solar wing: Scientific American  Rhodia : Rhodia rachete l’activite Mix & Fix Center de Quimica Dos ...  ID-FIX Groupe Rock  Fix font issue in Safari for Windows - Grupenet  ID'FIX : Education canine, formation, pension canine et Agility  AB Soft propose Fix-It et SystemSuite de V-Com  Hama LOT DE 5 SERRE-CABLES NOIR PEARL FIX comparer prix acheter ...  The Wheel Fix  skis atomic 130 fix look Article de sport Toulouse  Fix those Aluminium Keyboard woes - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)  YUI Version 2.3.1: Bug-Fix Release » Yahoo! User Interface Blog  Fix You (Cover Tones fix you) (sonnerie.01net.com)  Crampons pour bois Krall-Fix.  Photojojo » Find Detail in Your Photos That You Thought Was Lost ...  La Voix du Sud > Sports > Une 1re défaite pour le Fix Auto  Photo : fix-1-255.jpg - vietnam - www.developpementdurableasie.com  Ljubljana - Fix le 03 Septembre 2007 - NC  CAMP - Ice Rider New Fix + Atb  Café Fix - Kontaktladen mit medizinischer Ambulanz  PC News: Flagship to fix Hellgate - ComputerAndVideoGames.com  Informations de presse - Konrad Hornschuch AG - d-c-fix, dcfix, skai  SubZero Fix pour PS Two :: Assentek  cdm-iso-machine-fix - CDM  The fix is in for pet control - USATODAY.com  Porte outil - REGO-FIX - DirectIndustry  Fix Your Digital Photos : CNET Online Courses - Tips, Tricks, and ...  Installation Matrix Infinity + SubZero Fix [ Ps2/PsTwo install ...  video-gratuit : Clip Coldplay - Fix You (Live Video) video Musique ...  Alpinisme -- Petites annonces - Re: [VDS] Fixations rando SECURA ...  EAZ-FIX, Instantly undo your PC problems  A JavaScript Fix For Text That's Too Tiny  Trucs & Tuyaux - Bouteille avec des perles sur Fix-Tape  Fix Me!  Fix’ Mascara  Fix Problems With Copying Large Files in Windows Vista :: the How ...  MSN Fix .... besoin de renseignements URGENT  Excel 2007 Calculation Fix Weighs a Whooping 32 MB at Digital ...  Fix Blogger Sitemap XML Warnings Inside Google Webmaster at ...  Download AIM Fix 1.6.917.1023 - AIM Fix was created to remove all ...  Fix bug report!! [Archive] - The Saga of Ryzom  No Easy IT Fix for the IRS - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership  ThoughtWorks, Inc. lance le premier moteur FIX C++ ouvert  Membre : Crazy Fix  Fix Ellinger Patricia  Fix-Masseau Pierre  slip tena fix :: tena, incontinence, matériel médical à bas prix  Find A Fix Auto Body Repair Shop. List Of All Auto Collision Shops ...  Daylight Saving fix for Windows 2000,XP, 2003, and NT (DST Patch/Fix)  votre porte-monnaie euros  Joomla! Extensions Directory - Ultimate PNG Fix Plugin (for IE up ...  » New Vista fix packs provide updates promised for SP1 All about ...  I Fix Computers, Inc  Fix Adobe Acrobat Reader’s “expr: syntax error” message » javier ...  Fix PST file  CONTES POPULAIRES DU MAROC, une oeuvre de FIX PHILIPPE, proposée ...