Tornadoes hamper critical federal operations in Alabama [Government Executive] – Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were forced to cease northern Alabama operations due to tornadoes and related power outages. Affected federal facilities include the Marshall Space Flight Center, Army Materiel Command, Missile Defense Agency and the Tennessee Valley Authority -- which had to conduct an emergency shutdown of three nuclear reactors.
DOD to negotiate prices more aggressively [Federal Computer Week] – An April 27 DOD memo [PDF] provides guidance for acquisition officers to negotiate for lower prices from contractors even when there is only one bidder, by performing analysis to ensure a fair and reasonable final price. Shay Assad, director for defense procurement and acquisition policy, noted the change will increase contracting officers' workloads, but ensuring more competition and lower prices is paramount during tight budget times.
DoD Identifies 14 "Should-Cost" and "Will-Cost" Demonstration Programs [POGO Blog] – An April 22 DOD memo [PDF] identifies 14 programs selected by the armed forces to try out the new “should-cost” and “will-cost” directives. The programs include the Joint Strike Fighter, the Army Black Hawk helicopter and the Navy littoral combat ship.
State Department Ramping Up Design Excellence Program for U.S. Embassies [Architectural Record] – The State Department Bureau of Overseas Buildings has utilized the Design Excellence program, which combines visual appeal with energy efficiency and sustainability, in embassy construction since April 2010. The big difference for contracting is that the agency now looks equally at design-bid-build contracting and design-build contracting, as the latter was previously the default method.
Raytheon plans job cuts in Goleta [Pacific Coast Business Times] – Around 160 workers are being affected by changes at Raytheon’s Goleta, Calif. facility. Forty-six people are being laid off from the vision systems unit, while 114 will either be let go, relocated or placed in other positions as most of the manufacturing operations at the electronic warfare division moves to Texas and Mississippi.
Ballistic underwear for troops in Afghanistan [Washington Post] – The DOD put out a $2 million rush order to British military supplier Cooneen Watts & Stone for 27,500 ballistic undergarments this month for use in Afghanistan. The double-weave silk underwear will block blast fragments and have an antibacterial treatment that should reduce the risk of infection.
Blastoff Obscures NASA's Troubles [Wall Street Journal] - The launch of space shuttle Endeavour today does not block out the anxiety of contractors and NASA over dwindling space budgets. While NASA has already spent over $3 billion in commercial contracts to launch cargo to the International Space Station, Congress halved the $6 billion the agency proposed over five years to promote commercial alternatives for space vehicles.
Government can't secure cyberspace alone, says DHS secretary [Federal Computer Week] - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in an April 27 speech that the government needs help from the private sector and the public for cybersecurity. The agency is implementing the National Cybersecurity Protection System to protect the .gov domain.
Dell ‘very bullish’ on buying more companies to boost fed sales [Washington Technology] – Dell Computer has $15 billion available to continue its strategy of using acquisitions to boost its ability to provide government services. Paul Bell, president of the Global Public and Large Enterprise sector, says the integration of the Perot Systems platform is going better than the typical government provider integration.
Contract Announcements for April 28, 2011 [Defense.gov] – Lockheed Martin received a $64.4 million Navy contract modification for airframe sustainment support, while Exxon Mobil Fuels Marketing won a $34.8 million Defense Logistics Agency award for diesel fuel. The agency also gave small business Dexter’s Farms a $16 million contract for full-line fresh fruit and vegetable support. See the full announcement for more details and other awards.
GovCon Recon is the GovWin.com News Team's twice-daily posting highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the GovCon world. Get delivered to your inbox, free! Have an item you'd like to suggest for an upcoming Recon? Send it to tips@govwin.com
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment