Small businesses get big portion of SEWP

NASA awarded 45 information technology governmentwide acquisition contracts today to 37 vendors, half of which are small businesses.

Contractors for the fourth installment of SEWP, now known as Solutions for Enterprisewide Procurement, went to 23 small businesses — six of which are owned by service-disabled veterans, according to NASA.

Companies can earn as much as $5.6 billion per contract, NASA said.

“I have my own meaning [of the SEWP acronym]: success every way possible,” said Alan Bechara, president of PC Mall Gov.

Read rest of the story: FCW.com News - Small businesses get big portion of SEWP

Political climate could make agencies wary of undertaking new IT projects, Input says

Proposed new administrative rules and reporting requirements for federal contracting would dampen information technology sales, according to market research firm Input. Company analysts say those accountability measures could slow an already slow-growing federal IT market.

Federal IT spending will maintain its modest growth rate for the next two years because the political climate will make agencies wary of beginning major new projects, according to Input’s new market report. President Bush’s fiscal 2008 budget proposal would increase civilian agency IT spending to $65.5 billion, a 2.6 percent increase compared with budgeted spending for fiscal 2007.

Kevin Plexico, executive vice president of operations at Input, said the new Democratic-led Congress is sparring with Bush over the budget and the 2007 continuing resolution, which is discouraging large agency investments and hindering robust market growth.

However, the federal IT market is stable, despite sputtering growth, according to Input. The firm expects a 5 percent increase in federal IT spending through 2012, when it will reach about $80 billion.

Read rest of the story: FCW.com News - Political climate could make agencies wary of undertaking new IT projects, Input says

Doan hearing focuses on improper politics

Rep. Henry Waxman lived up to his firebrand reputation by grilling General Services Administration Administrator Lurita Doan about allegations of inappropriate — possibly unlawful — behavior.

The California Democrat is now directing his investigation to the White House. Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wants to know whether a Jan. 26 meeting for political appointees at GSA's headquarters, on federal time about partisan issues, was a one-time occurrence or part of a pattern involving other federal agencies and potentially a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from engaging in political activity while at work.

Waxman gave Karl Rove, President Bush’s deputy chief of staff, until April 13 to answer a series of questions about a PowerPoint presentation that J. Scott Jennings, Rove’s deputy, made at GSA’s headquarters Jan. 26. Waxman is also awaiting a ruling by the Office of Special Counsel on whether the January meeting violated the Hatch Act before he decides whether to pursue further hearings.

“This appears to be a textbook example of what should never happen at a federal agency,” Waxman said of the January meeting. “You can’t engage in partisan political activity on government time.”

Read rest of the story: FCW.com News - Doan hearing focuses on improper politics