USPS = Fail!

The US Postal Service (USPS) is a mess. Although they are constantly failing, no one in the government seems to notice. The recently failed an IG audit. They are behind in paying their debt. They cannot keep to their role of postal delivery. Why is the USPS still open? Don't forget, our taxes go towards paying this agency to stay open! The latest audit reflects the USPS failure of its acquisition process. They state that their employees were unaware of its purchasing policy when the IG determined that 38% of its $1.3B spending was sole sourced. Unacceptable to most but not to USPS. It is especially odd when USPS complains about the need for additional funds when they cannot seem to manage what funds they are obligated. What is the role of the USPS? "The core function of the Postal Service is the safe, reliable, affordable delivery of mail and packages to every address in the country and its territories." Really?

Will this split work for SAIC and Leidos?

SAIC was a private, employee owned company. It was so different and dynamic from its competition. People rarely knew SAIC or what the company did if they were not in the industry. As a stockholder and entrepreneurial employee you were drawn into the company and became very passionate about the work, the people, and the customers. Then SAIC's Founder/CEO retired...then the company went public...three CEO's with different visions passed through after rearranging staff/management/ideals. SAIC is nothing like it once was. The passion is gone. The employees are unsure of their future. Maybe the split into two companies is a good thing, I guess we will find out.

Another Year, Another Shutdown...Maybe!

It is amazing how little gets accomplished in D.C., except of course how often the Government plays chicken with itself. It is that time of year again when the Republicans and Democrats face off to determine how to keep a shutdown from occuring while trying to bend the rules and protect themselves. Why is it only themselves they are worried about and not the people who elected them? Oh, now I remember, its because they will continue to get paid, receive benefits and have full retirement NO matter what happens. Latest article here.

Getting tired of delays due to award protests? So is the PSC.

The PSC is the Professional Services Council, an organization that represents government services contractors. The are lobbying for assistance from legislatures to improve current acquisition issues on award notices and the high number of protests. The issue that is causing a lot of delays has been with award protests caused mostly by the lack of specific data as to the reasons for non-selection. Some companies feel the need to protest in order to get more information as to the evaluations of their proposal. PSC believes more information should be provided at the time of the award notice, which may significantly reduce the number of protests issued. Read more here.

The US Army and US Air Force are working together...and they saved money? How?

Somehow the DoD is catching on to what the rest of the US has already understood, save money with less and learn to share. The Army and Air Force are working together on an IT networking security, bandwidth, and upgrade to ensure that they get the project completed but also save money. The Army saved about $1B in future costs, and the AF saved about $1.2B. Read about it here.

Budget cuts cause supply chain upgrades...its about time!!

So the government is becoming quite efficient with some of its agency supply chains. Its about time! Upgrades typically cost more than they are worth, and work less than they should. How are these upgrades working so far, and for whom are they for? Not bad, however, they are only ramping up small efforts. The bigger upgrades have either been cancelled or put on hold. See the article here.

Who ever said sequester was good for growth?

Once again a billionaire has stated our economy is better off with the sequester than if the government stopped meddling with our tax dollars. Surprise! What do the facts show? Our economy is sluggish, as expected, and the sequester is doing major damage now and in the future. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-21/please-stop-saying-the-sequester-is-good-for-growth