Getting harder to get a contract

Like many federal IT shops, you are probably heavily dependent on private contractors. You don't have the staff or the know-how to expand your website easily or to make use of the technology that is available. That being said, it's about to get harder for you to tap the experts outside of government to get the IT job done.

The Defense Department and General Services Administration are reducing their reliance on risky contracts, increasing the number of contracts subjected to competition and hiring more acquisition professionals.

Recently, the Defense Department began requiring all contracts worth more than $1 billion to undergo high-level approvals before being awarded, as well as continued monitoring throughout the life of the contract, according to an article in this week's Federal Times. This means all contracts, including the IT ones, will be subjected to even tougher rigors than before.

In another new twist, the GSA is promoting the use of a new tool called E-Buy, a web-based tool that allows agencies to notify all GSA supply schedule contractors qualified to perform a specific task. That means you may start getting lots of bids for the same, small task.

Let's face it. The government wants to get the most bang for its buck. It no longer wants to start a project it has to stop, and it is wary of every contract it finally awards.

Nevertheless, every IT executive knows they usually cannot do a job without a private contractor. So it's time to march in step with the rules and find the best and most efficient contract to get the work done.

For more on new contracting rules:
- check out this Federal Times article