"conflict of interest"

The FAR Councils have issued a final rule addressing the prevention of personal conflicts of interest (PCOIs) for contractor employees performing acquisition functions closely associated with inherently governmental functions. 76 Fed. Reg. 68,017 (Nov. 2, 2011). The final rule amends the FAR to add Subpart 3.11 and a corresponding contract clause (FAR 52.203-16) requiring contractors to identify and prevent PCOIs of their covered employees and prohibiting covered employees who have access to non-public information gained by performance of a government contract from using it for personal gain. This Subpart implements the requirement set out in section 841(a) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
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Saving the Postal Service also requires reforming its contracting policies, according to a bill introduced by Rep. Issa (R-Calif.) on June 23, 2011. Prompted by the Postal Service’s decision to stop paying into the federal retirement system and $27 billion in projected losses over three years, the bill would enact sweeping reforms. The “Postal Reform Act of 2011” would create two separate oversight bodies that would have broad, receivership-type authority to impose cost-cutting measures on the agency. While curing postal deficits is the primary goal, the bill specifically addresses postal procurement practices and would impact postal contracting in significant ways. Read on for the details.Continue Reading “Postal Reform Act” would also reform USPS contracting