The Commission on Wartime Contracting’s final report [pdf] asserts that upwards of $60 billion in U.S. tax dollars have been lost to fraud, waste, and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. The independent Commission was created in 2008 to assess contingency contracting for logistics, security, and reconstruction, as well as to make recommendations to Congress in order to improve contracting practices. The Commission’s final report blames the staggering losses on a lack of oversight, poor planning, and corruption. Continue Reading Fraud, waste and abuse in Iraq & Afghanistan contracts

The Postal Service recently issued a revised version of its purchasing policy manual, called the Supplying Principles and Practices (SPP).  The changes adopt recommendations made by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) in two high-level reviews conducted in 2010. The revisions add new procedures and requirements applicable to noncompetitive procurements, and establish an internal Competition Advocate.  For more details, read on.
Continue Reading Postal Service Revises SPP Manual; Adds Competition Advocate