federal budget

Looking beyond the current debt crisis, the Obama Administration (and future presidents for that matter) should expect continued stiff resistance from the Congress whenever the ceiling needs to be increased. No one likes to vote for a debt ceiling increase; there’s no clear upside and plenty of down, particularly for members of Congress who were elected promising to hold the line on spending and taxes.

Moreover, the composition of our accumulated debt is incomprehensible; just seems to be a growing miasma of political toxicity – a debt blob. Notwithstanding imaginative, though apparently unworkable, short-term fixes like the platinum coin, there needs to be consideration of ideas beyond the binary choice of Congress either enacting a debt ceiling increase or failing to act and putting the nation into default. Keep reading →

For the fourth straight year, federal IT spending was about even with the prior year’s budget – and it seems very clear that trend will come to an abrupt halt in 2013. The Professional Services Council (PSC) stated the “Addressable IT Budgets” in Fiscal Year 2012 added up to $121.7 billion – a total the Council estimates will drop to $115.5 in FY13, with budgets for IT equipment expected to drop 19% in FY13.

With the so-called “fiscal cliff” looming, the new year began promptly with a deal that largely addressed the tax portion of the so-called “fiscal cliff” equation, but delayed measures addressing the spending portion of the “cliff” that include raising the debt ceiling and sequestration spending cuts. Keep reading →

When the EADS and BAE announced merger plans earlier this year, it spurred a flurry of speculation about how the rest of the aerospace and defense industry would respond. Now in the aftermath of the merger being called off, speculation continues about the outlook of defense merger and acquisition (M&A) activity – and specifically what impact that will have on government and suppliers.

While the Department of Defense has indicated its reluctance to sanction M&As among the US primes (particularly when mergers lead to monopoly situations), at sub-tier levels, M&A activity has been occurring at a robust pace and promises to continue-at least in the near future. Keep reading →

This is one in our regular More With Less series exploring how federal agencies are finding and implementing innovative ways to drive efficiency and cut costs.

The Office of Management and Budget has about 20,000 money-saving ideas from federal workers to consider in the coming weeks. One of them will win an award. Many could find their way into the next fiscal budget. Keep reading →

Deltek‘s $1.1 billion dollar acquisition, announced Monday by Thoma Bravo, may not have surprised those familiar with the private equity firm’s long history of investing in technology companies. But the timing of the deal and its price tag may come as more of a question in the minds of anyone who works in and around the federal government.

What could Thoma Bravo gain by spending $1.1 billion for a place in the government contracting business given the current spending environment? Keep reading →

In a move suggesting how quickly cloud computing is becoming part of the government IT mainstream, the Office of Management and Budget is requiring agencies to itemize their cloud computing initiatives in fiscal 2014 budget plans.

The emphasis on cloud computing comes within the larger context of planned cuts to information technology spending. The guidance formalizes prior notices for agencies to “propose reductions in IT that represent 10% of their overall spending, and propose a reinvestment of at least 5%, and up to 10%, of these savings, in priority IT investments for OMB consideration.” Keep reading →

Cloud computing isn’t just about technology – it is about transformation, leadership and change. When it comes to government IT, cloud is typically 80% of the discussion, but only 20% of the budget.

With the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 18-month “Cloud First” deadline passing in June and the federal government hoping to accredit three cloud service providers under FedRAMP by the end of 2012, cloud computing is at the forefront of government IT. Keep reading →

Uncertainty continues for anyone involved with the federal budget. Just a few weeks ago, the hope was the Congressional Super Committee would set forth a clear path for deficit reduction. The framework would guide Congress to get the federal government back into a normal cycle of passing annual budgets by the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1.

Now that the Super Committee has failed, the question is “So now what?” on the federal budget? Keep reading →

File this one under “obvious,” but the Federal government finds itself in a budgetary bind. The talk coming out of every pundit’s mouth for the past few months has included “budget,” or “cost cutting,” and this could translate into a dramatically reduced Federal work force.

Can any agency afford to furlough, eliminate or contract its way to a slimmer budget? That was the question posed to government employees by GovLoop Founder, Steve Ressler: Can we really do more with less? Keep reading →

Technology holds massive cost-saving potential, but the bleak budget outlook means engaging stakeholders and building solid relationships along with high-level leadership will be the most important factors in achieving innovation in government.

Technology innovation discussions at this week’s Executive Leadership Conference touched on the usual suspects — data center consolidation and the cloud – and the anticipated cost savings. Keep reading →

Page 1 of 212