Acquisition

Federal Eye: New Presidential Portraits Coming Soon

Framed photographs of President Obama and Vice President Biden will soon replace shots of former president George W. Bush and former vice president Richard B. Cheney that have adorned the lobbies of Federal outposts for the past eight years. The new presidential photos, released last week, were the first taken by a digital camera. TheRead… Read more »

10 Secrets for Landing a Federal Job

From TheGovGurus.com: 1. KNOCK ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S FRONT DOOR AND BACK DOOR: Most job seekers look for federal openings only on USAJOBS (usajobs.opm.gov), the federal government’s official jobs website. But there are plenty of other ways to land federal jobs.For example, employment agencies and consulting firms frequently place employees on contract jobs in federalRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Lessons From Richardson’s Withdrawal

There’s plenty to learn from Gov. Bill Richardson’s (D-N.M.) decision to withdraw his name from consideration as the next secretary of commerce — both about how the nomination process works and about how his decision could impact the near-term operations of the Commerce Department. The governor apparently withdrew his name because “a grand jury inRead… Read more »

Center for American Progress Calls for Increased Contractor Scrutiny

It seems that accountability will be the name of the game in 2009. The Center for American Progress recently issued a report called, “Making Contracting Work for the United States,” which states that recent laws that require more disclosure by government contractors don’t do enough to regulate those companies. Although there has been progress withRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Homeland Security Goes Hollywood

A new reality television show focused on the agencies and employees of the Department of Homeland Security is sure to find fans among bureaucrats and department observers, and also is likely to draw some criticism from those who wonder if a primetime television show is the best use of the agency’s time. Homeland Security USARead… Read more »

The 4-Day Work Week: Could it Really Work?

I caught an article recently about a Louisiana House committee questioning a proposal to put state agencies on a shorter workweek. Of course thsi is being sold as a cost-saving idea by the sponsoring legislator. State Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, asked the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations to consider changing state employees’ workweeksRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Overheard at the Commerce Department …

The Eye, after ditching plans to attend a different event, found himself near the Commerce Department today as President-elect Obama named Bill Richardson as the next secretary of commerce. So after sampling the tasty fare at the Ronald Reagan Building’s food court, he sampled the opinions of some rank-and-file Commerce Department employees, to see whatRead… Read more »