Are you kidding me?

If you want a sign of what's wrong with acquisition, see Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-67, published today, Item VI, "Federal Acquisition Regulation; Price Analysis Techniques." The FAR councils take two and one-half pages to explain why they amended FAR 15.404-1( b )(2)(i) to change a reference from "15.403-1( c )(1)" to "15.403-1( c )(1)(i)." That's right, they added "(i)." That's it.

Round of applause, everybody! The government is going to pay better prices from now on! (Now read the recent GSA IG report about improper intervention by GSA managers in negotiations for Multiple Award Schedule contracts. http://www.gsaig.gov/?LinkServID=A6466340-F829-EFFC-E9457DED4C509DB0&showMeta=0.)

Meanwhile, the obscurity of the late proposal rule in FAR 15.208 and 52.215-1 with respect to late electronic proposals has been prompting protests to the Court of Federal Claims. There is so much uncertainty about the proper interpretation of the rule some contracting offices and individual COs will not allow the submission of electronic proposals. Yet, there is no FAR case to make a much needed fix.

Stupid.