Fiscal Management
Keating Report on government budgets and spending, 2nd half 2011
The 2011 Mid-Year Keating Report covers federal budgets, transportation projects, state tax revenue, local government budget trends, ARRA-funded construction and government spending....
Total Transparency in Real Time
Reverse auctions are gaining popularity as a procurement tool in the challenging economic climate....
Legislation introduced to repeal 3 percent withholding provision
Bills have been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate to repeal the 3 percent withholding provision. The provision mandates that federal, state, and local governments with expenditures of more than $100 million withhold for tax purposes 3 percent of payments for products and services valued at more than $10,000....
Adapting to lower tax revenues: The TBC model
The Transitional Benefits Corporation (TBC) model provides several conversion options for government bodies, all while continuing certain services at the current pace of operations....
Transitioning a Mature P-Card System
Washington State Department of Transportation shares the lessons of switching card providers....
The Outlook for Procurement
Looking ahead to 2011 and beyond, tighter budgets will make the procurement function more valuable than ever....
Don't reduce the deficit at counties' expense
An excerpt from a letter from National Association of Counties Executive Director Larry Naake to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which is formulating a proposal to reduce the federal deficit....
Controlling Costs Through Energy Procurement
Deregulation presents opportunities and challenges, and volatility in the electricity and natural gas markets makes a sound procurement plan crucial....
Transparency in government
Technology provides a modern tool to transform a 200-year-old philosophical ideal into an achievable reality....
Live the legend at NIGP Forum 2010
This year's NIGP Forum and Products Exposition takes place in San Antonio, from Aug. 12-17. Nearly 1,000 public procurement professionals will come together to network with colleagues and learn from industry leaders and professional speakers....
State and local tax revenue grow for a second straight quarter
Tax revenues grew in the first quarter of 2010, marking the second straight quarter of growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue."...
Intergovernmental cooperation: Doing more with less
Governments work together to share costs and improve operations....
From thirsty to thrifty
Some governments are putting a cap on bottled water purchases....
States' public safety departments facing tight budgets in FY 2011
Public safety departments will most likely see tightened budgets while facing other obstacles, such as outdated technology and lack of personnel....
More support to repeal 3% withholding mandate
The National Institute for Governmental Purchasing has started a letter-writing campaign to repeal Section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act....
Association of state purchasers urges repeal of 3 percent withholding mandate
Describing the mandate as "an administrative and record-keeping nightmare," the National Association of State Procurement Officials is supporting the repeal of Section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005....
A busy year for the NIGP Code
This 2009 Annual Report article provides a snapshot of our activities last year, including ongoing efforts and successes....
Understanding lease alternatives to manage scarce resources
Effective leasing practices can help every agency better manage its resources when budgets are tight....
Adding value and driving performance with spend analysis
Analyze your organization's spending data to increase visibility into spending and to promote superior sourcing decisions....
Texas tops list of states with low per-capita spending
A Government Product News analysis of state government per-capita spending data shows Texas spends the least per-capita among the states. The other top five states with lowest per-capita spends are Nevada, Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri. Among the 20 states with the lowest per-capita spends, half are in the South or Western United States. The five states with the highest per-capita spending rates are Hawaii, Vermont, Delaware, Wyoming and Alaska, which has the highest per-capita spending rate among all states. ...
Spend analysis can outfox a tricky economy
Johnson County, Kansas, saves money by consolidating spend data from departments that use similar products....
Gearing Up to Manage Stimulus Dollars
Local government purchasers are helping to secure, manage and spend federal stimulus funds....
How suppliers are weathering the recession
The economic downturn has also been a challenge for suppliers to the government market, but suppliers see a closer working partnership with customers as an approach that works for everyone....
County chooses triennial budget for better long-range planning
Oakland County, which is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, has decided to move from a two- to a three-year budgeting cycle, in hopes of sparing county residents from emergency spending cuts that disrupt services....
Career expert: Look for a bigger federal bureaucracy
A bigger federal footprint, increased hiring of procurement and contract analysts by federal agencies, and satellite city halls in shopping malls are a few of the predictions being made by career coach and Kiplinger.com contributing columnist Marty Nemko. ...

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