Congress passed a 90-day extension of transportation funding, to keep highway projects going until the end of June. But an agreement on a long-term plan still looks to be far away.

It’s not just Republicans against Democrats; it’s Republicans against Republicans. The argument is over how much to spend and how to pay for it.

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Contractors may find that their catalogs and price lists have disappeared from GSA Advantage if they have not updated the listings within the past two years. Washington Management Group says GSA has begun deleting the outdated listings.

The consulting firm says your GSA contract requires you to honor prices in the catalog, even if they are outdated.

Details are at http://vsc.gsa.gov/EDIUser/gsaadvdocs.cfm.

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The Department of Agriculture is warning its contractors about fraudulent letters and emails requesting personal and financial information. The fraudulent letters bear USDA’s logo and seal and are signed by an individual identified as “Frank Rutenberg” using a title of “Senior Procurement Officer.” USDA said it did not send the letters.

The department’s inspector general is investigating.

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The Government Accountability Office has ruled that Veterans First contracting preference does not trump the AbilityOne program for the disabled.

In deciding a bid protest, GAO said AbilityOne has first priority for the items it provides, and the Veterans First law does not override that preference.

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The Minority Business Development Agency has opened a Federal Procurement Center in Washington aimed at helping minority-owned firms win government contracts.

MBDA Director David Hinson said the contracting process “has been a source of frustration both for the minority business owners who seek federal contracting opportunities and the federal agencies that have tried hard to expand opportunities for minority, woman-owned and small businesses.”

The center is operated by the Metropolitan Economic Development Association of Minneapolis under a five-year, $1.75 million agreement.

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Three contractors and four civilian employees at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, CA, have pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a bribery and fraud scheme that went on for seven years.

The U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego said the Navy employees received $1 million in cash bribes and other benefits. They worked on the E2/C2 aircraft program at the base’s Fleet Readiness Center, which handles aircraft maintenance.

U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said the investigation began with a phone tip to an anonymous hotline.