The Department of Veterans Affairs has resumed using reverse auctions under new restrictions. VA imposed a moratorium on auctions in March because officials believed some contracting officers might be violating regulations.

In lifting the moratorium, Jan Frye, deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics, said contracting officers must document savings and costs, including the auctioneer’s fee.

“The reverse auction concept works well when the acquisition requirements are simple and the buyer is looking for the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) offer,” he wrote in an April 3 memo that was obtained by Federal Computer Week.

VA plans to require contractors to submit electronic invoices. VA says about one-fourth of its vendors already submit electronic requests for payment. Requiring all contractors to do so will speed payments, the department said in a notice of its proposed rule.

The proposed rule is RIN 2900-AN97—VA Acquisition Regulation: Electronic Submission of Payment Requests. Comments are due June 18.

The contractor that handled the White House’s super-secret “burn bag” has filed for bankruptcy and is liquidating, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to court documents, TW & Co., a Maryland security firm, began disposing of the burn bag in 2007. The bag is used to destroy material that is too sensitive for shredding.

Filings in federal bankruptcy court show the company owed $3 million in back taxes, among other debts.

The Journal reported that TW will sell its federal contracts and close up shop.

Bipartisan coalitions in the House and Senate have proposed legislation requiring Congress to consider whether it is adopting duplicative federal programs.

The bills are a response to Government Accountability Office reports identifying hundreds of overlapping or duplicative offices and programs throughout the government, most of them established by Congress. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, contends that eliminating duplication could save $100 billion a year.

The bills would require the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service to determine whether pending legislation would duplicate existing programs. Sponsors said that would “ensure members of Congress are informed of all existing federal programs before creating new ones.”