Sequestration is “a stupid way” to reduce the Defense Department budget, according to Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

Kendall made the comments at the 31st Annual Government Contract Management Conference in Washington, D.C., according to FedScoop.

Sequestration does not allow for prioritization or strategic alignment, he said.

“In the 70’s, I was an Army captain deployed in Europe, and I saw what it was like to live within a hollow force,” Kendall said. “I saw what it was like to have no parts for our systems, not be able to do any training and have very poor readiness. We don’t want to go back there.”

The Air Force has moved its $851 million Air Force engineering and advisory services contract to five small businesses.

The ETASS (Engineering & Technology Acquisition Support Services) contract previously had been held by Jacobs Engineering.

ETASS II was awarded to Abacus Technology Corp., Chevy Chase, MD: EIS Inc., Vienna, VA; Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Wakefield, MA: P3I Inc., Hopkinton, MA; and SpectrumS4, Burlington, MA; according to a report by Washington Technology.

The General Services Administration may consolidate its 31 Federal Supply Schedules into eight, according to Jeff Koses, GSA’s director of acquisition operations.

The goal is to make the schedules easier for government buyers to navigate, Koses said at a conference hosted by the Coalition for Government Procurement, according to Federal Times.

Under the consolidation, the schedules would be grouped into families and reduced in number.

GSA previously announced it will apply a “demand-based model” to phase out little-used contracts.

Congress has a long list of legislative unfinished business when it returns for a lame duck session after the election.

Along with sequestration and expiring Bush tax cuts, priorities on a list released to Gov.Exec.com by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, include cybersecurity, defense authorization, farm bill, FISA reauthorization intelligence authorization, rural housing and water resources development.

The U.S. Army‘s Contracting Command in Rock Island, IL announced that it is working with vendors to help develop a new procurement management system.

The new system is known as Army Procurement EXecution (APEX). Currently, the Army uses two systems--Procurement Automated Data and Document System/Virtual Contracting Enterprise (PADDS/VCE) and Standard Procurement System (SPS). Together they support about 8,000 users at 273 different locations, the Army said in its notice on the FBO.gov website.

In March, contractors who met screening criteria and who responded to a Request for Information were invited to participate in a survey and a demonstration of system capabilities. The Army said it has analyzed alternatives and recommended an acquisition strategy for APEX, but no decision has been made.

More information: http://goo.gl/McFkP

Elliott Branch, the Navy’s deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and procurement, was honored as Public Sector Partner of the Year in the 10th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards.

The awards are sponsored by Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Professional Services Council and Washington Technology.

Other awardees included:

• Contractor of the Year (less than $25 million): Octo Consulting Group Inc. of McLean, VA
• Contractor of the Year ($25-75 million): Blue Canopy Group LLC of Reston, VA
• Executive of the Year (less than $75 million): Greg Baroni, Chairman & CEO, Attain LLC of Vienna, VA.

Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. named small business teammates on the Army EAGLE contract. There are 33 awardees for the $23.5 billion contract.

Honeywell is teaming with ALOG Corp. and Logistics & Environmental Solutions Corp., both of Huntsville, AL and Hallmark Capital Group LLC of Houston.