Companies receiving no-bid contracts costing more than $400 million have been late with deliveries of armored equipment and bomb-protection technologies for U.S. forces, according to a story by Renae Merle in the Washington Post.  The information emerged in a report by the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.  More here.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, widely criticized for inaction on public safety issues, will soon propose new regulations to improve the chances of catching dangerous imported toys and recreational equipment, Eric Lipton reports in the New York Times here.  For an Understanding Government report used recently by Congress to examine the work of the CPSC, click here.

The federal government is in something of a recruitment crisis.  And it looks like the government’s own hiring and contracting practices are partly to blame. (more…)