Defense races the clock on 2005 BRAC implementation
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| July 26, 2010 |
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The Defense Department has just 14 months left to meet the deadline for implementing the largest base realignment and closure plan in history. Contracting and construction delays have left no margin for further delays in the department's plans to relocate 123,000 personnel and execute hundreds of actions affecting more than 800 Defense locations by Sept. 15, 2011, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis.
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Contractors caught gaming the system avoid punishment
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| July 16, 2010 |
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Nearly eight months after a watchdog report found extensive fraud in a contracting program designed to help injured veterans launch a second career, the government has yet to suspend or debar any companies, according to witnesses at a hearing on Thursday.
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State will turn to contractors for support in Iraq
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| July 13, 2010 |
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The State Department will have to hire thousands of contractors to provide security and logistical support as the U.S. military begins to withdraw from Iraq in 2011, according to new findings by a congressional commission.
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LHI earns award from Department of Defense
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| July 9, 2010 |
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Logistics Health Inc. in La Crosse was named one of 15 recipients nationwide Thursday to earn the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, for support of employees who serve in National Guard and Armed Forces Reserve units.
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Are contracting reforms working
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| July 8, 2010 |
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Are contracting reforms taking hold across government?
The Office of Management and Budget says agencies are turning the corner in reducing the risks in contracting.
A new fact sheet from OMB shows agencies are competing more contracts and using fewer risky types of procurements, such as time and materials.
But one former OFPP official says at least some of the progress could be attributed to insourcing.
Federal News Radio's Jason Miller joins us with details on the progress agencies seem to be making
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Defense aims to use interagency contracts judiciously
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| June 30, 2010 |
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The Defense Department will encourage its contracting officers to use the General Services Administration's Multiple Awards Schedule if GSA can justify that the value of the services provided is commensurate with their price, the Pentagon's top career procurement policy official told an industry association on Wednesday.
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Small business owners air contracting frustrations
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| June 28, 2010 |
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Small business owners and advocates told members of the Obama administration on Monday that it must quickly break down barriers to contracting opportunities.
At a jam-packed public meeting in the Commerce Department auditorium, dozens of small business contractors expressed frustration with a system they claim is geared unfairly to large companies.
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Notice of Public Meeting to Offer Views on the Challenges Small Businesses Face
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| June 22, 2010 |
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On April 26, 2010, President Obama established an Interagency Task Force to develop proposals and recommendations for enhancing the use of small businesses in Federal contracting, including businesses owned by women, minorities, socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and service-disabled veterans of our Armed Forces
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Obama directs government to withhold pay from delinquent contractors
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| June 18, 2010 |
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President Obama signed a memorandum on Friday establishing a Do Not Pay list, a single online destination where agencies can check the status of recipients of federal funds before sending payment.
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The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council New Rules
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| June 17, 2010 |
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The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) published a number of interim and final rules in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-42
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Pentagon procurement officer describes overhaul in contracting
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| June 1, 2010 |
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Edward M. Harrington deals with big bucks. More than $132 billion annually, in fact. As the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for procurement, he helps oversee how the Army spends every dollar, buying a range of items and services: from complex computer software to run electronics programs, to setting dining tents for soldiers in deserts, to buying armored tanks, ammunition and weapons from contractors.
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SBA Honors National Small Business Champions
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| May 25, 2010 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thirteen small business owners and leaders of small business support organizations were hailed today by the U.S. Small Business Administration for their outstanding support of entrepreneurs. The Champion
Awards were presented today in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual observance of National Small Business Week.
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Pentagon reports progress on anniversary of procurement reform law
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| May 20, 2010 |
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In the year since President Obama signed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act into law, the Defense Department has made significant strides in gaining control over the cost and development of its procurement programs, Pentagon officials testified on Wednesday.
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Federal acquisition councils anticipate mandate to increase transparency
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| May 13, 2010 |
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The Obama administration could be inching closer to requiring federal agencies to post online copies of their contract documents.
On Thursday, the civilian and defense acquisition councils, which craft changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, published an advance notice of proposed rule-making that could set the stage for arguably the most ambitious effort to date in procurement transparency.
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Congress weighs federal funds for Gulf cleanup
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| May 5, 2010 |
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Federal funding could be needed to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as well as to help the region's devastated fisheries and blunt the effects on the economy, leading lawmakers and Democratic aides said Tuesday. And one vehicle for such funds could be the upcoming supplemental funding bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Fourteen Ineligible Firms Received $325 Million in Sole-Source and Set-Aside Contracts
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| May 3, 2010 |
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FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:
GAO identified $325 million in set-aside and sole-source contracts given to firms not eligible for the 8(a) program. Most were obtained through fraudulent schemes.
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VA is exceeding veteran contracting goals, says watchdog
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| April 30, 2010 |
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The Veterans Affairs Department has made impressive progress in awarding a high percentage of its contracts to veteran-owned small businesses, but needs to improve its ability to verify the status of those firms, a government watchdog testified on Thursday.
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Federal Register Change
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| April 22, 2010 |
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Federal Register/Vol. 75 No. 55/Tuesday March 23, 2010/Rules and Regulations
The Federal Acquisition Regulation has been amended to implement the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). The system is designed to enhance to Government’s ability to evaluation the business ethics and quality of prospective contractors.
A section has been added in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) regarding criminal/civil/administrative proceedings. The proceedings page on CCR is to be completed when the contractors do their annual update unless they log into the registration prior.
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Technology Innovation Program
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| April 16, 2010 |
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The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is seeking proposals for high-risk, high-reward research projects in the area of Critical National Need: Manufacturing.
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Important change to HUBZone regulations
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| April 15, 2010 |
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On May 3, 2010, an important change to the HUBZone regulations will go into effect concerning the definition of an employee.
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2010 Marks the 30th Anniversary of the UWM Small Business Development Center
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| April 12, 2010 |
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This year, the UW–Milwaukee Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has a lot to celebrate, including 30 years of:
•Helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses
•Supporting the development and growth of dynamic small
and medium enterprises in southeastern Wisconsin
•Working with wonderful public and private partners to buttress
this critical segment of our economy that provides over 70% of net new jobs
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Final Rule to Extend Use of Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items
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| March 19, 2010 |
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The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) have agreed on a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to revise subpart 13.5, ``Test Program for Certain Commercial Items,'' to implement section 816 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 (Pub. L. 111-84). The rule extends the program for two more years.
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Court puts HUBZone firms at top of small business pecking order
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| March 8, 2010 |
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The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has rearranged the small business contracting hierarchy with a ruling that firms in low-income neighborhoods take priority in federal awards.
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Senator: Contracting provisions will be passed in next jobs bill
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| March 4, 2010 |
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A bill to make it easier for small businesses to win federal contracts on Thursday cleared the Senate committee where similar provisions have stalled, and the panel's leader said she is confident the legislation will become law.
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Coming soon: New guidelines on which federal jobs can be outsourced
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| March 1, 2010 |
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The Office of Management and Budget plans to release new guidance later this month that will help federal agencies define which tasks should be performed by the government and which are suitable for outsourcing, according to the Obama administration's new procurement chief.
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EPA plans to spend $2.2B to protect Great Lakes
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| February 22, 2010 |
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The federal government plans to spend $2.2 billion to clean up pollution in the Great Lakes and halt the spread of invasive species over the next five years.
That plan, announced Sunday, marks a "significant investment" in fighting some of the biggest environmental threats to the nation's largest freshwater lakes, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said. The EPA will use the money to prevent beach pollution, clean up toxic hot spots, and fight Asian carp and other invasive species. That effort "will leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation than the condition in which we inherited them," Jackson said.
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Report finds federal regulations have delayed stimulus projects
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| February 19, 2010 |
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A bevy of strict regulations imposed on agencies and government contractors have slowed the pace of some Recovery Act projects, according to a report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office.
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VA tightens rules for veterans contracting program
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| February 10, 2010 |
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The Veterans Affairs Department has set strict guidelines for bidding on contracts set-aside for veteran-owned small businesses.
Entrepreneurs will be allowed only one company at a time in the contracting program and must work full time in the business, according to a final rule published on Monday in the Federal Register.
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DoD STTR Solicitation
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| February 5, 2010 |
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The DoD STTR Solicitation will be released on February 23. Proposal preparation instructions and requirements, important new information about this program, program description, definitions, methods of selection and evaluation criteria, and contracting information are now available to review.
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The Quadrennial Defense Review
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| February 4, 2010 |
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The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is a legislatively-mandated review of Department of Defense strategy and priorities. The QDR will set a long-term course for DoD as it assesses the threats and challenges that the nation faces and re-balances DoD's strategies, capabilities, and forces to address today's conflicts and tomorrow's threats.
See the website below for articles dealing with future Defense spending.
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Obama wants nearly $80B for IT projects
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| February 3, 2010 |
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President Barack Obama today requested $79.4 billion in spending on information technology projects for fiscal 2011, a 1.2 percent increase from what he proposed in fiscal 2010 and a slight decrease from the $80.6 billion the 2010 budget actually allocated.
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Obama goes after tax-delinquent contractors
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| January 20, 2010 |
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President Obama issued a memorandum on Wednesday designed to ensure that companies that are seriously delinquent on their taxes are not awarded federal contracts.
The order directs the Internal Revenue Service commissioner to review the certifications firms submit when bidding for federal contracts showing they are up-to-date on their taxes. The IRS chief is to report to the White House within 90 days on the accuracy of those certifications.
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Upcoming News for 2010
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| December 21, 2009 |
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Each year, there are big important stories, and few would argue with our picks for 2009.
We rank the most important stories of this year and beyond.
But we highlight these particular stories not only for the immediate impact they had but also for the lasting influence they continue to exercise.
In essence, these stories aren’t over. They will keep people talking and make headlines in 2010 and beyond.
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Oshkosh Joint Venture Project
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| December 16, 2009 |
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This multidisciplinary joint venture team led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison is attempting to develop a commercial-scale method for thoroughly mixing and dispersing nanoparticles in molten metals to enable the manufacture of large and complex metal castings with greatly enhanced performance characteristics. The joint-venture team includes Eck Industries, Inc., Nanostructured & Amorphous Materials, Inc., the Oshkosh Corporation, and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. To improve performance and energy efficiency, engineers increasingly are turning from iron and steel to lightweight alloys of aluminum and magnesium.
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Federal Debt Flag will be in production 11-30-2009
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| November 30, 2009 |
Federal Debt Flag will be in production 11-30-2009.
The FAR mandating the FDF is being published 11-30-2009 and will be active in February 2010.
CCR receives updated data from Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Treasury, for the Federal Debt Flag once per week.
FAQ’s:
Q: What does it mean if my registration shows “yes” for the Federal Debt Flag?
A: If a registration shows “Yes” for Federal Debt Flag, that registrant will need to contact Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Treasury, at 800-304-3107 with any questions regarding that debt.
A: CCR receives updated data from FMS for the Federal Debt Flag once per week. If it has been more than a week since the debt has been rectified, you can check with FMS at 800-304-3107.
For more information click HERE
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GAO finds fraud in SDV program
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| November 24, 2009 |
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The Government Accountability Office audited a handful of
service-disabled veteran-owned small business contracts, and
might have discovered the tip of a large iceberg of fraud.
Of more than 100 allegations of fraud and abuse, GAO audited 10
firms between October 2008 and November 2009 and found that
ineligible companies improperly received millions of dollars in setaside
and sole source SDVOSB contracts. The audited firms
received approximately $100 million in SDVOSB contracts and
another $300 million through other small business programs such
as the 8(a) program for disadvantaged minority groups and the
HUBZone program for firms located in historically underutilized
business zones.
According to the Small Business Administration, $6.5 billion in
federal contracts were awarded to service-disabled veteran-owned
small businesses in fiscal 2008.
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Wisconsin Contractors Boast Great Record
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| November 24, 2009 |
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Northeastern Wisconsin boasts several companies that have done handsomely thanks to Uncle Sam. Institutional furniture maker and designer Krueger International in Bellevue — known simply as KI — is among them. It has rung up $76 million in government work this year, much of it under contract with the Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons . The company puts tooling and equipment into federal prisons. The state has drawn a much larger proportion of federal contract work in recent years.
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WI Contractors Tap into Federal Dollars
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| November 24, 2009 |
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Julio De Arteaga built his career brick by brick.
Now, 20 years since he formed his namesake firm as a masonry contractor, De Arteaga, of Greenville, has grown his team to 65 people. Not only has he grown his firm, he also has partnered with Miron Construction, the big Town of Menasha contractor, on a $28 million Department of Labor project for a new Wisconsin Job Corps center in Milwaukee. Not bad for a guy who apprenticed with Miron in 1989.
"I've been doing governmental work for quite a while," De Arteaga said. "But it really boomed when we started our joint venture and I was able to capitalize on the resources that Miron could provide."
They are among the group of Wisconsin firms expected to ring up about $4.6 billion in government business in fiscal 2009, a sum roughly on pace with the previous year.
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