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18F Is Testing Micro-Purchase Auctions

jelder 11y ago
Can anyone explain why an otherwise very forward-looking, user-experienced focus got stuck with an incomprehensible name like "18F?"
- tdy721 11y ago
  See the `.gov` at the end of the name? ~.^
- ante_annum 11y ago
  Its name refers to its office location in northwest Washington, D.C., on 18th and F Streets.
  - nordsieck 11y ago
    I'm sure it doesn't hurt that 18F is the MOS designation for "special forces intelligence sergeant".
- jdmichal 11y ago
  What would you have preferred? The Forward-Looking User-Experience-Focused Group -- FLUEF for short? I mean, I never would have guessed that Apple would be a major computer vender. Or that Sears would be a store. Or that Kellogg would be a food company. Things get stuck with opaque-looking names all the time, if you don't know the history behind them.
- meddlepal 11y ago
  I actually think 18F is pretty distinctive and thus a great name.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    +1 for 18F. I'd even dig "18F Labs".
- hennaheto 11y ago
  The name is an homage to the show 30 rock and their offices are located on 18th and F
thebiglebrewski 11y ago
Great marketplace! Now why is it so damn hard to sign up to do government contracts on this crappy website? https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11#1 https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11#1
- tvanantwerp 11y ago
  I'm still trying to figure this out. I'm stuck at getting myself a D-U-N-S number. D&B can't figure out if I really exist, though they can verify my 15-years-dead father is real and could register a business. http://www.tomvanantwerp.com/my-kafkaesque-attempt-to-make-a-few-extra-dollars/ http://www.tomvanantwerp.com/my-kafkaesque-attempt-to-make-a...
  - tomkinstinch 11y ago
    It wasn't hard for me to register my LLC for a DUNS number, and I don't recall any sort of onerous verification process, but I also used the free signup for gov't contractors[1]. It still strikes me as extremely strange that government contracts require registration with a private entity—seems like it should be done through the OMB or SBA or something. Be forewarned that if you register a DUNS entity, DnB will hound you with worthless phone calls offering "value added" services (possibly including unnecessary paid "verification"); best to use a Google voice number or a line to which you can otherwise apply a blacklist. 1. http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do
- danieltillett 11y ago
  I wrote a long step-by-step article about what you need to do [1]. It is written for Australian companies, but only a couple of steps need to be changed for any other country. 1. https://www.tillett.info/2015/12/01/how-to-register-an-australian-company-for-business-with-the-usa-government/ https://www.tillett.info/2015/12/01/how-to-register-an-austr...
koolba 11y ago
It's interesting that this time around the bids didn't bottom out at the min. All but one are in the $300-$500 range. The first time they tried this the winning bid was one (1) dollar[1]. [1]: https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  That $1 bid was someone who wanted to do the project for free. Just thought that should be disclosed. "I figured it would be cool to be a part of this first micro-purchase experiment and demonstrate that there are people — at least one but I think a lot more — willing and excited to help out on meaningful, civic-minded initiatives," he said in an interview with Federal Times. "I love working on little web projects in my free time. This is $1 more than I make on those and this one actually helps people." http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/gsa-gwac/2015/11/09/dollar-micro-purchase-pilot/75452072/ http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/gsa... https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://github.com/18F/calc/pull/256 https://github.com/18F/calc/pull/256
netinstructions 11y ago
Am I understanding this correctly? Someone was awarded $350 to add 19 lines of CSS? The auction/requirements: https://micropurchase.18f.gov/auctions/6 https://micropurchase.18f.gov/auctions/6 The code change: https://github.com/cwarden/micropurchase/commit/9e0f896023c671753eb870e7c677d56d8f3df365 https://github.com/cwarden/micropurchase/commit/9e0f896023c6... I should sign up! Looks like the other auction/requirements are more involved though.
- matt_wulfeck 11y ago
  Sounds like a fantastic deal. Seriously. There's so much government waste that it's a miracle when they pay someone less that $1000 to pick up a pencil.
dang 11y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10471677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10471677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10570069 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10570069

Can anyone explain why an otherwise very forward-looking, user-experienced focus got stuck with an incomprehensible name like "18F?"

tdy721 11y ago
See the `.gov` at the end of the name? ~.^
ante_annum 11y ago
Its name refers to its office location in northwest Washington, D.C., on 18th and F Streets.
- nordsieck 11y ago
  I'm sure it doesn't hurt that 18F is the MOS designation for "special forces intelligence sergeant".
jdmichal 11y ago
What would you have preferred? The Forward-Looking User-Experience-Focused Group -- FLUEF for short? I mean, I never would have guessed that Apple would be a major computer vender. Or that Sears would be a store. Or that Kellogg would be a food company. Things get stuck with opaque-looking names all the time, if you don't know the history behind them.
meddlepal 11y ago
I actually think 18F is pretty distinctive and thus a great name.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  +1 for 18F. I'd even dig "18F Labs".
hennaheto 11y ago
The name is an homage to the show 30 rock and their offices are located on 18th and F

thebiglebrewski 11y ago

Great marketplace! Now why is it so damn hard to sign up to do government contracts on this crappy website? https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11#1 https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11#1

tvanantwerp 11y ago
I'm still trying to figure this out. I'm stuck at getting myself a D-U-N-S number. D&B can't figure out if I really exist, though they can verify my 15-years-dead father is real and could register a business. http://www.tomvanantwerp.com/my-kafkaesque-attempt-to-make-a-few-extra-dollars/ http://www.tomvanantwerp.com/my-kafkaesque-attempt-to-make-a...
- tomkinstinch 11y ago
  It wasn't hard for me to register my LLC for a DUNS number, and I don't recall any sort of onerous verification process, but I also used the free signup for gov't contractors[1]. It still strikes me as extremely strange that government contracts require registration with a private entity—seems like it should be done through the OMB or SBA or something. Be forewarned that if you register a DUNS entity, DnB will hound you with worthless phone calls offering "value added" services (possibly including unnecessary paid "verification"); best to use a Google voice number or a line to which you can otherwise apply a blacklist. 1. http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do
danieltillett 11y ago
I wrote a long step-by-step article about what you need to do [1]. It is written for Australian companies, but only a couple of steps need to be changed for any other country. 1. https://www.tillett.info/2015/12/01/how-to-register-an-australian-company-for-business-with-the-usa-government/ https://www.tillett.info/2015/12/01/how-to-register-an-austr...

koolba 11y ago

It's interesting that this time around the bids didn't bottom out at the min. All but one are in the $300-$500 range. The first time they tried this the winning bid was one (1) dollar[1]. [1]: https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/

toomuchtodo 11y ago
That $1 bid was someone who wanted to do the project for free. Just thought that should be disclosed. "I figured it would be cool to be a part of this first micro-purchase experiment and demonstrate that there are people — at least one but I think a lot more — willing and excited to help out on meaningful, civic-minded initiatives," he said in an interview with Federal Times. "I love working on little web projects in my free time. This is $1 more than I make on those and this one actually helps people." http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/gsa-gwac/2015/11/09/dollar-micro-purchase-pilot/75452072/ http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/gsa... https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/ https://github.com/18F/calc/pull/256 https://github.com/18F/calc/pull/256

netinstructions 11y ago

Am I understanding this correctly? Someone was awarded $350 to add 19 lines of CSS? The auction/requirements: https://micropurchase.18f.gov/auctions/6 https://micropurchase.18f.gov/auctions/6 The code change: https://github.com/cwarden/micropurchase/commit/9e0f896023c671753eb870e7c677d56d8f3df365 https://github.com/cwarden/micropurchase/commit/9e0f896023c6... I should sign up! Looks like the other auction/requirements are more involved though.

matt_wulfeck 11y ago
Sounds like a fantastic deal. Seriously. There's so much government waste that it's a miracle when they pay someone less that $1000 to pick up a pencil.

dang 11y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10471677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10471677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10570069 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10570069