
18F Is Testing Micro-Purchase Auctions - anton_tarasenko
https://micropurchase.18f.gov/
======
dang
[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)

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netinstructions
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/9e0f896023c6...](https://github.com/cwarden/micropurchase/commit/9e0f896023c671753eb870e7c677d56d8f3df365)

I should sign up! Looks like the other auction/requirements are more involved
though.

~~~
matt_wulfeck
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.

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koolba
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
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...](http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/gsa-
gwac/2015/11/09/dollar-micro-purchase-pilot/75452072/)

[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)

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thebiglebrewski
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
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...](http://www.tomvanantwerp.com/my-kafkaesque-attempt-to-make-a-few-
extra-dollars/)

~~~
tomkinstinch
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)

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

~~~
ante_annum
Its name refers to its office location in northwest Washington, D.C., on 18th
and F Streets.

~~~
nordsieck
I'm sure it doesn't hurt that 18F is the MOS designation for "special forces
intelligence sergeant".

