The federal IT beat had a busy week. Again.
GSA is changing the playbook. Instead of waiting years for standards and policy reviews, GSA is testing technology first. Then it feeds the lessons learned back into the standards process. CIO David Shive says the old approach could take two to three years. OneGov has already signed more than two dozen tech companies and identified $1.18 billion in savings. Apparently, “move fast” has finally found a government office.
VA is also trying to move faster. A new memo says vendors don’t need FedRAMP certification before competing for VA business. The security bar stays put. The bureaucratic speed bumps are supposed to come down. VA still requires a rigorous ATO process — targeted at 60 days.
Then there’s the DOGE Wall of Receipts. GAO says the wall reported $110 billion in savings as of July 7. But some numbers don’t add up. One example: DOGE claimed $1.7 billion in savings from a DoD health IT contract. GAO says the contract wasn’t terminated. No savings. No receipt. Awkward.
And finally, FEMA’s workforce numbers deserve attention. More than 4,300 employees left in FY 2025, a 55% increase over the prior year. GAO says FEMA made workforce cuts without adequate strategic planning.
So this week’s lesson?
Modernize faster. Secure smarter. And check the receipt.