The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a new report that a 2018 change in the law determining whether the Federal government pays fair or reasonable prices for goods and services has not resulted in much of a difference in contract evaluations for two Federal agencies with considerable buying power. […]
As advances in computing power and the ability to leverage large data sets and complex algorithms have increased in recent years, Federal agencies are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) to gain new insights from data and improve operational efficiencies in everything from healthcare to transportation to citizen services and public safety. […]
The United States Air Force (USAF) Kessel Run detachment is undergoing a change in leadership, as Col. Brian Beachkofski has moved to the private sector after two years as the Kessel Run Commander and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has named Drew Myklegard acting Deputy Federal CIO while it continues to seek a permanent hire for the vacant Deputy Federal CIO position. […]
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues through its second month with no let-up in sight, Federal cybersecurity and law enforcement officials are warning that they still see indications of potential Russian cyberattacks on United States critical infrastructure, and are reiterating their “Shields Up” warning to meet those potential threats. […]
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) – a component of the Defense Department (DoD) that conducts most of the Federal government’s personnel security investigations along with handling security education and awareness training – has promoted two senior officials to run contracting and policy functions for the agency. […]
The U.S. Census Bureau on April 11 unveiled a new data tool that provides transparency on racial and income data across the United States, and is searchable by individual states. […]
A new report from the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is calling on the agency to improve its online identity verification controls after finding the number of fraudulent change of addresses (COAs) has increased by 167 percent. […]
The Digital Services Coalition (DSC) has released its strategic priorities and goals for 2022–2025, which include introducing a shared language for digital services and digital transformation, along with providing new tools and technology to support the DSC community. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) today explained a range of steps the agency is taking to advance equity and supplier diversity in Federal government procurement, including category management changes and commitments to help reduce contracting obstacles for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs). […]
With state and local governments (SLGs) becoming more tempting targets for cyberattacks every day, Federal and SLG experts are increasingly urging the importance of communication between the public and private sector in order to achieve a unified and stronger American cybersecurity posture. […]
The President’s Management Agenda (PMA) sets out broad, ambitious goals for improving the customer experience and empowering the Federal workforce. While technology underpins these goals, in-depth understanding of the agency mission and challenges is required to truly realize the promise of the PMA. MeriTalk sat down with Joe Kehoe, vice president of the Department of Defense (DoD) practice at Maximus, to learn how his company approaches agency engagements and leverages emerging technologies to modernize agency systems – with the goal of providing the best experience for his customers’ customers: American citizens. […]
Your agency has acquired the latest and greatest cloud business communications platform. It allows employees to collaborate on projects, store documents in the cloud, instant message, and hold video calls – increasing employee productivity. Your agency isn’t alone. Gartner reports that almost 80 percent of workers used collaboration tools in 2021, an increase of 44 percent since the start of the pandemic. […]
Longtime Navy veteran Tracy L. Hines was promoted from captain to Rear Adm. (lower half) and assigned to be the Navy Cyber Security Division Director in Navy’s Washington, D.C., Office of Naval Operations, DoD announced April 6. […]
JaNelle DeVore has been selected to serve as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), bringing to the role over 30 years of professional experience in Federal continuity programs, various cybersecurity work roles, the private sector, and the intelligence community. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the publishing of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the construction and demonstration of a prototype mobile micro-nuclear reactor dubbed Project Pele. The reactor, DoD said, would be capable of producing between 1 and 5 megawatts of electrical power. […]
The ever-growing influx of data collected from thousands of sensors means that the U.S. Army needs more help than ever in sorting through that sea of information, and creating a robust data fabric to help with that task is essential, leaders from the service branch said this week. […]
Leaders of the House Oversight and Reform Committee are launching an investigation into identity verification contractor ID.me, citing concerns about the efficacy, security, and privacy of its facial recognition technology that is used by millions of Americans seeking access to government services. […]
In response to President Biden’s first executive order in office that aims to advance racial equity and support for underserved communities, the White House on April 14 released summaries of the equity plans agencies have put forth to meet the EO’s requirements. […]
As the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) effort to transform the President’s Management Agenda from a list of goals into actionable policy steps gathers steam, OMB is fleshing out its list of Federal agency officials who are taking on leadership rules not only for the three major PMA pushes but for numerous strategic goals within each of them. […]
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the appointment of 27 new experts to the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Committee (NAIAC) – the first appointments for the recently established committee. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) has released its Equity Action Plan, which is meant to increase equity in Federal procurement, Federal buildings, and Federal technology design and delivery. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded Amentum a five-year contract worth up to $260 million to produce and deploy prototypes that target emerging and uncrewed air, land, maritime, space, and cyber threats for the agency. […]
When implementing zero trust security architectures, an official from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said today that the real change is not a technology change, but instead a “cultural change” within the organization. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), along with the FBI, Department of Energy (DoE), and National Security Agency (NSA), is warning that advanced persistent threat (APT) actors are seeking to gain full access to industrial control systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, CISA warned in a cybersecurity advisory April 13. […]
In response to the Biden Administration calling on agencies to transform customer experience in government, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo Wednesday directing agencies to identify and reduce the burden individuals go through when applying for Federal services. […]
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is seeking information and sources for a Virtual Data Enclave (VDE) for managing data in a protected environment with a tool to share restricted microdata with researchers authorized to access the data. […]
The long road to implementing zero trust security architectures may be driven by top-down policy directives and prioritizing technology pillars, but the art and science of communication and collaboration are showing up as vital inputs into organizing Federal agency technologists and network users to move toward the government’s zero trust goals. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) this week previewed its upcoming Federal Marketplace (FMP) Spring 2022 release, which the agency said will improve the digital experience of all suppliers, buyers, and members of the acquisition workforce. […]
With the 60-day deadlines for some of the objectives from the Office of Management and Budget’s Zero Trust memo now in the rearview, Federal agencies should have a zero trust implementation plan in place, with a focus on initial data categorization and laying the groundwork for a zero trust architecture. […]