In a move to help increase law enforcement accountability, the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is releasing $7.65 million in a competitive microgrant grant solicitation that will fund body-worn cameras (BWCs) to any law enforcement department with 50 or fewer full-time sworn personnel, rural agencies, and Federally-recognized Tribal agencies. […]
While the State Department Office of Technology Services’ (OTS) information system processes were compliant with many Department of State and Federal standards, there were some significant areas that require management attention, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG). […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) investigation of the VA’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) modernization program has found an additional $2.5 billion in unreported IT infrastructure upgrade costs, which could put the program cost up to $5.1 billion more than estimated. […]
A wide-ranging executive order (EO) issued today by President Biden is aiming to boost opportunities for small businesses by directing all Federal agencies to promote greater competition in their procurement and spending decisions, although specific marching orders to agencies to accomplish that goal have not yet been spelled out. […]
The Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is dedicating $10 million in Federal funding for the creation of a research center that aims to address inequities in higher education online learning. […]
As Federal agencies deliberate how to reopen traditional offices and the policies they will need to keep employees safe, one thing is clear: gone are the days when the cubicle was the only option for government workers. The pandemic has forced Federal agencies to rethink telework policies, remote work, and even in-office setups. […]
Law enforcement agencies that use forensic algorithms to aid in criminal investigations face numerous challenges, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), including difficulty interpreting and communicating results, as well as addressing potential bias or misuse. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued its artificial intelligence (AI) accountability framework for Federal agencies and other entities to ensure responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable AI. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it has launched what it is describing as the “country’s largest effort to close the homework gap,” and has opened the application window for $7.17 billion of funding through the agency’s Emergency Connectivity Fund. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an interagency agreement to coordinate the distribution of Federal broadband deployment funds. […]
NASA awarded a $2.5 billion IT and telecommunications services contract for Advanced Enterprise Global Information Technology Solutions (AEGIS) to Leidos, according to an agency announcement. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) believes it has enough IT funding this year to slowly start reducing its technical debt for the first time, agency leaders said today during a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing on the fiscal year 2022 (FY2022) VA IT budget. […]
The House Appropriations Committee agreed with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) $4.8 billion IT systems budget request for Fiscal Year 2022, but cut $26 million from the VA’s request for funding for its electronic health records (EHR) project. […]
A new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) puts veterans’ sensitive information and facility security at risk by not following requirements about documenting personal identity verification (PIV) cards returned by contract personnel. […]
Data is at the center of the new race for technological superiority, however, data without analytics, automation, and technical know-how are just numbers on a page. Agencies need new approaches and on June 30 at a ‘Getting Gov the Right Data Skills’ webinar, Federal data experts revealed one method is to upskill an agency’s data workforce. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) is looking to develop practices that will ease the migration from public-key cryptographic algorithms to replacement algorithms that are resistant to quantum computer-based attacks. […]
The Department of Interior needs to do more to share data across several systems that it uses to oversee oil and gas development on leased Federal lands, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report. […]
The House of Representatives on Monday evening passed by wide margins two potential and complementary alternatives to the Senate-approved United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA), both of which would funnel tens of billions of new research funding to Federal government agencies. […]
A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has clearly defined roles and responsibilities for coordination with healthcare organizations to support cybersecurity efforts. However, GAO found areas where HHS could improve collaboration. […]
President Biden on June 25 signed an executive order (EO) that aims to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) for the Federal workforce. […]
Federal employees that have been fully vaccinated and have completed the two-week efficacy period can travel for personal and professional reasons without self-quarantining and testing before returning to work, according to new guidance from the White House COVID-19 Response Team on June 24. […]
Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., is calling on Inspectors General (IGs) from select agencies to assess the impact of telework agency missions, employee performance, and service during the pandemic. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) is looking to spend $12 billion on its 29 largest business IT systems from fiscal years (FY) 2019 through 2022, although, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DoD may be underestimating the risks for some acquisitions and need to do more to improve the sharing and transparency of data it uses to monitor acquisitions. […]
The Senate confirmed by voice vote late Wednesday the nomination of Robin Carnahan to lead the General Services Administration (GSA). Carnahan, who was nominated by President Biden on April 6, brings a wealth of IT and agency-specific experience to the new post. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) has set up a 10-year, $2.1 billion multiple-award schedule (MAS) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) IT mission needs. […]
The Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI), a technology trade group that aims to help shape government innovation, is asking the Biden Administration to consider seven recommendations on Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) that it says will better achieve IT and cybersecurity priorities outlined in the administration’s Build Back Better agenda. […]
The Senate voted along party lines today to confirm Kiran Ahuja to become the next director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for a four-year term. […]
FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said she plans to have commissioners vote at the agency’s July 13 meeting on a report and order to implement the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. The program – worth nearly $1.9 billion – is intended to help network service providers replace equipment in their networks made by China-based Huawei, ZTE, and any other providers that the Federal government may deem as risky to national security. […]
A bevy of bills recently introduced in both the Senate and the House aim to help increase access to telehealth services, and establish a $50 million virtual health pilot program within the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). […]
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded the first phase of the 8(a) STARS III Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). This fourth-generation $50 billion contract primarily focuses on emerging technologies and performance outside of the continental United States. […]