Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy
Federal spending American flag government

The Professional Services Council (PSC) is boosting its forecast for Federal civilian agency IT spending through 2027, to a 2.3 percent year-over-year growth rate over that period, up from its estimate of 1.8 percent growth last year. […]

Digital vaccine credentials and exposure notification apps can be used to safely reopen social and economic activities and allow for more rapid and broader contact tracing. However, an official from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the improper implementation of both technologies sparked concerns about privacy, effectiveness, interoperability, and equity that may limit their use and potential public health benefits. […]

cybersecurity chip AI

The Department of Defense (DoD) has been taking steps to improve how it acquires and licenses intellectual property (IP) for technology required for cutting-edge weapons systems, but the agency still has more work to do with firming up responsibilities of a new IP Cadre group that it formed to make sure that the IP licensing functions work better. […]

supply chain risk management process automation

The Department of Commerce is proposing new safety criteria for connected software to help better secure information and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chains, including potential third-party audits of connected software and ICTS transactions, according to a proposed rule posted to the Federal Register Nov. 26. […]

 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is requesting information from all stakeholders involved directly or indirectly with the energy sector supply chain to help inform the DoE’s efforts in building an energy sector industrial base that is diverse, resilient, and competitive while meeting economic, national security, and climate objectives. […]

Big Data Analytics

The Department of Energy (DoE) could improve how it manages its fraud, waste, and abuse practices by improving access to the data used by the agency and its contractors for data analysis, as well as using all tools available to keep the department’s research secure, according to a Nov. 26 DoE Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report. […]

DHS

House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., introduced bipartisan legislation on Nov. 23 that the congressman said would help to rebuild and strengthen the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its civil service leadership mission. […]

DHS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program office issued a pre-solicitation for proposed research topics it intends to pursue, hoping that eligible small business partners will become more aware and attuned to those areas of study. […]

CISA
FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is committing $169 million in the latest wave of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), bringing the total to over $3.2 billion that goes to support students, school staff, and library patrons in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.   […]

Look at that plane taking off at an airport.

The transfer of NASA-developed technology to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help make air travel more efficient may not help unsnarl your Thanksgiving travel plans this year, but help is on the way. […]

cloud

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) organization is working up a solicitation for a cloud management contract to be released in 2022, according to a posting on SAM.gov. […]

White House

A White House official said in a press briefing late yesterday that more than 90 percent of Federal employees have been vaccinated ahead of the mandated Nov. 22 deadline – and 75 days after the requirement was put in place. […]

HUD Urban Development
workforce

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently spoke with technology leaders from government, academia, and nonprofits to discuss the efficacy of establishing a new service academy focused on training future digital civil servants, and found that tech leaders have significant concerns about the outcome of such an effort. […]

election security

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced it has charged two Iranian nationals for their role in a cyber-enabled disinformation and threat campaign “to intimidate and influence American voters, and otherwise undermine voter confidence and sow discord” in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. […]

Department of Homeland Security DHS
General Services Administration GSA

The General Service Administration’s (GSA) Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) completed its 100th collaboration across the Federal government and is using the data gleaned from its collaborations to push Federal digital services forward, GSA announced Nov. 16. […]

Innovation
vaccine

Vaccines play a crucial role in keeping communities healthy, but vaccine development remains expensive and complex. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a review that identified innovative technologies and approaches that may help speed vaccine development for high-priority infectious diseases. […]

A top network security official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – which is developing its own plans to evaluate contractor cybersecurity – aired some concerns this week with recent changes that the Defense Department (DoD) announced with its own Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. […]

NASA
Department of Commerce
health

A recent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed limitations with the VA’s patient scheduling system, a component of the agency’s new electronic health record (EHR) system. […]

GSA General Services Administration
telework

While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed forward massive advancements in telehealth, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken it one step – or more – further and is using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in nearly 50 sites for clinical care, an official said Nov. 8. […]

With K-12 educational institutions increasingly targeted by ransomware and other cyber attacks during the coronavirus pandemic, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is pushing the Department of Education to update its plans – which currently date from 2010 – for addressing cyber risks faced by schools. […]

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