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On Air: Federal News Network
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Agencies released sustainability scorecards showing progress toward green goals. Overall, agencies have exceeded goals and reduced greenhouse gases, pollution and waste and increased renewables.
July 28, 2014 -
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Chief legal counselor to NSA says intelligence disclosures may have set back efforts to improve nation's cybersecurity posture because of increasing unease about public-private cooperation, and that it's time to reexamine the digital privacy trust relationship between government and the public.
July 28, 2014 -
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In this edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller shares news and buzz about the IT and acquisition communities.
July 25, 2014 -
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Congress heads toward summer recess next week. As they leave town, federal employee issues seem to be on their minds more than normal. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Census. He chaired a hearing last week on the future of the General Schedule. On In Depth with Francis Rose he has the details about the recent hearing.
July 25, 2014 -
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Senators say the Office of Federal Procurement Policy needs an attitude adjustment. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members are seeking reassurance from President Barack Obama's pick to lead OFPP that she would help deliver that change. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with details on Anne Rung's confirmation hearing. Read Jason's related article.
July 25, 2014 -
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A new bill aims to give women-owned small businesses more opportunities to win federal contracts. The Women Small Business Procurement Parity Act would help agencies meet the goal of awarding 5 percent of all contracts to women-owned small businesses. Also, it would ensure that women get a fair shot at growing their businesses and create jobs. Kristie Arslan is executive director of Women Impacting Public Policy. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the new bill.
July 25, 2014 -
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Anne Rung, President Obama's nominee to lead the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, detailed her three major priorities should the Senate confirm her. Lawmakers press Rung on improving communication between OMB and Congress, and how best to deal with the multi-sector workforce.
July 25, 2014 -
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The Social Security Administration says its new $300 million IT system still doesn't work. SSA wants to replace outdated computer systems that contribute to its backlog of disability claims. The agency says outside consultants will try to get the project back on track, but it still has no idea when it will be ready to launch. Jeff Neal is senior VP of ICF International and former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He's tells Francis Rose on In Depth that it's not just IT projects, but all types of federal contracts that can be where good ideas go to die.
July 24, 2014 -
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An unresponsive, or sclerotic contracting system is not a good fit for our fast-paced information world, says Jeff Neal, former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security.
July 24, 2014 -
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The General Services Administration will add a special cloud category to its IT Schedule 70 contracting vehicle. GSA wants to consolidate the contract's cloud options under a specific special item number. Right now the agency lists the cloud options under a variety of different numbers, so agencies browsing the system can't find them all in one place. GSA says the new approach will help small agencies in particular. The cloud-specific number will have its own subcategories of cloud-specific services, too. GSA wants industry recommendations on how to do it: a request for information is out on how best to differentiate the types of cloud services Schedule 70 includes. The deadline for the cloud industry to respond to GSA's request for information is August 6th. You can find the RFI on Fed Biz Opps.
July 24, 2014 -
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You've heard the expression, spend it or lose it. The approaching end of the fiscal year tends to stir federal agencies to use whatever acquisition money they have left. That causes a definite uptick in spending. Vendors don't want to miss out. They're already getting ready for what Bloomberg Government calls the end of year scramble. Quantitative Analyst Duncan Amos joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss when the activity picks up.
July 24, 2014 -
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The Justice Department joined the whistleblower lawsuit against Symantec Corporation on Tuesday. The department accuses the technology contractor of providing inaccurate prices to the General Services Administration, violating the False Claims Act.
July 23, 2014 -
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The Defense and Homeland Security departments are pushing project managers to test technology or weapons systems earlier in the acquisition lifecycle to understand and solve potential roadblocks sooner. DoD submitted recommendations to Senate leaders for how to better integrate testing and evaluation into the acquisition lifecycle.
July 23, 2014 -
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Testing and evaluating federal programs might be an old idea, but it's getting a new lease on life. Agencies are using testing and evaluation earlier in the process, and that's gaining support as a potential fix for longstanding problems. For instance, the Defense and Homeland Security departments are pushing project managers to test weapons and other new technology early in the acquisition lifecycle. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss this emerging trend. Read Jason's related article.
July 23, 2014
