A new online platform from the General Services Administration is helping federal agencies generate creative ideas for improving government while also improving openness and transparency, a White House directive. GSA officials say the Innovation Challenges Platform provides agencies with a way to lower the barriers for government\'s use of prizes and challenges by providing a platform at no cost that simplifies the public engagement process for both agencies and the public. It allows the public to suggest and discuss solutions to government problems. The platform is currently being used for AppsforHealthyKids.com. Director of new media and citizen engagement at the agency Bev Godwin says, there are a lot of different benefits that agencies can derive from such challenges, one of the most important being that they only pay for the solution.
We get update on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services\' responsibilities when it comes to health care reform from the director of the Office of Acquisition and Grants Management, Rod Benson.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy is recommending all agencies use only the definition of inherently governmental as defined in the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act, and create a test to determine whether other jobs should be done only by federal employees. OFPP\'s Dan Gordon has details.
Agency issues RFP for e-mail through software-as-a-service. GSA asks for 39 mandatory services with the hope of reducing the cost and modernizing its systems. The new system could support as many as 30,000 users.
We get analysis from Washington Business Journal Sarah Krouse.
This week, host Larry Allen talks with Bob Lohfeld, president and founder of the Lohfeld Consulting Group. June 15, 2010
The administration is looking for ways to improve contracting with small businesses and wants the public\'s input.
This week, Amtower talks with John Kagia of Market Connections. June 14, 2010
A recent GAO report looked at agencies\' policies for choosing the locations of conferences and found that cost was the number one factor when it came to planning. Details from GAO\'s Lorelei St. James.
A new survey finds while the Obama administration is putting a stronger emphasis on increasing transparency and accountability across the Federal government, agencies still have significant work to do at the operational level. The president of Meritalk, Steve O\'Keeffe, joins us with details.
My countdown of the three most important Federal news stories of the week.
Tight budgets and increasing capacity demands are driving questions about IT in pure dollar terms, says head of Juniper Federal.
The Professional Services Council is concerned that agencies could misinterpreted the policy letter as a mandate to insource. PSC\'s Alan Chvotkin explains why.
June 15th at 10 AM Companies that sell products to the Federal Government are always looking for ways to expand into more lucrative and higher margin service offerings. And service providers are often looking for product offerings to round out their business lines. Either way, it\'s easier said than done. However, on this week\'s Gov Con Straight Talk with Microsoft you\'ll hear from a panel of top executives who know what it takes to successfully grow products and services business lines to the Federal Government.