In a new white paper from the National Academy of Public Administration, federal experts say a breakdown of the federal human capital system ultimately led to some of agencies' biggest challenges in recent years, from the cyber breaches at the Office of Personnel Management to the 49,000 vacancies at the Veterans Affairs Department.
NASA and EPA share concerns for balancing cybersecurity and use of IoT, but how they approach those concerns depends on agency mission — and budget.
Chris Lu, former deputy secretary for Labor, says the department also had its search for new headquarters canceled. And Dan Tangherlini, former General Services Administration administrator, said a discussion about federal capital investments needs to be had.
A 2018 budget proposal from the House Budget Committee asks federal employees to contribute more toward their retirement as a way to find $203 billion in mandatory spending cuts next year.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will consider a series of bills this week that could impact the federal workforce. Among them is legislation that would give participants more options to withdraw investments from the Thrift Savings Plan.
There are 23 states that have a pay-for-performance system, according to consultant Howard Risher. Florida's began in 1968, with Wisconsin and Utah following a year later. Bob Tobias, professor in the Key Executive Leadership program at American University, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to assess if the same system could work for the federal government.
It may look complicated to outsiders, but federal spending patterns aren't that much different from other industries. Who are the big customers, what are they buying and who are they buying it from? Analyst Matt Hummer joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to highlight the latest version of Govini's comprehensive federal market scorecard.
Just a few years ago, Arlington National Cemetery was mired in a management scandal of misspent funds, poorly documented graves and lack of maintenance. A short time later, with the Army having taken control, the cemetery received glowing reports from the inspector general. Today, the cemetery is about to undertake a major expansion and superintendent Kate Kelley joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the possible changes.
GSA's Bill Zielinski, deputy assistant commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service's IT category management, said his agency is very close to awarding the milestone contract.
The Veterans Affairs Department spends too much money on bricks and mortar and not enough on its own doctors and nurses, former VA Secretary Anthony Principi told Congress. Some lawmakers are once again calling for a full review of VA capital assets, which span encompass more than 6,000 owned buildings and 1,500 leased facilities and span more than 170 million square feet.
The Army's Office of Energy Initiatives is the service's central hub for managing the financing and planning for "utility scale" renewable and alternative energy projects. Michael McGhee, OEI's executive director, talks with Jared Serbu about some of the major projects in the pipeline, and the Army's desire to use the power they generate to make its bases energy-independent.
How does an agency improve customer experience while simultaneously dealing with a shrinking budget, a smaller workforce and maybe even a hiring freeze?
Steve Bennett, Ph.D., director of SAS' Global Government Practice, explains how agencies can use their data to make better decisions.
A Medicare program called hospital value-based purchasing has the goal of rewarding hospitals that give high quality care at lower costs. But, quite a few hospitals have been receiving bonuses for efficiency even though the care they give is sub-par, according to findings from the Government Accountability Office. Joining me with more, James Cosgrove, the GAO's director of health care issues, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
Officials in two states and the District of Columbia are scratching their heads over how the new FBI headquarters project, after 10 years of planning, could fall through. But construction officials at the General Services Administration felt they had no other choice once Congress failed to come through with enough money to proceed. Former GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the long-term implications.