Radio Interviews

  • Budgeteers are putting their own stake in the federal community. They have at least 148,000 participants across more than 180 agencies. Members of the budget community created their own online collaboration tool to share ideas documents and data with each other. And other federal communities are joining the MAX Federal Community now too. John Kamensky is a senior research fellow for the IBM Center for the Business of Government. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the Max Fedeal Community works.

    August 27, 2015
  • Chief information officers know more now about long standing issues with federal IT security thanks to the cyber breaches at the Office of Personnel Management. Those problems date back to the 1990s when cyber threats started to change and agencies didn't try to keep up. Richard Spires is CEO of Resilient Network Systems and former chief information officer at the Homeland Security Department. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about three big problems with federal IT security.

    August 27, 2015
  • Congress doesn't come back to Washington until after the Labor Day holiday, but pretty much everyone watching the budget process thinks Congress will pass a continuing resolution of some kind. Larry Allen is the president of Allen Federal Business Partners and author of the Week Ahead newsletter. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that a CR isn't just bad for agencies — it's bad for contractors too.

    August 27, 2015
  • Perception isn't reality for bid protests in the federal government. Some perceptions — like there are more protests than ever — are more chatter than they are real. Ralph White is managing associate general counsel for procurement law at the Government Accountability Office. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose the idea that there are more protests than ever isn't supported by the numbers.

    August 27, 2015
  • GSA officials want feedback on new digital tools designed to help acquisition workers cut back on cost and time when choosing contracts.

    August 27, 2015
  • Shana Simmons, a GEOINT Integration Capabilities Officer with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said six apps are going through a commercial-like process to gain approval and become available to buy through NGA’s app store.

    August 27, 2015
  • The Office of Personnel Management is all-in for the continuous diagnostics and mitigation program (CDM) to improve cybersecurity. OPM is among the first group of agencies to get new cyber tools and services. But CDM’s rate of implementation in general is causing a problem for the agency. Federal News Radio’s executive editor Jason Miller joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss why OPM, and potentially other agencies, are being put in a tough situation.

    August 27, 2015
  • Burnout levels in federal agencies are on the rise as employees deal with the threat of sequestration and the expectation of doing more with less. Higher stress levels can negatively affect performance and your health. To beat stress you've got to understand it. Andrew Shatté is an executive education instructor and resilience expert at the Brookings Institution. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to outline some of the factors for causing stress, and some tips for managing it.

    August 27, 2015
  • Last month, an appeals court unanimously ruled that an employee can have more than one employer for the purposes of liability. The court said that when an employee is hired by one company but works for another, the companies can be considered joint employers, and can both be sued for discrimination under a provision of the Civil Rights Act. This could have big implications for federal contractors and their subs. Terry O'Conner is the director of government contracts at the law firm Berenzweig Leonard. In this week's Legal Loop, he joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the case and its implications.

    August 27, 2015
  • Some missing controls at the Department of Homeland Security are keeping the agency from knowing everything it needs to know about how its employees are using charge cards. Mark Bell is assistant inspector general for audit at the Office of Inspector General at the Homeland Security Department. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the scope of the charge card program at the agency.

    August 26, 2015
  • Plenty of workers fear the noise and distractions of open offices. Those with disabilities say the situation can be even worse for them. But a couple have found ways to make their offices more bearable. As Federal News Radio’s Emily Kopp reports these tricks and tools may work for you whether you have disabilities or not.

    August 26, 2015
  • The Army awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to Oshkosh. The contract could be worth as much as 30 billion dollars. The award is a blow to Lockheed Martin and AM General, the other bidders on the contract. James Tinsley is managing director at Avascent. He's been following the JLTV competition since the beginning and he tells In Depth with Francis Rose that the award to Oshkosh isn't a huge surprise.

    August 26, 2015
  • Young federal employees have a new space to communicate and share ideas and with each other. Young Government Leaders has launched an online university. It's a place where feds can share the lessons they've learned in training or articles relevant to their jobs in the federal workplace. Miguel Joey Aviles is the chief learning officer for YGL. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the university can help young feds with their careers.

    August 26, 2015
  • The National Security Agency's leader -- Adm.l Mike Rogers -- now has a senior adviser for equality. Debora Plunkett holds that position and has been in that role for about almost a year. She tells In Depth with Francis Rose about her office's mission and the responsibilities she was given when the office was created.

    August 26, 2015