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The FBI and inspectors general from EPA and GSA are investigating an 18-month scam targeting vendors on the GSA schedule. The bad actors are spoofing federal employee emails to buy toner cartridges with stolen credit cards. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller was a guest on In Depth with Francis Rose. to provide details about the scam and information about how you should protect yourself. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
Small businesses don't have to stay small to qualify for small business work, according to a decision from the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals. The decision sets a precedent for size rules for government contractors. Lee Dougherty, a partner at Fluet, Huber and Hoang, was a guest on In Depth with Francis Rose.
About 70 percent of federal employees are against introducing a performance-based system for calculating pay raises, according to the 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. But that's one of the proposals from the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton in their plan to reform the General Schedule system. Jeff Neal, senior vice president of ICF International and former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security, gave his ideas for reforming GS pay scales on In Depth with Francis Rose.
Sonny Hashmi, acting CIO at GSA, said his goal is to have at least half of all employees using VDI in 2014 and 75 percent by the end of 2015. VDI, along with application rationalization and other initiatives, is part of how GSA is looking to reduce IT spending further. April 3, 2014
The Defense Department has just made a pretty significant change to the way it's going to buy products and services from GSA's schedules program. Instead of relying on GSA's determination that the government's already getting a good deal from the vendors in the program, the new rules appear to require DoD's own contracting officers to do the same thing. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu was a guest on In Depth with Francis Rose. to talk about that change.
The next version of cloud security standards is under development, even as agencies race to comply with current ones. The General Services Administration and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security are kicking off FedRAMP 2.0 by incorporating new NIST guidance. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp to explain how the agencies are keeping different standards aligned. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
The great thing about federal contracting is that the rulemakers never rest. Just when you are sure you've got it all figured out, things change. The latest rules are just out from the Labor Department. They concern affirmative action programs required of federal contractors. In Federal Drive's weekly legal loop segment, hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp turned to procurement attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo & Powell for an explanation.
Nearly 250,000 letter carriers will get handheld devices that let them track packages in real time. It's part of a major technology upgrade at the Postal Service that the agency hopes will give it an edge over competitors like UPS and FedEx. Chief Information Officer Jim Cochrane has called the deal a "billion-dollar bet on the future of the shipping business." He joined Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp to explain the new device that enhances delivery infrastructure.
Defense officials hope a new era in military medicine has arrived. The centerpiece is the seven-month-old Defense Health Agency. It replaced TRICARE Management Activity as part of efforts to streamline the delivery of medical services. Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas is the Chief Medical Officer and director of DHA's Operations Command. As part of Federal News Radio's Agency of the Month, he tells Coordinating Producer Lauren Larson how the agency is streamlining delivery and cutting healthcare costs.
The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, OPM says its training website has saved $100 million, and the U.S. Mint has already sold out of gold coins to commemorate the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Your agency faces a deadline to implement the current set of cloud security standards. But the next version is already under development. The General Services Administration, and the Defense and Homeland Security departments are kicking off FedRAMP standards 2.0 by incorporating new NIST standards. Federal News Radio executive editor Jason Miller offers details on this effort.
After trying and failing for the past several years to get Congress to raise health care premiums for military retirees, the Defense Department says it focuses its current plan on creating the right incentives for the people its health plan covers. As Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports, DoD thinks it can discourage the most expensive care options and still provide top-notch health care.
The Senate's list of experts making recommendations for a 21st century government doesn't include any contractors or contracting groups. Agencies and think tanks will submit recommendations, but so far, no organizations that represent government's industry partners. Roger Waldron, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement, weighs in on In Depth with Francis Rose
Major reforms to the General Schedule are the solution for problems with federal hiring and promotion, according to new research from the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen. They're proposing reforms like cutting down to five pay scales instead of 15. They also propose replacing tenure-based pay increases with performance-based ones.