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Facilities/Construction
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The U.S. Postal Service is looking at greener, more efficient vehicle options while waiting for funds to replace its outdated fleet.
June 30, 2014 -
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The Postal Service's mail delivery vehicles are in dire need of replacement, but the agency doesn't have enough money to buy a new fleet. In a new report, the USPS Inspector General said the agency's current fleet will only allow it to sustain delivery operations through fiscal 2017.
June 17, 2014 -
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The Federal Protective Service will no longer coordinate security at DHS headquarters on Nebraska Avenue in Northwest D.C. according to a May 1 memo from the agency's chief security officer to the undersecretary for management. The memo was brought to light Wednesday by members of a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee at a hearing on the security of federal buildings. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, cited the DHS memo as a possible sign that "confidence in FPS may be eroding" from within DHS.
May 21, 2014 -
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Matthew Baum, a former investigator in OPM's now-defunct Office of Federal Investigations, questions whether politics and privatization went too far by outsourcing background investigations.
May 20, 2014 -
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In Part 4 of the special report, Questioning Clearances, Federal News Radio examines the government's plan to use new technology to keep better tabs on cleared personnel on a near, real-time basis. But some experts wonder whether such a plan could be implemented successfully in the swift timelines sought by the government.
May 18, 2014 -
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The White House wants agencies to double their use of renewable energy. Agencies have until 2016 to come up with $2 billion in energy savings performance contracts above and beyond what they've already committed to. Dorothy Robyn is the former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss what agencies can do to take on this new push.
May 16, 2014 -
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The General Services Administration is undertaking renovations of federally-owned buildings across the country. The modernized structures will save money, in part by reducing energy and water consumption. Locally, the agency has completed a makeover of the Parklawn Building in Rockville, Maryland. The once homely behemoth has gotten more than a face-lift. Victoria Hartke, director of the Office of Leasing at the General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service, spoke about the renovation with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive.
May 15, 2014 -
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Ten years ago, the federal government was faced with a crisis in managing security clearances: costly delays and backlogs in performing background investigations. The Office of Personnel Management stepped in and tremendous progress clearing the backlog and meeting strict new timelines mandated by Congress. But some critics now worry too much focus has been put on speed in the process — and not enough attention has been given to quality. In our special report, Questioning Clearances, Federal News Radio examines why efforts to measure the quality of background investigations have stalled.
May 14, 2014 -
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Since 2008, the Office of Personnel Management has been on a crusade to root out falsification in background investigations using the courts. Nearly two dozen background investigators for either OPM or one of its contractors have been criminally prosecuted for misconduct ranging from outright falsifying reports, known as "ghostwriting," to performing sloppy checks that failed to adhere to OPM's standards.
May 09, 2014 -
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Less than two weeks ago, a federal judge approved the transfer of the case alleging USIS with improperly conducting thousands of background-check reviews to Washington, D.C. An investigation conducted by the Office of Personnel Management's inspector general remains ongoing. OPM says it has confidence in the reforms put in place by the company.
May 07, 2014 -
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Shrinking the federal government's real estate holdings is the goal of seemingly every administration. But "the budgetary rules that govern investment in these assets are a blunt instrument that does serious collateral damage," Dorothy Robyn, former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration, wrote in an article for the Brookings Institution. Robyn gave her insight to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on what she sees as the biggest problems in federal property management.
May 02, 2014 -
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The Army broke ground last week on what will become the Defense Department's largest solar energy project ever. The Fort Huachuca, Ariz., solar project will provide the Army with renewable energy at no additional cost to the government. As Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu reports, the Army sets aside dozens of acres of southern Arizona land for the solar panels. In exchange for the land, a local utility company will build and operate them. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
April 29, 2014 -
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The Fort Huachuca, Ariz., solar project will provide the Army with renewable energy at no additional cost to the government. The solar panels are expected to provide 18 megawatts of electricity, enough to light a small-sized city.
April 29, 2014 -
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The Army breaks ground Friday on a giant solar array at sunny Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Once built, it will provide about a quarter of the energy needed to power the mid-sized base. It will be the largest solar project in the military's portfolio for a while. Amanda Simpson, executive director for the U.S. Army's Energy Initiatives Task Force, described the scope of the project to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
April 25, 2014
