Federal Newscast

Army switches from GDIT to Leidos to run its multibillion-dollar hardware contract vehicle

In today's Federal Newscast: Federal job seekers with a criminal past get a little help from OPM. An IRS watchdog said the agency needs to handle the tax return...

Peter Musurlian@PMusurlianWFED

September 6, 2023 12:27 pm

< a min read

The U.S. Army has switched vendors to run its mega hardware contract vehicle. The Army chose Leidos for its sixth iteration of the computer hardware systems (CHS-6) contract instead of long-time incumbent General Dynamics IT. GDIT had run the previous five versions of the multibillion- dollar CHS vehicle. Under the10-year task-order-based contract, with a ceiling of almost $8 billion, Leidos will provide commercial hardware systems, system management solutions, components, customizable sustainment strategies, non-personal services and continuous technology upgrades. CHS-6 is open to all of the Defense department, as well as any federal civilian agency. The Army awarded CHS-5 in 2018, and since 2011, users spent about $2.8 billion on CHS-4 and CHS-5.
(CHS-5 contract award notice - SAM.gov)

Agencies have received clarification on how to handle potential violations of the Fair Chance Act, designed to help federal job seekers who have a police record. New regulations will officially bar agencies and contractors from asking about a job applicant's criminal history until much later in the hiring process. But the regulations also create a mechanism to report violations of that rule. Now the Office of Personnel Management is detailing the breakdown of responsibilities when allegations come up from applicants. Agencies will be responsible for handling complaint intakes and investigations, while OPM will handle adjudication and determine the penalty for any violation.
(Q&A on complaint procedures, adverse actions and appeals for criminal history inquiries prior to conditional offer - Office of Personnel Management)

An IRS watchdog said the agency needs better training for employees who examine high-income taxpayers. The IRS told Congress it would create an “IRS University” meant to provide comprehensive training for its workforce. The agency planned the university’s launch under the 2019 Taxpayer First Act focused on improving the agency’s level of customer service to the public. But the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) said the IRS has yet to launch the training program. TIGTA recommends the IRS revise its training to get new hires educated on issues related to high-income taxpayer returns.
(The IRS needs to leverage the most effective training for revenue agents examining high-income taxpayers - TIGTA)

Agencies are preparing to increase use of a new IT system for records management. The Electronic Records Archive 2.0 system will be available for agencies for records scheduling starting on Sept. 18. In a memo to agencies this week, U.S. Chief Records Officer Laurence Brewer said most records data has been migrated from the legacy system into ERA 2.0. The new IT system has faced some data integration challenges. National Archives officials said they are working to remedy those bugs as soon as possible.
(National Archives prepares to ramp up work in new federal records system - Federal News Network)

There is a new nominee for the top position at the Office of Government Ethics. President Biden has picked David Huitema to serve as OGE director. The agency oversees and resolves potential conflicts of interest for federal employees and agencies. Huitema has served as assistant legal adviser for ethics and financial disclosure, and as an ethics official at the State Department. If the Senate confirms him, Huitema would replace Shelley Finlayson who currently serves as the agency's acting director. Permanent OGE directors typically take on five-year terms.
(President Biden announces key nominees - White House)

A longtime homeland security leader is retiring later this month. Thomas Walter will step down from his job as director of FLETC, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. A former Customs and Border Protection official, Walter has led FLETC since October 2017. He will be replaced by Benjamine "Carry" Huffman, a former Border Patrol agent, who recently served as CBP's acting deputy commissioner and acting chief operating officer.
(FLETC Director Thomas J. Walters Retires After 44 Years of Federal Service - FLETC)

Vendors bidding on the OASIS-plus professional services acquisition vehicle have more time to finalize their proposals. The General Services Administration is giving companies an extra nine days across all six contracts. Bids are now due Sept. 22 instead of Sept.13. GSA's latest amendment to OASIS-Plus also clarified sections of the solicitation and released more answers to questions posed by bidders. OASIS-plus is the follow-on contract to the highly successful OASIS multiple-award contract for complex non-IT professional services.
(GSA extends OASIS+ proposal deadline - SAM.gov)

The Small Business Administration is stepping up efforts to ensure startups have access to the capital they need to accelerate breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Bailey DeVries, director of SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation, said startups are struggling to obtain the same level of access to funding they recently had, but saw dry up after the collapse of longtime backers like Silicon Valley Bank. “The opportunity for those businesses now to get a low-cost government-guaranteed loan from a wide network of lenders in communities and regions and nationally could be transformative," DeVries said.
(SBA looking to accelerate AI breakthroughs as part of ‘customer-centric’ transformation - Federal News Network)