Citizens have higher trust in certain government services than others, survey shows

• People seeking government services generally trust the agencies in charge will do a good job. That’s according to the Biden administration’s survey of more than a quarter-million individuals. A significant majority of customers seeking two-thirds of the government services surveyed said they trusted the relevant agency. Those services include applying for a replacement Social Security card, accessing Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits, and finding government information quickly online. Customers gave lower trust scores when filing a housing discrimination complaint or obtaining Census Bureau statistics online.
  (Trust in major government service providers - Performance.gov)
• It’s going to be a while before the full Senate has its say on next year’s defense authorization bill. Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-R.I.) told Bloomberg Government the measure his committee passed this month won’t come to a floor vote before the August recess. He’s hopeful that will happen sometime in September. If it does, it still won’t leave much time for the House and Senate to reconcile their numerous differences before the end of the calendar year, which is when many of DoD’s key authorizations expire.
  (Sen. Jack Reed - BGov)
• Replicating a WeWorks model for sensitive compartmented information facilities could boost small businesses' participation in defense contracting. Small businesses often lack the resources needed to build and maintain secure facilities, creating a significant barrier to entry for companies that want to work with the Defense Department. Allowing small businesses to access underutilized SCIF space or using the General Services Administration’s excess facilities could increase small business participation, increase competition and provide the DoD with new capabilities. The number of small businesses working with DoD has been steadily declining since 2011.
  (Using WeWork’s model could increase small business participation in defense contracting - Federal News Network)
• A new bill could increase the number of paid military leave days available to federal employees who are also reserve service members. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Supporting Employees in the Guard and Reserve Act, which would increase the number of paid military leave days from 15 to 20, with additional days rolling over to the following year. Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives.
  (Lawmakers want to increase paid leave for reserve service members - Congress.gov)

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• Small businesses will soon be able to protest task orders under certain multiple award contracts. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council finalized a rule that takes effect August 29th, which outlines the procedures for vendors to file size and socioeconomic status protests against multiple-award contracts that are partially set-aside for small businesses or that include reserves for small businesses. The rule also applies to orders placed under multiple-award contracts. The final rule does not apply to GSA's schedules. The council said this new rule could impact as many as 15,000 task orders a year.
  (FAR: Protests of orders set aside for small business - Federal Register)
• The Office of Personnel Management is making data on how long it takes to hire federal employees more accessible. On average, agencies needed 101.2 days to hire a federal employee in 2023. That is a day longer than in 2022 and more than four days longer than in 2021. OPM hopes by shining a light on this data through a new dashboard, it will improve the overall hiring process. OPM made the dashboard public as part of the Strengthening the Federal Workforce initiative under the President's Management Agenda. The administration released the third quarter update yesterday. OPM said among three mission critical occupations, agencies are hiring HR employees the quickest at just over 70 days on average and IT employees the slowest at just over 94 days on average.
  (OPM time to hire dashboard - OPM)
• The Defense Intelligence Agency wants to spark some chemistry between large and small businesses. DIA plans to host a contractor speed dating event in November. In a new public notice, the agency said the goal is to connect prime contractors with skilled small businesses. DIA is looking for at least 40 large prime vendors to participate in the networking event. The meeting will cover subcontracting opportunities and provide a platform for small businesses to understand the needs and requirements of DIA projects.
  (DIA speed dating request for information - Sam.gov)
• Lawmakers in the Senate are advancing legislation to create centralized cybersecurity training for agencies. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the Federal Cyber Workforce Training Act yesterday. The bill would direct the White House national cyber director to come up with a plan to establish a federal cyber training institute. The committee also advanced legislation that would create a White House committee to oversee federal cyber regulations and a bill to ensure federal agencies work together to help defend healthcare networks from cyber attacks.
  (HSGAC business meeting - HSGAC)
• Customs and Border Protection expects a retirement surge among its employees who secure U.S. ports of entry. CBP expects at least 2,200 officers are expected to retire in 2028. That’s well above the 500 or so employees it normally loses to retirement each year. The agency is planning to increase hiring in coming years to offset those retirements. But the National Treasury Employees Union says CBP is already short nearly 6,000 officers, even before the retirement wave hits. “Right now, what they've been funded for is not the number that they need,” NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald said.
  (NTEU seeks CBP officer hiring surge to offset looming retirement wave - Federal News Network )

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