Author Archive
Defense
House Dems Urge Social Media Networks not to Delete Evidence of Possible Russian War Crimes in Ukraine
Automated and artificial intelligence-enabled systems may be removing and permanently erasing evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine, lawmakers said this week.
Tech
Data Collection Features in a New Bill Targeting Equity at FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Advancement of Equity Act would instruct the disaster response to improve its data collection systems to help identify inequities in its distribution of federal assistance.
Management
NASA Chief Calls Out the 'Plague' of Cost-Plus Contracts
The space agency is hoping to increasingly use competitions among top vendors and fixed-price contracts as a new way of conducting business—and cutting steep costs for major projects.
Tech
HBCUs Could Be One Key to Improving Equity in Federal Contracting and Technology
From expanding contracting opportunities for small, disadvantaged businesses to building out a more diverse federal workforce, federal agencies are increasingly aiming to partner with minority-serving institutions to ensure their equity goals are effective.
Management
SBA Looks to Promote Disadvantaged Businesses With 2023 Budget Request
The head of the Small Business Administration told lawmakers the agency is planning to ramp up outreach efforts for small disadvantaged businesses and other firms in need of support to address a 40% decline in small businesses working with the federal government.
Tech
Bernie Sanders Wants Amazon Debarred from Federal Contracting
The Vermont lawmaker cites the company's anti-union activity in a letter urging President Biden to eliminate the e-commerce and cloud behemoth from federal contracts.
Management
GSA Is Launching a New Tool to Simplify the Federal Buying Process
Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Sonny Hashmi said the new buyer experience tool "was built using human-centered design to address pain points in the acquisition process."
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Management
Federal Procurement Featured in New Equity Action Plans
Improving access to federal contracting vehicles and supporting small, disadvantaged businesses are key parts in the equity action plans released by agencies on April 14.
Oversight
New Cybersecurity Bill Authorizes DHS to Ramp up Incident Response Efforts Nationwide
The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act gives the Department of Homeland Security a range of opportunities to bolster cybersecurity preparedness at the state and local level, including technical assistance services.
Management
GSA Adds Sustainability Criteria to Push For Greener IT Contracts
The General Service Administration’s new contracting language is one tool for the agency to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Workforce
What Federal Acquisition Personnel Can Do Right Now to Support Sustainability
Federal officials and government purchasing experts showed off tools and resources to help make federal procurement and acquisitions more sustainable and energy efficient.
Defense
A Security Council Official Is Calling for a Federal Office to Oversee Commercial Supply Chains
A NSC official expressed support for a provision in the $52 billion America COMPETES Act that would establish a federal office dedicated to monitoring domestic and international commercial supply chains.
Tech
Senators Call for Ban on US Government Personnel Use of Chinese Ride-Sharing Apps
A pair of lawmakers want the departments of State and Defense to enact a global prohibition on U.S. diplomatic and military personnel from using digital transportation platforms like Didi Chuxing, a Chinese-based ride-sharing service growing in popularity around the world.
Management
Senators Look to Root out Contractor Conflicts of Interest
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation after concerns were raised over the management consulting corporation McKinsey & Company's work with the Food and Drug Administration.
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Management
GSA Announces a Four-Fold Increase in Contracting Opportunity Goals for Small Disadvantaged Businesses
As the administration continues its efforts to steer $100 billion in contracting opportunities to historically marginalized firms by 2025, the General Services Administration is unveiling how it plans to help make that objective a reality.
Management
Agencies Are Looking to Streamline Payment Data Collection in Contracting
The keepers of the federal government's acquisition rulebook – GSA, DOD and NASA – want to increase automation in payments to contractors.
Workforce
White House Order Covers Contractor Pay Equity
The Biden administration issued an executive order on Tuesday calling on the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to create new regulations around the use of past compensation in employment decisions.
Management
The SEC Is Proposing Mandatory Cybersecurity Incident Reporting for Publicly Traded Companies
The new rules would require companies to disclose to investors material breaches within four business days.
Tech
White House Reminds Agencies to Adopt NIST's Software Supply Chain Security Framework
The Office of Management and Budget pressed federal agencies on a deadline to adopt the software supply chain best practices as directed under last year's White House cybersecurity executive order.
Tech