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.

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

Social Security Seeks $2.4B in IT Funding and Looks Ahead After 5-Year Modernization Plan

Included in the ask is more than $1.5 billion in IT services, representing a 40% increase over the previous year.

Oversight

House Panel Advances DHS Acquisition Bills

Two bills seeking to improve oversight of the Department of Homeland Security’s acquisition programs were passed out of committee in a markup on Wednesday, along with a number of other measures.

Tech

Agencies Need to Measure Improvements to Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Report Says

Federal agencies tasked with critical infrastructure risk management aren't measuring improvements made by the adoption of new guidelines, according to a watchdog report.

Tech

NIST Gets Reauthorization in $350 Billion House Tech Bill

The National Institute of Standards and Technology receives expanded authorities and new funding in a massive legislative passage designed to ramp up U.S. semiconductor production and fund scientific research.

Tech

Paying for the Shift to Zero Trust

The National Security Agency has been working with the Pentagon's CIO to understand how agencies might be able to fund their journeys to zero trust.

Tech

The Defense Department and GSA Are Seeking Clean Electricity to Meet Emissions Targets

The federal government's two top buyers of electricity are exploring ways to procure carbon-pollution free electricity to meet the demands of a Biden administration executive order.

Employee Policy

CISA preps update to zero trust maturity model

CISA will update its zero trust maturity model to help agencies meet goals outlined in the cybersecurity executive order released last year, an official said Tuesday.

Management

Citizen Satisfaction With Federal Government Services Hits All-Time Low

The American Customer Satisfaction Index 2021 Federal Government Report showed citizen satisfaction in government services in a freefall over the last four years, with declines across all driving indicators of satisfaction.

Management

GAO Uses Covert Testing Scheme to Assess SBA Screening Processes For Tribal Firms in 8(a) Program

The Government Accountability Office sent applications from four fake firms to the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program to see whether SBA had made progress addressing long-standing oversight issues.

Employee Policy

Federal court blocks contractor vax mandate

A nationwide injunction from a federal court blocks the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccination mandate for the federal contract workforce.