Acquisition

GSA Blues: Nowhere to go but up

The General Services Administration, the government’s premier procurement agency, has been left adrift for a year with no permanent administrator and a number of key departures.

Acquisition

GSA disaster recovery program gains momentum

Companies reported their highest quarterly sales increases from July to September 2009.

People

Blog Brief: Paula Zahn, Stephen Colbert and Climate Change Jargon

Paula Zahn speaks out on behalf of stalker victims; EPA uses mockery to promote landmark study; Scientists wrestle with the power of words.

Digital Government

Bring 'Em Back

The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday unveiled a <a href="http://www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=2778">memo</a> sent to chief human capital officers earlier this month, outlining a new flexibility that enables agencies to use dual compensation waivers to rehire retired federal annuitants. The new authority, which was signed into law in October as part of the fiscal 2010 Defense Authorization Act, is designed to help agencies bring back retired workers to share knowledge and mentor the younger workforce.

Modernization

FCC launches discussion on the news media

The FCC has set up a formal comment process and a Web site for the public to discuss communities' needs for news and information.

Digital Government

DARPA satellite program seeks ‘billions and billions’ of inputs

The agency envisions enabling people around the world to take part in an experimental satellite program.

Digital Government

Grassley suspects health IT may cause medication errors

It seems counter-intuitive, but a Senator believes technology might be adding to health care problems rather than solving them.

Digital Government

U.S. first responder communications still a mess

If a major earthquake were to strike in the U.S., we would be in a real fix, says the chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

People

Motivating workers is easier than you think

Private-sector researchers have recently uncovered a way to improve employee satisfaction that's within managers' control, writes John Kamensky.

Modernization

UK launches Data.gov counterpart

The United Kingdom's version of Data.gov puts the U.S. effort to shame, according to some technology reports.

Digital Government

Military Health System approves strategic plan for IT

The Military Health System released its 2010 to 2015 strategic plan for information technology that focuses on 10 goals.

People

Navy plans internal blog on IT

A new Navy blog that discusses information technology will be available only to members of the Navy and Marine Corps.

People

Insourcing is about strategy, not numbers

Contractors help the government fill a critical gap, and that gap must be the central focus of any debate on insourcing and managing a blended workforce, writes Jaime Gracia.

People

The outer limits to the crowd's wisdom

The question getting lots of attention in the Government 2.0 space today is: How might crowdsourcing be applied to public participation and government policy-making?

People

December snowstorm highlighted policy disconnect

FCW readers say agencies have no excuse for not making it easier for employees to work from home.

People

One mother’s case for performance measurement

Steve Kelman is amused to find that his mother knows intuitively what federal agencies need to learn: One of the best ways to motivate employees is to give them concrete goals.

Digital Government

White House launches iPhone app

The White House has joined in the application frenzy with a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Digital Government

Microsoft to Congress: Time to seed cloud computing

Privacy, security, and international sovereignty issues need congressional attention, says Brad Smith, senior Microsoft executive.

Digital Government

Clinton urges Internet freedom, cybersecurity

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today urged against censorship of the Internet and called for responses to cyberattacks.

Digital Government

NIST completes first release of Smart Grid framework

NIST has introduced an initial set of standards and a framework for creating a new smart energy distribution grid, the first step of a three-phase plan by NIST to develop Smart Grid standards.