Ideas
Whole Lot of IT Spending Coming
Yesterday market research firm INPUT released their list of the Top 20 Federal Contracting Opportunities for 2010 and the company's senior vice president of research and analysis services, Kevin Plexico, was kind enough to give us a preview of the list ahead of a Tuesday <a href="http://www.input.com/corp/events_webinar/20091006_Top-20-Federal-Contracts.cfm">webinar</a> introducing the list.
Digital Government
Student Vets Get Pay -- and Pizza
Here's a real "<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooah>Hooah</a>" for the top leadership at the Veterans Affairs Department, who decided early on Friday to keep all 57 of the department's 57 regional offices open until every veteran waiting in line picked up an <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090925_9070.php>emergency GI bill check</a> valued at up to $3,000.
Digital Government
Schoenhard Tapped as Health Ops Deputy
Late last month I <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2009/09/hospital_exec_tapped_for_va_health_job.php>reported</a> that St. Louis hospital executive <a href=http://www.ssmhc.com/internet/home/ssmcorp.nsf/46a13372d66f8fe8862569f50053bbaa/777fc0898ff3324a862573cd007b92f4?OpenDocument>William Schoenhard</a> appeared to have the inside track for appointment as the new undersecretary for health at the Veterans Affairs Department.
Digital Government
Women taking charge
One of the first things that struck me when I arrived here and began meeting people in the technology shops that FCW covers was the number of women in positions of prominence and power.
People
White House announces Gordon nomination for OFPP job
Gordon has a reputation for candor and evenhandedness, according to procurement observers and his public record.
People
Likely OFPP nominee has history of standing firm
The White House has not formally announced Daniel Gordon’s nomination for the OFPP administrator job, but administration officials have faced Gordon already.
People
Experts: Social media here to stay
While the Defense Department reviews the use of social-media tools, experts caution against trying to implement overly restrictive policies.
Modernization
Recovery.gov gets a facelift
The retooled Recovery.gov Web site for tracking economic stimulus law funding is getting mostly a thumbs-up from visitors, but another test for transparency will come later this month when the site begins adding hundreds of thousands more data points from state and local recipients of the funding.
Acquisition
'Facebook for government' enters new phase
Steve Ressler's brainchild, social-networking site GovLoop, has moved from volunteer community organization to corporate entity.
People
GovLoop founder speaks
Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop, answers questions about the recent sale of his social-media site to GovDelivery.
Modernization
Federal CIO continues push for standards to enable interoperability
Creating interoperable systems across federal, state and local governments depends on establishing standards and building systems that adhere to those standards, Federal CIO Kundra says.
Acquisition
A sneak peek at likely OFPP administrator nominee's point of view
Daniel Gordon, the apparent choice for OFPP administrator, has revealed his likely approach and philosophy on procurement issues through his public statements.
People
State struggles to track contractor data: GAO
The data contractor personnel tracking system's information is so poor that GAO said it couldn't draw conclusions or recognize trends about contractor personnel numbers.
Digital Government
Do You Text While Driving?
The Obama administration on Thursday issued an <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Federal-Leadership-on-Reducing-Text-Messaging-while-Driving/">executive order</a> that bans federal employees from text messaging while driving on official government business. The order was announced on Thursday by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the end of a two-day summit in Washington on distracted driving. The order also encouraged federal contractors to ban text messaging while driving in connection with government business.
People
IG hits VA's use of life cycle management for IT
The Veterans Affairs Department has not been applying its life cycle management principles to all of its large IT investments, according to a new IG report.
People
Senior execs got 3.7 percent raise in fiscal 2008, OPM finds
An OPM report looks at rating and pay data for 7,467 career, non-career, and limited-term members of the SES, excluding Office of Inspector General SES members.
Digital Government
Generational Views on Privacy
A guest <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/10/is-online-privacy-a-generational-issue/">post</a> on Wired.com by Heather West of the Center for Democracy and Technology tackles whether online privacy is a generational issue. Recent studies, including one on behavioral advertising, show that those in younger age groups care most about how their information is used, and many teens and young adults have now come to expect a high level of control over their personal information.
People