Digital Government

E-health committee calls for multiple groups to certify records systems

Decision would remove conflict of interest that critics charge is endemic in the certification process.

Digital Government

Firm awaits decision on whether Defense will disclose contractor ratings

The FOIA Group hopes the Obama administration's commitment to transparency will be enough for it to overturn past decisions to not release contractors' performance scores.

Digital Government

The Final Four for VHA Job

I have some pretty good intel that the Veterans Affairs Department has narrowed its search for new undersecretary of health and head of the Veterans Health Administration to these four candidates:

Ideas

Stimulus Reporting Process Starts

Stimulus money recipients can start on Monday the process of reporting their spending and job creation statistics to the public.

Cybersecurity

DHS plans cybersecurity wiki

The Homeland Security Department plans a new wiki that federal cybersecurity centers would use to coordinate efforts and improve situational awareness.

People

University of Maryland confirms Kundra's credentials after questions raised

University of Maryland officials affirm Kundra earned degrees there, after a tech blogger challenges the federal CIO's bio.

Cybersecurity

DHS expands global trusted traveler program

DHS' international trusted traveler program is expanding to more airports this month.

Acquisition

NIH emphasizes health IT in its new $20 billion contract

National Institutes of Health officials expect to award the 10-year, $20 billion Chief Information Officer—Solutions and Partners 3 contract in early 2010.

Digital Government

Agencies Pay More Student Loans

Federal agencies increased their spending on student loan repayments for employees by 22 percent in 2008, and the incentives were widely used for recruiting and retaining information technology workers, according to a new <a href="http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/studentloan/html/CY2008StudentLoanRepaymentReport.pdf">report</a> by the Office of Personnel Management.

Modernization

DHS starts social network about Southwestern border

The Homeland Security Department is using a site called Ning.com to host a new social network that focuses on topics related to the Southwest border.

Digital Government

8 objections to playing it safe with emerging IT

Readers take issue with a former DHS official who urges caution when it comes to cloud computing, agile development and other IT fads.

People

VA tries new 'corporate' acquisition

The Veterans Affairs Department is struggling with a 26 percent vacancy rate in its acquisition staff, Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould said today as he outlined a new "corporate" approach to the buying process.

People

Rising Stars a reminder of an earlier day

Trail Bosses and Rising Stars, though drawing from different generations, have much in common.

Modernization

Court ruling puts brakes on sales of Microsoft Word

Microsoft's loss in a patent dispute with Toronto-based i4i LP means that it will have to stop selling Microsoft Word in U.S. markets. The issue concerns the use of "custom XML" in Word in the Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2007 productivity suites.

People

DISA director emphasizes contractor workforce importance

Lt. Gen. Carroll Pollett, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, reiterated the importance of the contract workforce to DISA at an industry presentation Aug. 7, especially, he said, as the agency faces moving its staff to Fort Meade next year.