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Is the acquisition workforce too small -- or too big?
In response to a recent article, a reader suggested that the Obama administration is trying to solve the wrong problem in government acquisition.
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About Face(book): Marines lift ban on social networking
Marine Corps officials lifted a ban for marines on using social networking Web sites on the service’s non-secret network, according to a memo.
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DFAS employees can be suspended, fired over credit scores
Rep. Dennis Kucinich and three other members of the Ohio congressional delegation asked the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to temporarily shelve a policy which suspends or terminates employees who post low credit scores.
People
USDA releases draft open-gov plan
The Agriculture Department published a draft version of its open-government plan, which details how the agency plans to become more open and transparent to the public.
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HHS wiki airs concerns about planned health network service
The Health and Human Services Department's new wiki on its Nationwide Health Information Network Direct service provides a forum for concerns about the effects of the program.
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Bill would vaccinate Tricare against reform complications
A Senate bill, introduced the day before President Obama signed the health care reform law, would change the IRS code on behalf of those in military health plans.
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DOD acquisition process 'fails the mission,' congressional panel says
The Defense Acquisition Reform panel concludes that DOD's mishandling of acquisitions and procurement fails to fulfill current military's mission needs and contributes to massive cost overruns.
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Senators press for broader definition of 'inherently governmental' jobs
A contingent of 11 Democratic senators urged the Office of Management and Budget to more broadly define what constitutes inherently governmental job categories that can be performed only by federal civil servants.
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Lawmaker wants more technology for transparency
A new House bill would require the use of technologies to increase disclosures from lobbyists and lawmakers.
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Tricare extends Web-based mental health counseling demo
The Tricare Assistance Program allows enrollees to use the Internet and a webcam to speak "face-to-face" with mental health counselors 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the privacy of the beneficiary's computer.
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GSA tries wiki approach to develop RFPs
The General Services Administration wants public commment on requests for proposals, but blogger Steve Kelman wonders whether the public take the agency up on it.
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Telework bill moves forward in House
The Telework Improvements Act of 2009 (H.R. 1722) would require agencies to develop a telework program that allows employees to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every two administrative workweeks.
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GSA now on the fast track, top exec says
Martha Johnson, new administrator of the General Services Administration, outlines her priorities.
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Audit reveals FDA not using performance data in management decisions
The Food and Drug Administration is not utilizing performance information effectively to help improve its management, according to the Government Accountability Management Office.
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Does insourcing lead to 'theft' of contractor employees?
Federal agencies are expanding their in-house staffs at the expense of companies already struggling with an unstable economy, writes one reader.
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Younger workforce can motivate agency leaders to embrace new technologies
The latest in technology is creeping into federal agencies, and a younger workforce will be holding the door open for it.
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DOD/VA Health records project yielding important lessons
The joint health data exchange pilot project between the Defense and the Veterans Affairs departments is still in its early phases, but already has taught valuable lessons about interoperability, government officials working on the project say.
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A practical way to spice things up for new contracting employees
Give high-school grads some of the routine work, so the specialists can engage their minds with bigger challenges.
People
Agencies walk a tightrope between cost savings and innovation
Civilian agencies and military services take different paths to making technology investment decisions.
People