People

White House order puts HHS in charge of biosurveillance efforts

President Bush's order on public health preparedness for a medical emergency says biosurveillance should rely on e-medical records where possible.

People

House seeks WAN services to connect reps, districts

The contract is not set aside for small businesses, but the House urges them to enter a proposal.

People

DOD official orders head count of private security guards

The department will centrally track personal, contract and detailed deployment information on all private security contractors and translators working in Iraq and Afghanistan.

People

Magistrate recommends court order to preserve White House e-mail messages

A judge will decide whether to issue the order after weighing the recommendations and any objections from the government.

People

GSA to award contract for evaluating financial shared-services providers

The agency plans to issue an RFP early next year for testing that shared-services providers are capable of implementing financial management systems.

People

Over-reliance on contractors is nothing new

In response to a story about DHS relying too much on contractors, a long-time fed suggests providing more training and guidance to agency officials who oversee contractors.

People

Lawmakers seek more info on P2P security threats

A bipartisan group of 19 members of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee has asked FTC to better define the security risks associated with popular file-sharing technology.

People

Akaka, Davis introduce bill to improve labor/management relations

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) have introduced legislation in the Senate and House that would create a labor/management partnership council.

People

Letter: Harsh words for the Defense Travel System

In response to a recent article about DTS, an Air Force reader highlights numerous shortcomings of the software -- and suggests a face-off between the system and a human with a typewriter and phone at hand.

People

Contracting officers need training in critical areas, survey finds

The survey, conducted by OFPP, OPM and other agencies, also finds that many of the best-trained contracting officers are likely to retire in the next 10 years.

People

The Lectern: Good jobs for young people in government

None

People

Panel details fixes for care of wounded warriors

The recommendations include creating a scorecard for documenting the progress of information sharing between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.

People

DHS to issue plan for US-VISIT exit program by January

Agency will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking describing its plan to capture fingerprints of visitors when they check in at the airport.

People

IG: DHS falls short on security

Despite improvements, DHS still falls short in protecting its critical IT systems and data, according to a new report from the department’s inspector general.

People

GAO: DHS relies too much on contractors

DHS is paying billions to professional service contractors to perform tasks that are similar to work usually reserved for government employees, officials said today.

People

Army seeks new contracting software

Two Army contractors are currently conducting a business case analysis to determine whether the service should move to a new system or keep the old one.

People

Real ID standards expected in two to three months, says DHS official

Stewart Baker, DHS assistant secretary for policy, said the requirements will be significantly different when they are issued in a few months.

People

Next up for strategic sourcing: IT services

The administration's strategic-sourcing initiative will now include help-desk support, seat management and related services, OFPP's Denett said.

People

Denett: Proposed bills include "poison pills" for competitive sourcing

Provisions in several bills would make it difficult for federal employees and private companies to compete fairly for government work, said the administration's top procurement official.

People

HSPD-12 card opens door for digital signatures

Many agencies are putting all four PKI credentials on an interoperable identity smart card.