Acquisition
Changes to protest rules could shift contracting preferences
Bumping up the Defense Department’s protest threshold could tilt Pentagon buyers away from civilian contracting vehicles.
Acquisition
GAO sustains more protests in 2016
The GAO's annual bid protest report to Congress shows a spike in the number of protests filed.
Digital Government
Are agencies ready for the Data Act?
With the financial reporting requirements of the Data Act set to take effect in May 2017, a key oversight panel voiced concerns over agencies' progress.
Digital Government
Senate passes bill to close GAO oversight loophole
A measure that would reinstate and make permanent the Government Accountability Office's authority to arbitrate contractor protests over civilian agency awards will advance to the desk of the president.
Digital Government
FAA should examine near-space vehicles, GAO says
GAO has told the FAA to take a look at how it might regulate near-space vehicles as commercialization of the last frontier continues.
People
Watchdogs concerned as census dress rehearsal approaches
With eight months remaining before the Census Bureau begins its final end-to-end testing, watchdogs are concerned about large-scale changes in methodology, untested IT systems and the decision to cancel several earlier tests.
Acquisition
GAO sustains protest in National Guard IT contract
The government watchdog upheld the protest of a 2015 IT services contract, because the contracting agency failed to consider a conflict of interest and pricing problems.
Modernization
DOD CIO: Recent GAO criticism of JIE is off base
Halvorsen says GAO's report criticizing the management and oversight of the Joint Information Environment initiative fails to understand the nature of the project.
Acquisition
Strategic sourcing saves, but not enough
Agencies are saving millions through federal strategic sourcing initiatives, but they're potentially leaving millions more on the table, according to an oversight report.
Modernization
GAO to probe FedRAMP
GAO auditors will take a comprehensive look at the government's cloud security program by talking to agencies and commercial providers.
People
GAO wants better payroll data from OPM
The Office of Personnel Management's payroll and workforce data is unreliable and needs to be made more available for use by other agencies, according to a government watchdog.
People
'Burrowing in' oversight needs improvement
Agencies say OPM's policy requiring agencies to seek approval to move political appointees to career posts is confusing, and OPM does not identify all cases.
Cybersecurity
House panel praises cybersecurity teamwork
The House Energy & Commerce Committee staff didn't wait for a report on FDA's cyber vulnerabilities to be completed to before it let the agency know there was a big potential problem.
Digital Government
Watchdog: Most agencies have incomplete IT inventories
GAO said most big federal agencies do not have complete inventories of their IT assets, which means they are missing opportunities to identify savings, creating security risks and not complying with FITARA.
Digital Government
VA ordering system looks like when we 'first started using computers'
Lawmakers are eager to see update to the Department of Veterans Affair's procurement processes, which GAO describes as "outdated and fragmented."
Digital Government
There's lots of ambiguity in agencies' embrace of agile
GAO report warns that OMB's unclear guidance on agile development is interfering with agencies' ability to report on the status of such projects.
Cybersecurity
GAO says agency CISO roles are too fuzzy and often undermined
A new report urges agencies to better define CISO responsibilities and surveys CISOs on the biggest challenges to their authority.
Digital Government
18F, USDS lack performance and accountability measures
The U.S. Digital Service and 18F lack the ability to assess whether they have achieved their goals and hold themselves accountable, according to GAO.
Digital Government
GAO finds holes in ACA data verification
The Government Accountability Office managed to push bogus applications past Affordable Care Act data verification requirements to get approval for health insurance coverage.
Modernization