Author Archive
Digital Government
Breakneck pace of executive orders and lagging, unclear guidance leave contractors guessing
The Professional Services Council president and CEO said that contractors may not know the criteria spending programs are being reviewed under or who’s doing them while they wait.
People
VA wants hiring freeze exemptions for 300,000 roles
The acting Veterans Affairs secretary said in a Jan. 21 memo that the requested exemptions cover positions critical to the delivery of health care services.
People
Biden to close federal agencies Jan. 9 for Carter day of mourning
The White House unveiled an executive order Monday giving federal employees Jan. 9 off in recognition of the death of the 39th president.
People
Federal employees could be more easily removed under new House bill
Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s, R-Ga., MERIT Act proposes radical civil service reforms, including repealing statutes governing unacceptable performance actions, ending union grievances based on adverse personnel actions and prohibiting furlough appeals.
Digital Government
Agencies credit telework with recruiting, retention gains, GAO finds
A watchdog report examining telework use at four agencies found best practices still need implementation, but the presence, or absence, of telework as an option has affected their ability to attract talent.
People
Intel agencies are awash in young talent. But can they keep it?
Between balancing recruiting fresh, digital-literate talent and upskilling an experienced workforce, agencies in the Intelligence Community also need to ensure they are updating their career development processes to retain both, says former DOD CIO John Sherman.
Cybersecurity
GSA awards contract for $524M CISA headquarters
The agency will leverage its largest Inflation Reduction Act-funded project to date to help construct a 630,000-square-foot building for the cybersecurity agency at the St. Elizabeths West Campus.
Policy
A pair of new bills aim to reshape the Secret Service
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., penned new legislation to shift the agency’s jurisdiction for investigating financial crimes and alter how it designates its protective perimeter in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt.
Digital Government
What should agencies consider for their remote work plans?
A new memo from OPM Acting Director Robert Shriver details specific factors agency leaders should consider when designing their remote work strategy for the federal workforce.
Policy
OPM issues its final rule for Schedule F protections
The federal HR agency finalized its rule offering protections for career civil servants meant to safeguard against the potential reemergence of the Trump-era Schedule F policy.
Policy
OPM: Federal salaries won't be tied to private sector pay histories
Agencies can’t use non-federal salaries to help set pay for new or returning federal employees, under a new rule from the Office of Personnel Management.
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People
Return-to-office policies may bring potential federal workforce challenges
Deltek posited in its contracting outlook for fiscal 2024 a potential talent crunch tied to the Biden administration’s return-to-office policies.
Modernization
FBI’s new headquarters plan was not influenced by the Trump White House, watchdog says
An inspector general report four years in the making found that FBI officials nixed a plan to move its headquarters to suburban Washington, D.C., for reasons not related to alleged political pressure from the Trump administration.
Policy
What does it take to end a government shutdown?
The end of past budget impasses have often played out as calculations of policy goals versus the political pain needed to achieve them, but when the goal is unclear how do you know who wins?
Digital Government
What does post-pandemic telework look like during a shutdown?
As agencies begin planning for funding to stop on Sept. 30, federal telework guidance will be tested in a post-COVID environment.
Digital Government
State dives deep into data
The State Department is increasingly capitalizing on advances in data analytics to inform diplomacy and funding efforts.
Cybersecurity
Amid shutdown anxiety, federal agencies are running up against an IT security deadline
While budget negotiations play out on Capitol Hill, federal agency CIOs are also on the clock to ensure the bulk of their information technology is reported through the CDM program.
Cybersecurity
Microsoft links Outlook hack to an engineer’s corporate account
The cyberattack that ultimately led to the breach of several U.S. officials’ email accounts was the result of a China-based threat actor accessing a corporate account that contained a consumer signing key, the software giant said.
Artificial Intelligence
Air Force research arm plans AI prototypes contract for command and control efforts
The $99 million broad agency agreement aims to develop artificial intelligence applications that could help optimize all-domain operations.
Acquisition
Energy teases massive IT services recompete in information request
The department is gathering market research for a recompete of its $10 billion CBOSS blanket purchase agreement contract.
