Management

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. 

Management

State dives deep into data

The State Department is increasingly capitalizing on advances in data analytics to inform diplomacy and funding efforts.

Management

FLRA’s contract management system lacked documents, OIG says

The agency that oversees labor-management relations for the federal government was missing key information from its acquisition files and previously “had no formal contract file management policy in place,” according to leadership.

Defense

DOD lag on enacting business system recommendations may slow clean audit, GAO says

The Defense Department has still yet to fully implement 18 recommendations that the watchdog said could facilitate the decades-long pursuit of completing an enterprisewide audit.

Workforce

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.

Oversight

FDIC needs to sharpen its cyberthreat sharing with financial institutions, OIG says

Despite recent improvements, a watchdog report claims the agency still has more it can do to make threat-sharing policies more effective. 

Defense

Biden selects NSA veteran as national cyber director nominee

White House officials named former National Security Agency official Harry Coker Jr. as the nominee to replace former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis amid the ongoing implementation of the new National Cyber Strategy.

Tech

GAO Identifies New Information Security Deficiencies in IRS System Controls

The watchdog's annual audit of the agency turned up new recommendations on system access controls and security configurations, alongside a limited release report and previous recommendations.

Oversight

Veterans Affairs Committee Dems Offer Bills to Streamline VA Operations

The two proposals would seek to consolidate business functions at the agency and independently verify and validate IT modernization efforts.

Management

Inflation, Workforce Issues Challenge Defense Contractors Amid Security Pivot

The defense industrial base is facing workforce and inflationary headwinds just as the U.S. is refocusing its strategic lens on competition with China and Russia.

Oversight

House Lawmakers Want VA's $20 Billion-Plus Electronic Health Record Program to Improve or Else

Senior Republicans on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee are backing legislation to end the troubled program to replace the Veterans Affairs Department's homegrown electronic health record system with commercial software from Oracle-Cerner -- unless the program can hit performance targets and satisfy top hospital officials.

Tech

FAA Attributes Ground-Stop Glitch To Contractor Error

The agency said there is no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent behind last week's system outage.

Oversight

FDA Falls Short on IT Contract Management, Watchdog Finds

An audit of the agency's IT contract spend found that FDA officials failed to file acquisition information such as contract performance evaluations and competition efforts.

Workforce

House Overseers Are Looking Into the GSA Administrator’s Telework

GOP-led committee is seeking details about Robin Carnahan's work arrangements, as it attempts to get more federal employees back in the office .

Management

Inflation Costs Present Both Barrier, Opportunity For Contractors In 2023

With a fiscal 2023 federal budget in-hand, contractors face both the prospect of a robust year and countervailing cost trends, Deltek says. 

Oversight

CDC Wants Real-time Data on COVID, Flu Vaccine Effectiveness

The public health agency aims to increase its use of real-time data to track the effectiveness of respiratory vaccines and is looking for possible vendor solutions.

Oversight

4 Things for Contractors to Watch on Capitol Hill Now and into 2023

Professional Services Council president and CEO David Berteau rates the chances of Congress passing a fiscal 2023 appropriations package and looks at and the possible fallout of the midterm elections on contract spending.