More HealthCare.gov problems, new VP at ITI and Census' startup app

IG report finds flawed oversight of HealthCare.gov contractors by CMS

A review of nearly $430 million in contract spending on HealthCare.gov systems found problems with the management of contractor performance.

A new report from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services found that due to inadequate contract management practices, delays and poor performance were often hard to identify, and led to unauthorized costs and improperly documented management decisions. Additionally, contracting officers lacked access to past performance evaluations of contractors when making award decisions.

The report recommends that CMS perform contract oversight according to established rules, and withhold authorization of additional work on contracts until previous work is approved. The OIG also wants contract personnel to document contractor performance, and disclose any prior employment relations with contractors to avoid conflict of interest. Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt concurred with the OIG recommendations.

Miller named VP for cybersecurity at ITI

The Information Technology Industry Council has signed on a new vice president for global cybersecurity policy and law.

John Miller has joined ITI to work on cybersecurity, privacy, surveillance, and other public policy issues after doing the same at Intel Corp. for almost 10 years.

While at Intel, Miller was most recently director of cybersecurity policy and government relations and managing counsel. During his time there, according to an ITI statement, he spearheaded global policy strategy development and implementation on a number of security and privacy issues, directed the company's U.S. cybersecurity policy strategy and federal government engagements, and earlier led privacy and security policy strategy and outreach efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. He also recently served as co-chair of ITI's cybersecurity committee.

Before Intel, Miller was an associate in private law practice in New York, where he represented technology, media and other corporate clients.

Can Census data make for smarter startups?

Thinking about starting a small business? The Census Bureau has an app for that, GCN reports.

The bureau has introduced Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition -- a web-based tool to help entrepreneurs and small business owners leverage local demographic data when researching where and whether to open a new business or expand an existing one.

According to the Bureau, the tool uses demographic data from the American Community Survey, the economic census, County Business Patterns and other economic surveys to paint a detailed business profile of a given area. It also uses third-party consumer spending data.