FCW Insider: June 12

General Dynamics loses NGEN protest

General Dynamics IT has lost its protest of the $7.7 billion Navy Next Generation Enterprise Network recompete award that went to Leidos in February, according to a statement released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office. Nick Wakeman reports.

Army splits CIO role

The Army announced June 11 that it will divvy up the CIO role to focus on policy and with a separate deputy chief of staff to lead military network communication challenges. Lauren C. Williams has more.

GSA forecasts Stars III solicitation

The General Services Administration wants to issue the final request for proposals for a key governmentwide small business contract by end of the fiscal year. Mark Rockwell takes a look.

Cyber and IT challenges remain as Census resumes operations

The IT systems needed to carry out the 2020 Census still face numerous testing challenges and unaddressed critical cybersecurity flaws, according to a new oversight report. Derek B. Johnson explains.

Quick Hits

*** Bill Marion, former deputy CIO at the U.S. Air Force, is joining Accenture Federal Services as managing director of growth and strategy for the defense and intelligence practice, where he will focus on IT innovation initiatives. Read more in Washington Technology.

*** The General Services Administration awarded its Contract Acquisition Life-cycle Management system pilot phase contract to Sevatec. The $7.5 million contract will set an initial 100-day pilot, with additional add-ons if it is successful. The system is intended to help the agency modernize the internal acquisition processes in its Federal Acquisition Service, providing a streamlined acquisition tool for vendors to submit offers and manage their already-awarded GSA contracts, as well as advance the agency's Federal Marketplace Strategy, according to a June 10 agency statement

*** A recent update to the federal CIO Council's Future of the Federal IT Workforce Update report noted an uptick in telework eligibility – the report was completed before the COVID-19 emergency pushed many government offices into mandatory telework – and suggests that ramping up telework and collaboration tools would help attract and maintain a more innovative workforce. The report also recommends that agency leaders make changes such as standardizing a special governmentwide IT pay system to replace the general schedule salary structure, create "interdisciplinary procurement teams," overhaul how IT personnel are recruited and retained and improve the performance review process.