People

Union complains of 'double standard' for fed and contractor vaccine mandates

The American Federation of Government employees is asking policymakers to put federal employees and contractors on the same clock when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

People

SSA plans to bring workers back to the office

Field office and teleservice employees at the Social Security Administration will still have some ability to telework even after the agency implements a "reentry process" for managers and staff.

Acquisition

White House extends vaccine deadline for contractors

Federal contractors have until Jan. 4, 2022 to comply with White House vaccination requirements.

Acquisition

Details on discipline emerge as contractor vaccination deadline looms

Federal contracting firms will decide for themselves on how to manage employees who decline COVID-19 vaccinations but agencies can restrict unvaccinated workers from federal facilities.

Acquisition

White House: 'There's not a cliff here' when it comes to vaccine deadlines

For federal employees and contractors who don't hit vaccination deadlines, processes for remediation will kick in before more serious enforcement measure are taken, White House coronavirus coordinator Jeffrey Zients said.

Acquisition

IRS tech, CISA funding in Build Back Better

An effort to put $3.5 billion into key governmentwide tech modernization accounts appears to have come up short in the Build Back Better bill, but there's still a lot of technology spending on the table.

Acquisition

Federal watchdog calls out transparency issues in pandemic spending

A committee established to ensure transparency around government spending related to COVID-19 found that federal agencies failed to provide clear reporting on how they were spending billions of dollars.

Acquisition

How GSA is implementing the contractor vaccination mandate

The agency's Federal Acquisition Service and Public Building Service are using automated tools to send out contract modifications "by the thousands," to add the vaccination mandate said one agency official. FAS started issuing mass modifications on Oct. 8. They're issuing about 3,000 modifications per day.

People

Vaccine enforcement coming as soon as Nov. 9, OPM says

The Office of Personnel Management sent guidance to agencies outlining the Biden administration's discipline process for noncompliant feds on Friday.

Digital Government

CDC, NASA seek apps to monitor employee vaccinations

CDC is looking for a vaccine passport-type service to authenticate COVID-19 vaccine data on its employees and to supply proof of recent tests for traveling agency employees, while NASA is looking for a smartphone app that would not only allow its 18,000 employees to display their vaccination status when entering a NASA facility, but also help the space agency efficiently survey, report and analyze data on the immunization status of its workforce.

Acquisition

White House orders federal contractors vaccinated by Dec. 8

New COVID-19 guidance directs federal contractors and subcontractors to make sure their employees are vaccinated — the latest in a series of new vaccine requirements the White House has been rolling out in recent weeks.

Cybersecurity

Shutdown looms as Congress faces spending deadlines

Most agencies are still operating under shutdown plans crafted under the Trump administration, but there are provisions for continuing pandemic programs and operations.

Modernization

Post-pandemic IT leadership

The rush to maximum telework did more than showcase the importance of IT -- it also forced them to rethink their own operations.

People

Biden's COVID vaccination mandate for feds has a deadline

Federal employees have until November 22 to comply with the administration's vaccination mandate

Digital Government

How COVID has changed citizen services

Record demand for services and pandemic precautions have prompted some fundamental reassessments about delivery.

People

Biden mandates COVID vaccine for feds, contractors

The vaccine mandate will supplant administration workforce policy put in place in July that requires either vaccinations or regular testing for federal employees.

Acquisition

Feds get more guidance on COVID vaccination, testing

The Biden administration is eyeing booster shots for some Americans, but for its vaccination and testing program for federal employees, those who are two weeks out from a completed vaccination are considered covered without a booster shot, for now.

People

Federal managers seek hard info on COVID-19 testing plans

In a letter sent to administration officials Thursday, the Government Managers Coalition flagged concerns that agencies and managers are ill-prepared to roll out the administration's COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for feds.

Digital Government

IG reports delays in COVID notification in GSA facilities

A report from the General Services Administration's Office of the Inspector General says the agency's Public Buildings Services at times failed to follow CDC guidelines around reporting and cleaning procedures for COVID-19 incidents.

People

White House COVID group extends leave for feds to get vaccinated

Feds now get up to four hours of administrative leave to get COVID-19 vaccinations and up to two days of leave to cope with adverse vaccine reactions.