Modernization

VA Needs a Cyber Audit of its Governmentwide Financial Services Center

The accounting shared services program—used by a range of federal agencies and programs—needs to ensure its systems are secure.

Modernization

How CBP Plans to Spend—and Repay—Its $15M Modernization Fund Loan

Agency officials already completed the first phase of modernizing the nation’s second-largest revenue collection system but needed an infusion of cash to keep the momentum going.

Digital Government

IRS Floats Experimental Contract Vehicle to Help Administration Meet Procurement CAP Goals

The tax agency is using Pilot IRS—an iterative funding vehicle—to work on a governmentwide acquisition initiative.

Modernization

SBA Spent $30M on Digital Service-Built App That Doesn't Work

The Small Business Administration’s Certify website—built by a team from the U.S. Digital Service—was doomed by poor oversight and failure to abide by federal IT policies, says inspector general.

Modernization

CISA Releases Final TIC 3 Guidance

The agency plans to finalize the first two use cases for the Trusted Internet Connection program later this summer.

Digital Government

NIH Needs ‘Honest Broker’ To Manage New COVID-19 Data Warehouse

The health agency is looking for a vendor to act as a “neutral intermediary” to spur research without compromising patient privacy.

Digital Government

GAO: More Than Half of COVID-19 Government Contracts Not Competitively Awarded

While some of that spending went through existing IDIQs, some $7.7 billion in new contracts were awarded “using the unusual and compelling urgency exception.”

Modernization

CBP Gets $15M from Modernization Fund to Ditch Its Last Mainframe

The Customs and Border Protection Agency plans to upgrade a system that tracks imported goods and still relies on COBOL. 

Emerging Tech

DOD, HHS Preparing for Large-Scale Manufacturing of COVID-19 Treatments

The agencies set up a phased OTA contract to test manufacturing capabilities at scale to ensure the industry is ready to meet demand as new treatments are approved.

Emerging Tech

DHS Wants COVID-19 Response Tech that Protects Health and Privacy

The Science and Technology Directorate issued a call using its other transaction authority asking for innovative solutions to protect its employees and the public. 

Modernization

Treasury Department Wants To Move Its Cloud Into Another Cloud

The Fiscal Service wants to move its servers into two third-party managed data centers while keeping ownership and control over its hardware.

Emerging Tech

Library of Congress Wants To Try Adding Humans to Automated Processes

The Library of Congress has automated its metadata tagging but wants to reintroduce humans to the process to ensure a level of accuracy and ethics.

Modernization

IRS Launches New Enterprise Digitalization Office

The co-led office merges and elevates existing projects focused on digitizing processes and getting away from paper-based case management.

Modernization

Former TTS Director Lands Job With IT Services Company

Anil Cheriyan left GSA’s tech incubator this month to take a job in the private sector.

Digital Government

Security Clearance Reformers Tout Progress Amid COVID-19

The pandemic pushed adjudicators to conduct more virtual interviews, though that progress might be undone when the crisis passes.

Modernization

VA Wants a Veteran-Owned Business to Upgrade Wichita Facility’s IT Ahead of Health Records Rollout

The deployment of Veterans Affairs’ new electronic health record program has been on hold while the agency deals with COVID-19 but the agency wants to get Wichita’s infrastructure ready to roll.

Digital Government

Customs to Expand License Plate Reading Program Nationwide

Customs will have access to commercial datasets including license plate images and data from parking garages, toll booth cameras and financial institutions, as well as local governments and law enforcement.

Digital Government

Departed GSA Executive Returns to Run Technology Service on Temporary Detail

The former executive director of the Centers of Excellence program is returning to GSA less than a month after leaving for another agency.