Modernization

Watchdog: Poor Oversight Put GSA’s $50B Telecom Transition Over Schedule, Over Budget

The agency hired contractors to help with a smooth transition but ended up spending lots of money for little movement.

Modernization

Modernization Fund Program Isn’t Recouping Overhead Costs Fast Enough

The Technology Modernization Fund is incurring millions more in overhead costs than it is recouping in administrative fees.

Digital Government

OMB Adds Customer Experience, Data Policy Updates to Annual Budget Guidance

The Office of Management and Budget released an update to Circular A-11, outlining how agencies should be thinking about their fiscal 2021 budget requests.

Modernization

Lawmakers: OMB ‘Skirting the Intent of the Law’ With New Data Center Policy

The administration’s shift in focus to optimization, rather than closures, is not what lawmakers envisioned when they passed FITARA.

Modernization

Shifting Priorities, Metrics Lead To Relatively Flat FITARA Grades

The latest scorecard showed agencies are making progress in key areas. But new metrics and a few backslides brought most grades back down.

Modernization

White House Makes Subtle But Significant Changes In Final Cloud Smart Policy

The final version puts added emphasis on app rationalization, a new role for FedRAMP and finding cloud champions.

Artificial Intelligence

White House Updates National Artificial Intelligence Strategy

The updated National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan adds an additional priority to the seven outlined in the plan from the Obama administration.

Cybersecurity

Bill Advances to Create Vulnerability Disclosure for Federal Internet of Things

Once established, federal agencies would have to make sure vendors were participating and in compliance before purchasing IoT-capable devices.

Emerging Tech

Border Patrol Wants Robots that Can Go Underground and Report Back

Homeland Security is looking for innovative robots that can navigate underground tunnels and communicate with headquarters.

Cybersecurity

Cyber Weaknesses That Led to Breaches at NASA’s JPL Persist, Says IG

The federally-funded research center is at the forefront of space exploration but continues to struggle with some basic cybersecurity practices.

Modernization

USCIS Wants An Agile, Automated Biometric App Ecosystem

The immigration agency is looking for a vendor to set up a secure development environment that will outlive the contract.

Cybersecurity

FBI Warning: The Lock Icon Doesn’t Mean That Website Is Safe

Having HTTPS and a TLS certificate doesn’t mean the site isn’t a platform for scammers and thieves.

Digital Government

GSA Is Putting Up $20K For Its First Multicity Hackathon

Over six hours, teams from across the country will work on improving the design, functionality and processes of four critical applications.

Emerging Tech

FAA Is Ready to Put $6M into Certain Drone Innovations

The agency announced a call for white papers to kick off its new five-year, open submission contract.

Modernization

The President’s Office Is Hiring An App Developer

The single-award contract will cover the entire lifecycle of development and maintenance for all apps used by the Executive Office of the President.

Digital Government

16 Things OMB Wants Agencies to Accomplish in the Data Strategy's First Year

Agencies and other stakeholders have until July 5 to comment on the draft action plan, which includes hard deliverables for all of government.

Policy

DHS Would Get At Least $2.9B for Tech, Cyber Under House Proposal

The draft spending bill would set aside funding for new technologies at the border and a couple billion for the government’s central cybersecurity agency.

Podcasts

Critical Update: Get Stuff Done

Except he didn’t say “stuff.” Defense Digital Service co-founders join the podcast to talk security clearances, big cloud procurements and plenty of Star Wars.

Digital Government

Commerce Asks for Feedback On Unreleased Data Strategy Action Plan

An agency leading development of the Federal Data Strategy wants input on the draft action plan, though it won’t be released until later this week, at the earliest.