Modernization

Dennett promises accountability, better prices

Paul Denett, the nominee to be Office of Federal Procurement Policy administrator, promised to be vigilant in assuring that the government gets the best prices on services it procures.<@SM>

Modernization

Veterans’ benefits agency tightens data security

The Veterans Benefits Administration is taking additional steps to ensure that veterans’ data is secure.

Modernization

DHS Special Report | Authentication, ID are in the cards

Robert Mocny, deputy program manager for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program, has a simple vision for making the borders more secure.<@SM>It doesn’t have to do with 12-foot fences, or unmanned aerial vehicles or anything fancy. It is a simple card combining two technologies that have been around for decades—biometrics and radio frequency identification.

Modernization

DOD, military take hands-on approach to QDR

The writers of the Quadrennial Defense Review are now shifting gears to become executors of the guidance.<@SM>

Modernization

IG gives GSA passing grade on financials

The General Services Administration has made enough improvements in financial management to satisfy its inspector general and likely keep its biggest customer, the Defense Department.

Modernization

DHS Special Report | Forward Motion

Even as the Homeland Security Department has stumbled through project failures, stalled during leadership vacuums and withstood withering criticism, DHS has delivered some projects that serve as exemplars of technology management and are improving prospects for better project performance.<@SM>

People

Steven Law | E-gov's Ardent Activist

Steven Law is the second deputy secretary of the Labor Department to head the President’s Management Council’s E-government Committee. It’s no surprise that the Office of Management and Budget continues to tap Labor Department leaders.

People

USDA provides online agricultural tools

The Agriculture Department has made available a Web-based energy estimator for irrigation to help producers manage their irrigation water resources more efficiently.<@SM>

People

Congress, OMB resume tug of war over E-Gov

In case there was any doubt, the annual turf battle between congressional appropriators and OMB over the e-government initiatives is on, even after the administration this year launched an unprecedented campaign to convince skeptical appropriators of the program’s benefits.<@SM>

Modernization

Doan starts tenure at GSA with splash

Lurita Doan promised one thing in her first public address since taking the reins at the General Services Administration last month—change. Her first big one was bringing in Jim Williams, the program manager for one of the government’s highest-profile, politically toughest challenges—the U.S. Visit project at the Homeland Security Department.

Modernization

Interior's NBC doubles shared services for federal savings board

The Interior Department’s National Business Center will provide shared services under both the Financial Management and Human Resources lines of business to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board starting next month.<@SM>

People

Google launches federal search engine

Google U.S. Government Search offers service almost identical to FirstGov.gov but with more personalization features, the company said.

People

Labor, HHS approps bill aims at e-gov initiatives

It is the Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments’ turn to come under the restraint of the House Appropriations Committee and its distrust of e-government.<@SM>

People

Fla. county taps Accela for e-gov work

Brevard County awards Accela Inc. a contract to furnish agencies and citizens with a new enterprise permit and land management solution.<@SM>

People

Appropriators still wary of e-gov funding

Despite the administration’s efforts, congressional appropriators still seem unwilling to embrace e-government.<@SM>

Modernization

GSA cleans up processes that led to $900m accounting problems

The General Services Administration has changed policies and standardized processes so it can achieve a clean audit this year after statements about its accounting of $900 million in budgetary resources sank last year’s audit.<@SM>

Modernization

Defense drafts Business Mission Area Federation Strategy

The Defense Department’s Business Transformation Agency has approved the Business Mission Area Federation Strategy, which outlines how the enterprise architectures in the military services and agencies will tie into DOD’s overarching business enterprise architecture.

Modernization

DOD to build EA from ground up

Defense officials say the department is too big to push its Business Enterprise Architecture down to all the military services and agencies. So, they’re promoting a federated approach that focuses on the component agencies. Defense components must adopt an organized structure that will align business rules and processes with the BEA. The Business Transformation Agency issued a draft of this structure, called the Business Mission Area Federation Strategy, last week.

People

A-76 to play larger role in FMLOB

The Office of Management and Budget has added an unexpected and somewhat confusing twist to the Financial Management Line of Business initiative. Agencies or bureaus with 10 or more employees operating financial systems that do not comply with Financial System Integration Office requirements must now compete for, at minimum, the hosting and application management of their financial systems.<@SM>

People

Commerce sets up IT security education program

The first step toward better information security in the government is to provide more training for the people responsible for keeping systems safe. That’s the approach being taken by Nancy DeFrancesco, chief information security officer for the Commerce Department.