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Deep North Secures DHS Funds for Airport Video Analytics Project
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Deep North Secures DHS Funds for Airport Video Analytics Project

California-based startup company Deep North has secured a $196,880 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to implement video analytics technology in the Transportation Security Administration’s passenger screening procedure at airports.

DHS said its science and technology directorate awarded the funds as part of the “Emerging Needs: COVID-19 Response & Future Mitigation initiative under the Silicon Valley Innovation Program.

Deep North proposed updating its current technology to develop and integrate a video analytics platform into self-screening portals for TSA personnel to manage airport security and physical contact with travelers.

The company plans to use artificial intelligence to support full video and feedback processing in real time, the department noted. DHS expects the self-screening system to assign a unique identifier while the passenger is being screened and to make the UID invalid once the individual leaves the checkpoint area.

Phase I of the project will also look to incorporate automated body and baggage scanning software into the system.

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GAO Adds Small Business Emergency Loans, Drug Misuse to High-Risk List
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GAO Adds Small Business Emergency Loans, Drug Misuse to High-Risk List

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has added national initiatives to respond to, recover from and prevent drug misuse and emergency loans for small businesses to its “high-risk list” or areas in federal operations that require major reforms to reduce waste and address fraud, mismanagement and abuse.

The addition of the two new areas to the 2021 list brings the total number of high-risk areas to 36, GAO said in a report published Tuesday. The agency evaluated the high-risk areas based on leadership commitment, agency capacity, action plan, monitoring efforts and demonstrated progress. 

GAO removed the area related to the Department of Defense’s support infrastructure management after DOD reduced its infrastructure footprint and use of leases and made improvements in its use of military installation space and installation agreements.

Several areas showed improvements, including federal real property management, governmentwide personnel security clearance process, DOD’s financial management and NASA’s acquisition management.

The congressional watchdog also identified high-risk areas that require attention, including the U.S. Postal Service’s financial viability, Decennial Census, cybersecurity, strategic human capital management and the Environmental Protection Agency’s process for assessing and controlling toxic chemicals.

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Defense Innovation Unit Transitioned 11 Commercial Prototypes in 2020
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Defense Innovation Unit Transitioned 11 Commercial Prototypes in 2020

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) said in its annual report that it launched 23 new projects in 2020, which reflects a year-over-year increase of 35 percent, and transitioned 11 prototypes to Department of Defense partners for large-scale procurement.

DIU received 944 commercial proposals and awarded 56 prototype other transaction agreements to companies in 2020, bringing the total number of prototype OTAs issued to 208, according to the agency’s 2020 annual report.

The agency has transitioned a total of 26 commercial platforms to DOD partners since it started facilitating prototype projects in 2016. To date, 43 percent of its projects have generated at least one prototype that moved to commercial production.

“Additionally, 51 DIU projects have ongoing prototypes that will be eligible for transition to production if successfully completed,” the report’s executive summary reads.

DIU listed some of its key achievements in the previous year, such as making five small unmanned aerial systems available for federal procurement on the General Services Administration schedule as part of the Blue sUAS program, scaling the predictive maintenance platform to additional Air Force and Army partners and aircraft and launching advanced energy and materials as the sixth technology portfolio in addition to artificial intelligence, cyber, autonomy, space and human systems portfolios.

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Army Researchers to Help DARPA Develop Coronavirus Detector; Matthew Coppock Quoted
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Army Researchers to Help DARPA Develop Coronavirus Detector; Matthew Coppock Quoted

Army Research Laboratory (ARL) will help the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) compose a bio-aerosol monitor designed to detect the coronavirus. DARPA leads an 18-month effort to develop the monitor based on a combination of different technologies, the U.S. Army said Monday.

ARL joins Georgia Tech Research Institute, the University of Georgia and Cardea Bio to prototype a system that can identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus' presence in the air. The system would produce information to help communities prevent indoor infections.

“ARL’s biodetection technology is a crucial enabler for persistent biosensing in operational environments,” said Matthew Coppock, a chemist and team leader at ARL.

His team uses Protein Catalyzed Capture agents or PCC biodetection technology, originally made by California Institute of Technology's Jim Heath Laboratory.

Coppock said PCCs mimic the mechanism through which antibodies attach. The technology also allows for rapid production, with a development period of two to three weeks.

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Connecticut-Based Educator Miguel Cardona Confirmed to Lead Education Department
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Connecticut-Based Educator Miguel Cardona Confirmed to Lead Education Department

Miguel Cardona, President Biden’s nominee for leadership over the Department of Education, has received Senate confirmation for the role, NPR reported Monday.

Cardona, who most recently was Connecticut’s education commissioner, won the Senate’s favor to become the secretary of education with a 64-33 vote on Monday.

His career includes work as a teacher and principal within the U.S. public school system, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut where he taught educational leadership.

Cardona, in Feb. 2020, had his confirmation hearing, where he said the administration must assess student performance levels to address educational issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. His swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

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Norfolk Naval Shipyard to Begin Migration to Maritime Systems Environment
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Norfolk Naval Shipyard to Begin Migration to Maritime Systems Environment

Norfolk Naval Shipyard will migrate its applications and data into a new environment April 9 as part of efforts to comply with Naval Sea Systems Command's mandate to update corporate platforms.

The migration into the Maritime Systems Environment (MSE) will modify all corporate tools into web-based applications while platforms such as Supervisor Desk and Advanced Industrial Management/Execution Priorities will receive minor enhancements, NAVSEA said Monday.

"While a few of the applications have some new bells and whistles, the overwhelming majority of the applications are exactly the same," said Kyle Alexander, deputy for MSE at NNSY operations department's implementation support group.

MSE will feature a training reporting local tool and a single sign-on-enabled common access card to remove the use of user identifications and passwords.

Once the migration is complete, the team will move to incorporate the Electronic Technical Work Document to allow management of task group instructions for deckplates. NAVSEA noted the transition of the applications to a remote data server will not affect their performance.

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DLA Uses Robotic Automation to Simplify Supply Chain Activities; Terra Nguyen Quoted
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DLA Uses Robotic Automation to Simplify Supply Chain Activities; Terra Nguyen Quoted

The Defense Logistics Agency is using robotic process automation to streamline supply chain management activities and reduce employee workload, DOD News reported Monday.

Frank Wood, RPA program manager at DLA, said the technology allows personnel to focus on the more complex activities in supply chain operations.

DLA Information Operations also uses a bot to process purchase requests and leases for thousands of devices, providing the agency's equipment management solutions team more time to perform other billing-related tasks.

Terra Nguyen, chief of the EMS division, said the bot addresses inefficiencies brought by missing bills, which according to her are tedious to manually deal with.

"Thanks to the integration of the bot, our EMS billing specialists have additional time to communicate with customers, research other billing issues and concentrate on additional work-related tasking," she said.

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Sonny Hashmi: GSA to Co-Chair COVID-19 Workforce Group
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Sonny Hashmi: GSA to Co-Chair COVID-19 Workforce Group

Sonny Hashmi, commissioner at the General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service (GSA FAS) and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, has announced that GSA will serve as co-chair of the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to help the government address issues brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agency will team up with suppliers in the U.S. to maintain the supply of various services and items such as vaccines and personal protective equipment in a bid to support remote working, Hashmi said in a blog post published Monday.

According to Hashmi, GSA delivered over 72 million masks, cleaning supplies and gloves to local, state and federal government personnel in the U.S. Hashmi noted GSA has started to update fleet management platforms and intends to invest in technologies such as charging infrastructure and electric vehicles to mitigate climate change.

The agency is exploring various processes and policies to enhance procurement efforts. Hashmi added GSA will deliver more transparency with U.S. laws and review scouting partnerships as well as federal acquisition regulation updates.

Hashmi also announced the release of GSA's 2021 federal marketplace strategy, a guidance document that seeks to streamline vendors, procurement professionals and customers' buying and selling experience.

Sonny Hashmi: GSA to Co-Chair COVID-19 Workforce Group

While the federal acquisition systems continue to evolve to meet the demands of the market, challenges still remain. Join GovConWire’s Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum to hear notable industry and federal leaders discuss the new modernization priorities, innovative solutions and future plans for acquisition.  

Featuring Sonny Hashmi, commissioner for the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, GovConWire’s Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum will also address GSA’s mission and priorities, as well as how the industry can support and adapt to the new acquisition policies. 

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SPA Designated a RPO with CMMC-AB; William Vantine Quoted
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SPA Designated a RPO with CMMC-AB; William Vantine Quoted

Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) has been designated a Registered Provider Organization (RPO) with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB), the company reported on Tuesday.

“SPA’s Registered Practitioners prepared SPA for a successful CMMC assessment, and we are now certified and ready to assist industry partners in this important security effort,” said Dr. William Vantine, SPA president and CEO.

CMMC will deliver a unifying standard for cybersecurity implementation and ensure that companies in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) are able to protect and account for sensitive unclassified information, as it flows through a multi tier supply chain.

As an RPO, SPA will provide CMMC consulting and support to Organizations Seeking Certification (OSC) in the Defense Industrial Base. SPA staff has been trained in CMMC methodology and will assist DoD suppliers with trusted consultative services.

In addition, SPA will deliver CMMC assessment preparation. Services include Pre-Assessments, Process and Documentation Development, Security Control Implementation and Post-Assessment Remediation.

About SPA

Systems Planning and Analysis provides innovative and leading-edge solutions integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy, and business factors in support of important national security objectives.

Our capabilities include Advanced Analytics; Software Tool Development; System Engineering and Safety Analysis; Strategy, Policy and Compliance; and Program and Acquisition Management.

Our employees have expertise in many domains, including Land, Undersea, Surface and Air Warfare Operations; Radar and Sensor Systems; Unmanned Systems and Counter Systems; Nuclear Deterrence Policy, Safety and Security; Defense Industrial Base; Space Systems; Ballistic Missile Systems; and Hypersonics.

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EY Names Sam Hughes as Tallahassee Office Managing Partner; Julie Boland Quoted
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EY Names Sam Hughes as Tallahassee Office Managing Partner; Julie Boland Quoted

Ernst & Young (EY US) has appointed Sam Hughes as managing partner of the company’s Tallahassee Office, effective immediately, EY US reported on Tuesday. Hughes will succeed Ken Thomas, who has held the position since the office opened in 2018 and will retire in summer 2021.

“Sam comes into this role with outstanding experience in serving our government clients, building business growth and supporting our people. His investment in our firm’s purpose of building a better working world makes him an exceptional leadership choice,” says Julie Boland, EY US central region managing partner. “After 22 years with EY, we thank Ken for his dedication to the firm and wish him the best on his retirement.”

Hughes joined EY US nearly two decades ago. During his tenure at EY, Hughes has held several leadership positions, where he has driven rapid growth of the Consulting service line. He will continue to lead employees and clients at EY US’ Tallahassee office.

“Tallahassee is a great city that I am lucky to call home. I am humbled by the chance to continue building the firm’s presence in this community,” said Hughes.

In his new role with EY US, Hughes will lead the Tallahassee office’s 30 employees. He will also work to advance the firm’s presence in the Fl. state capital and support clients, as well as promote diverse and workplace culture.

Prior to his position as managing partner of the company’s Tallahassee Office, Hughes most recently served as a principal in the Government & Public Sector practice. He led consulting services for the State of Fl., which has enabled Hughes to gain insights into the challenges and opportunities facing state agencies and local governments. 

“The past year has brought countless challenges to our team members and our clients as we all worked together to navigate this pandemic. I am impressed daily by the resiliency of our people and am confident the strength and talent in the Tallahassee office will help us serve our clients through today’s challenges and the many opportunities in our future,” Hughes added. 

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

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