The Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked $97 million in funds to support 33 bioenergy research and development projects.

DOE said Friday that it aims to mitigate risks and optimize the performance of technologies designed to yield bioenergy, fuel and products from biomass and waste resources through the funding effort.

The projects are required to address topics in various areas such as scalable carbon dioxide electrocatalysis technologies, development of low-emission residential wood heaters and waste-to-energy approaches.

Mark Menezes, DOE undersecretary, said bioenergy technologies could augment energy security and grow U.S. energy supply.

The U.S. Senate has voted to pass a bill that aims to help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) better manage information technology activities.

The Department of Veterans Affairs IT Reform Act aims to boost the transparency and oversight across VA's IT projects, the office of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said Friday.

Tester introduced the bill alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., making the bill bipartisan. The bill would direct VA to strictly monitor spending done in IT programs critical to the care services and benefits being provided to the nation's veterans.

The legislation also calls for VA to support the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Data Center Consolidation Initiative and address IT-related recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

“When veterans can’t access the benefits and care they earned because the VA’s IT systems don’t work, are over budget or take years to come online—well, we’ve got to do something about it,” said Tester, who is the ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

The House of Representatives will examine and vote on the bill next.

Michael Davenport, a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, will moderate the expert panel during Potomac Officers Club’s Weaponizing Data Across the Digital Battlefield Virtual Event on Aug. 11th.

Click here to register for the Weaponizing Data Across the Digital Battlefield Virtual Event.

Davenport leads Booz Allen’s Army command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) business. He brings more than 25 years of experience in managing and leading complex C5ISR programs and teams to Potomac Officers Club’s virtual event. 

The organizations that he’s developed engineering and software solutions for include: U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical Program Executive Office Intelligence Electronic Warfare & Sensors. 

Prior to his current role with Booz Allen Hamilton, Davenport led the company’s network engineering team, where he designed and implemented solutions for military satellite communications and software-defined radio networks for the Air Force and Navy.

As the U.S. Army continues to evolve to meet the demands of emerging technology and the changing defense landscape, challenges arise in combat. Innovation requires speed of integrating and exploiting innovative technology into the digital battlefield through investments such as open architecture, DevSecOps, next generation governance and converged data platforms. 

Davenport will utilize his knowledge acquired from his career in the public sector to foster conversation revolving around intel and operation mission capabilities, the challenges and priorities of data in warfare and how defense has evolved from the traditional standards to meet the demand of emerging technologies. 

The event will also feature BG Rob Collins, program executive officer for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) with the U.S. Army and MG Peter Gallagher, director of the Network Cross-Functional Team with the U.S. Army, who will serve as keynote speakers. 

Do not miss this must see event. Click here to register for the Weaponizing Data Across the Digital Battlefield Virtual Event to learn more about defense operations as technology and the defense landscape continue to evolve.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has successfully completed the second phase of its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) consolidation to modernize federal acquisition, the administration reported on Monday. 

“MAS consolidation is already improving the experience for our agency customers and our vendors — making it easier and faster for companies to modify contracts and add Special Item Numbers, and for contracting officers to place orders for the goods and services they need,” said GSA administrator and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient Emily Murphy. 

With the completion, GSA will enter phase three: multiple contract consolidation for current MAS holders. GSA has already consolidated its 24 MAS into a single solicitation for products, services and solutions, under phase one of the modernization plan. 

In phase two, current contracts were updated to streamline terms and conditions for the new solicitation. GSA will work with industry partners in phase three to consolidate the administrations multiple contracts down to one per unique entity identifier (UEI). 

Under MAS, GSA will create long-term, governmentwide contracts with commercial firms offering more than 10 million commercial supplies and services that federal, state, and local agencies order directly from GSA Schedule contractors. 

MAS consolidation is one of the four cornerstones of GSA’s Federal Marketplace Strategy (FMP) to modernize and simplify the buying and selling experience for customers, suppliers and acquisition professionals. 

“In choosing their main contract, industry will streamline their Schedule business strategy and have just one point of contact for all MAS business moving forward,” explained GSA MAS Program Management Office director Stephanie Shutt. 

Shutt will be featured as a keynote speaker during GovConWire’s 2020 Business Development (BD) Trends Forum on August 27th. Shutt has supported GSA’s MAS program for over 15 years. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing the agency’s $30 billion MAS program offering almost every commercial product and service available to agencies government-wide.

During the event, Shutt will dive into current Business Development (BD) trends, tips for securing contracts and Fiscal Year 2021 federal budget projections. Do not miss out on this must see forum!

Click here to register for the 2020 BD Trends Forum on Aug. 27th!

About GSA

The mission of GSA is to deliver value and savings in real estate, acquisition, technology, and other mission-support services across government. One of its four strategic goals is to establish GSA as the premier provider of efficient and effective acquisition solutions across the government.