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HHS Gives $100M to Support COVID-19 Health Care
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HHS Gives $100M to Support COVID-19 Health Care

HHS Gives $100M to Support COVID-19 Health Care

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is investing $100 million in health care efforts that aim to address the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The funds would help the National Special Pathogen System apply a response infrastructure previously used to address the Ebola virus, HHS said Tuesday.

The National Special Pathogen System leverages regional treatment centers, hospital associations and the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center that holds a range of pathogen treatment resources.

The effort will also receive help from participants of the HHS Hospital Preparedness Program that awards grants to support public health systems.

“We cannot beat the COVID-19 pandemic without getting America’s healthcare workers the training and resources they need to respond to this novel threat, and these funds secured from Congress by President Trump will help make that happen,” said Alex Azar, HHS secretary.

HHS pursues the effort in compliance with the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020.

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FDA Provides Emergency Use Authorization to PerkinElmer for COVID-19 Testing; Prahlad Singh, Alex Azar Quoted
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FDA Provides Emergency Use Authorization to PerkinElmer for COVID-19 Testing; Prahlad Singh, Alex Azar Quoted

FDA Provides Emergency Use Authorization to PerkinElmer for COVID-19 Testing; Prahlad Singh, Alex Azar Quoted

PerkinElmer has announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Company’s New Coronavirus RT-PCR test.

“Despite the challenging environment, our employees have demonstrated unwavering commitment over the past two months to combat this global pandemic,” said Prahlad Singh, president and chief executive officer, PerkinElmer. “The breadth of PerkinElmer’s total workflow solution puts us in a unique position to rapidly address the needs of our clinical diagnostics customers.”

PerkinElmer’s RT-PCR test is marketed as an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) device by meeting the requirements of the European In Vitro Diagnostic Directive (IVDD) and is available in over 30 countries worldwide. Clinical laboratories certified under Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) can immediately begin using this kit to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

FDA has also announced that it has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by facilitating medical countermeasures to treat and prevent the disease and surveilling the medical product and food supply chains for potential shortages or disruptions and helping to mitigate impacts.

“President Trump’s aggressive response and bold actions to keep Americans safe from COVID-19 bought us precious time to advance therapeutics and other necessary tools,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

President Trump has directed the FDA to continue its work with the public and private sector to provide safe and effective drugs to patients, including those infected with COVID-19. The FDA has been working closely with other government agencies and academic centers that have investigated the use of the drug chloroquine to determine whether it can be used to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

If the drug is approved, it could potentially reduce the duration of symptoms, as well as viral shedding, which can help prevent the spread of disease. Studies are underway to determine the efficacy in using chloroquine to treat COVID-19.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise.

Our dedicated team of about 13,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the wellbeing and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $2.9 billion in 2019, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index.

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Sepio Secures Additional $4M Funding to Accelerate Innovation from MRV; Jacqueline LeSage Krause, Dr. Andre Knoerchen Quoted
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Sepio Secures Additional $4M Funding to Accelerate Innovation from MRV; Jacqueline LeSage Krause, Dr. Andre Knoerchen Quoted

Sepio Secures Additional $4M Funding to Accelerate Innovation from MRV; Jacqueline LeSage Krause, Dr. Andre Knoerchen QuotedSepio Systems has made a relatively significant equity investment in the company to accelerate the company’s innovation and expand into new regions of the globe, the company announced on Wednesday. The addition will bring the total investment in the company to $15 million.

“Sepio’s ability to fingerprint physical devices and detect rogue behavior is attracting interest from global organizations seeking to understand what rogue devices are living in their walls and on their networks.

We look forward to working with Sepio on growing their market presence and product offering,” said Jacqueline LeSage Krause, Managing Director, Munich Re Ventures.

Sepio has also worked with Munich Re’s New Technologies and AI Underwriting team, where the company has validated Sepio’s innovative approach to rogue device mitigation to decrease the customer’s overall hardware security risk.

Sepio has partnered with customers to assess the volume, type and behavior of standard hardware devices, like keyboards, USBs and desktop boxes. The company will also provide security teams with full visibility into how these devices are behaving in real-time, leading to the ability to easily define granular device usage rules to continuously monitor and protect IT infrastructure.

“Sepio’s technology was deeply explored by our specialists and we found it superior to existing rogue device detection and mitigation techniques.” said Dr. Andre Knoerchen, Head of New Technologies and AI Underwriting, Munich Re. “This partnership is just the first step in a long and collaborative relationship where customers will benefit from Sepio’s ability to create unique and innovative solutions to secure hardware devices while being backed by Munich Re’s performance guarantee insurance.”

About Sepio Systems 

Sepio is disrupting the cyber-security industry by uncovering hidden hardware attacks. Sepio Prime provides security teams with full visibility into their hardware assets and their behavior in real-time. A comprehensive policy enforcement module allows administrators to easily define granular device usage rules and continuously monitor and protect their infrastructure. Leveraging a combination of physical fingerprinting technology together with device behavior analytics, Sepio’s software-only solution offers instant detection and response to any threat or breach attempt coming from a manipulated or infected element.

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Maximus Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic, Suspends Fiscal 2020 Guidance; Bruce Caswell Quoted
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Maximus Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic, Suspends Fiscal 2020 Guidance; Bruce Caswell Quoted

Maximus Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic, Suspends Fiscal 2020 Guidance; Bruce Caswell Quoted

Maximus has announced its response to COVID-19 pandemic and has suspended fiscal 2020 guidance on Wednesday, including its ability to execute business operations, strategies, and initiatives over the expected time frame, is uncertain and will depend on future developments.

“Our primary objectives are to protect our employees and their families, take responsible action to stop the virus from spreading further, and ensure global business continuity as required by our government clients to help vulnerable citizens… I’m personally committed to looking out for the safety of our employees and the citizens we serve as we work through this together,” said Bruce Caswell, Chief Executive Officer of Maximus and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient.

Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Maximus employees, the company has will ensure citizens continue to have access to the most essential programs. The Company has implemented Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for social distancing and increased sanitizing schedules.

Maximus also implemented a standard protocol if an employee tests positive for COVID-19, including suspending operations and implementing the approved sanitation measures for disinfection and cleaning in accordance with the CDC.

The Company will perform a tracing and notify other staff members that were in contact with the individual and advise them to self-quarantine for 14 days. Maximus has also systematically moved employees to work from home, in partnership with its government clients for whom this is a new model.

The Company has implemented its effort amidst constraints and shortages in the IT equipment supply chain that many companies are facing due to unprecedented demand. Equipment such as laptops and headsets are necessary tools for customer service representatives to conduct business at home.

“MAXIMUS employees are vital in serving the most disadvantaged populations who now face even greater challenges during this crisis. Through their commitment, perseverance, and unparalleled customer service, our employees are delivering essential services to those most in need,” stated Caswell.

About Maximus 

Since 1975, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs.

MAXIMUS delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, MAXIMUS is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

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ACT I Names Catherine Urban Deputy CFO to Support M&A Activity; Mark Hughes Quoted
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ACT I Names Catherine Urban Deputy CFO to Support M&A Activity; Mark Hughes Quoted

ACT I Names Catherine Urban Deputy CFO to Support M&A Activity; Mark Hughes Quoted

Advanced Concepts and Technologies International, L.L.C. (ACT I) has appointed Catherine Urban as Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) to support mergers and acquisitions strategy, the company reported on Wednesday.

“As ACT I continues to rapidly expand, Catherine brings a vast range of highly-effective financial and leadership expertise to enable scalability of our processes, systems, and personnel,” said ACT I Chief Financial Officer Mark Hughes.

As DCFO, she will support ACT I’s mergers and acquisitions strategy to expand core service offerings, organizational alignment initiatives to meet market demand and enhance interdepartmental integration.

Urban is a proven industry leader with decades of experience across the government contracting sector as a financial and business operations leader. She will bring over 20 years of government contracting experience to ACT I with portfolios of federal contracts across Information Technology, Engineering, Aerospace and Missile Defense.

Most recently, she served as chief financial officer (CFO) of Unisys Federal where she led financial organization scaling for revenue growth of over 25 percent year-over-year, including a period of serving concurrently as CFO and chief operating officer (COO).

Prior to Unisys, she served as vice president of business operations and finance for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Federal Holding Company, where she was responsible for full financial lifecycle management of a $650 million annual revenue portfolio.

Urban also served as CFO of Mission Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary of CSC, where she led an acquisition by Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Federal Holding Company. At CSC, Urban served as acting finance administration director.

In addition to her service in the workforce, Urban remains a strong advocate for women in leadership and has participated on the Board for CSC’s Management Club, ASRC Federal’s Women Networking Group and the inaugural Inclusion & Diversity Council at Unisys. She participates in multiple women in government contracting groups as well as a CFO roundtable.

About ACT I

ACT I is an ISO 9001:2015 certified small business and assessed at CMMI Level 3 for Services delivering mission-critical Total Program/Acquisition Management, Intelligence, Cyber and Security Cooperation Solutions to customers across the globe.

We are retained by the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, Department of Homeland Security and other Federal Agencies, and allied partners to support their most complex programs in the areas of Requirements, Acquisition Strategy and Planning, Program Management, Healthcare Advisory Support, Engineering, Logistics, Financial Management, Intelligence Support, Security and Cyber, Contract Negotiation Support, and Security Cooperation and Assistance Services.

ACT I is a prime contractor on the following GSA and DoD IDIQ contracts: All OASIS Small Business Pools, Professional Services Schedule, and Seaport-e, Seaport Next Generation, and PASS-SB.

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AFS, ITG, Receive Task Order to Improve GSA IT System Processes; Elaine Beeman, Barrett Witkin Quoted
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AFS, ITG, Receive Task Order to Improve GSA IT System Processes; Elaine Beeman, Barrett Witkin Quoted

AFS, ITG, Receive Task Order to Improve GSA IT System Processes; Elaine Beeman, Barrett Witkin Quoted

Accenture Federal Services (AFS) and partner Incentive Technology Group (ITG), a subsidiary of ICF, have been awarded a task order to help the General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) modernize its legacy information technology (IT) systems and business processes, the AFS announced on Wednesday.

“GSA is known for deploying technology to drive continuous innovation,” said Barrett Witkin, managing director at Accenture Federal Services. “We’re excited to offer GSA access to Accenture’s commercial-sector capabilities tailored for the federal government, including artificial-intelligence-powered IT operations, cloud migration factories, and analytics-based procurement tools and insights.”

AFS and ITG will partner to provide agile development services and user-centered design capabilities to help FAS merge its legacy sites into a new, improved digital solution. After work is completed GSA will enable customers to efficiently access federal contract award information.

“We are looking forward to partnering with GSA in this important effort to simplify and accelerate the procurement process with best in class, modern and innovative technologies,” said JC Chidiac, ITG’s Chief Operating Officer. “With ITG’s leading agile development and user design capabilities, this effort will help drive improved outcomes for GSA’s federal customers and the citizens they serve.”

This is one of the first task orders issued under GSA’s CIO Modernization and Enterprise Transformation (COMET) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and is worth approximately $17 million over five years. The AFS and ITG team are one of 12 entities that were awarded a position on the COMET BPA.

“We’re excited to bring forward the best of our Federal and commercial practices to support GSA in this bold modernization effort, as they focus on continually improving procurement outcomes for their Federal customers,” said Elaine Beeman, who leads AFS’ civilian portfolio.

About Accenture Federal Services

Accenture Federal Services, a subsidiary of Accenture (NYSE: ACN), is a U.S. company with offices in Arlington, Virginia. Accenture’s federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations. Accenture Federal Services transforms bold ideas into breakthrough outcomes for clients at defense, intelligence, public safety, civilian and military health organizations.

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House Supplemental Funding Bill to Allot $3B for Tech Modernization Fund
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House Supplemental Funding Bill to Allot $3B for Tech Modernization Fund

House Supplemental Funding Bill to Allot $3B for Tech Modernization Fund

The House has introduced a bill that would authorize $3 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund to help agencies support information technology updates in response to the coronavirus pandemic, FedScoop reported Tuesday.

A Democratic aide to the House Appropriations Committee told the publication the funds “would be used for technology-related modernization projects designed to cut costs and drive efficiencies across the Federal government, which is particularly relevant as more federal workers are working remotely because of the pandemic.”

The measure would allow agencies to seek funds for IT updates and use the money by the end of September 2022. The proposal is part of the House supplemental budget request that would direct $2.5 trillion in funds to support emergency response initiatives amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Suzette Kent: Federal Tech Community ‘Thinking Forward’ Amid Health Emergency
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Suzette Kent: Federal Tech Community ‘Thinking Forward’ Amid Health Emergency
Suzette Kent
Suzette Kent

Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, told Nextgov in an interview published Tuesday how the federal information technology community responds to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The IT leaders in the federal community, our contractor partners and our vendors are stepping up in incredible ways,” Kent told the publication. “They are part of answering the question, ‘How can we?’ They’re being bold, they’re thinking forward.”

A new Office of Management and Budget guidance is pushing agencies to look at telework from a different light to achieve continuity in operations. The guidance directs federal departments and agencies to “offer maximum telework flexibilities to all current telework eligible employees, consistent with operational needs of the departments and agencies as determined by their heads” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Start with the frame of what mission—what thing—am I trying to do, and then let’s figure out how we get there,” Kent said. “Asking the question backwards: ‘Why can’t we do the thing that enables continuity and remote work?’”

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Trump Signs 5G Security Bill
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Trump Signs 5G Security Bill

Trump Signs 5G Security Bill

President Trump on Monday signed into law a bill that directs the executive branch to come up with a strategy to ensure the security of 5G networks, Fifth Domain reported Tuesday.

Under the Secure 5G and Beyond Act, the Trump administration has 180 days to develop and submit to Congress a “whole-of-government” strategy to address local security concerns faced by 5G and future generation networks. The strategy should outline the branch’s plan on how it will coordinate with allies to facilitate risk information sharing.

The White House should also evaluate the vulnerabilities and competitiveness of U.S wireless technology manufacturers. The House passed the measure on March 11, a week after the Senate approved the bill.

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ULA Announces Launch of the First National Security Space Mission for the U.S. Space Force; Gary Wentz Quoted
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ULA Announces Launch of the First National Security Space Mission for the U.S. Space Force; Gary Wentz Quoted

ULA Announces Launch of the First National Security Space Mission for the U.S. Space Force; Gary Wentz Quoted

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket has entered final preparations to launch the sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, the organization announced on Tuesday.

“In the current dynamic environment, national security is of utmost importance,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “We are proud to launch the first National Security Space mission for the U.S. Space Force and look forward to delivering the final AEHF asset to support our nation’s national defense and the warfighter community.”

The Atlas V 551 configuration rocket is the most powerful in the Atlas V fleet. The 551 rocket has launched MUOS constellation to missions including New Horizons, the first mission to Pluto and the Juno mission to Jupiter. The Atlas V 551 configuration first launched on January 19, 2006 and has launched 10 times to date.

The system, developed by Lockheed Martin, provides vastly improved global, survivable, protected communications capabilities for strategic command and tactical warfighters, including a 5-meter large Payload Fairing (PLF) and stands at 197 ft. tall.

The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the five AJ-60A solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage. This launch will mark the 500th flight of the RL10 engine.

The launch is on track for March 26 at Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch is planned for 2:57 p.m. EDT at the opening of a two-hour launch window. The live launch broadcast begins at 2:37 p.m. EDT on www.ulalaunch.com. The launch of AEHF-6 will mark the 138th launch for ULA and the first National Security Space mission for the U.S. Space Force.

About ULA

ULA is harnessing the potential of space for humanity. We are dreamers inspired by possibilities not yet imagined, believers driven to broaden horizons, and doers combining technology, innovation, expertise, ingenuity and a commitment to the extraordinary.

The technologies we enable protect our country and troops in the battlefield, enable search and rescue, provide a backbone for business and connect families across the globe. They help us explore our city and learn about our solar system and places beyond.

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