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GSA Requires Use of eBuy for OASIS+ Contracts
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GSA Requires Use of eBuy for OASIS+ Contracts

The General Services Administration’s Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories has made GSA eBuy the required tool for task order solicitation for the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus program, also known as OASIS+, as part of efforts to improve acquisition transparency and efficiency.

The agency said Tuesday GSA eBuy will provide OASIS+ customers with the capability to review awarded vendors, submit requests for information through GSA’s Market Research As a Service program, manage task orders from solicitation to task order award and provide a secure environment to issue information only to OASIS+ contract holders.

For OASIS+ industry partners, GSA eBuy will enable them to view and respond to RFIs and solicitations, directly submit proposals to the buying agency and receive automated notifications, among other functions.

According to GSA, awards and notices to proceed will be issued to OASIS+ vendors through the first or second quarter of fiscal year 2025, and contracting officers with the Delegation of Procurement Authority can begin placing orders about seven to 10 days after the NTPs or awards are issued for each contract.

The agency noted that the move does not impact the OASIS program and that customers can still use the Symphony task order management platform for all OASIS task orders. Customers also have the flexibility to use GSA ASSIST, GSA eBuy or Symphony to collect responses for OASIS task order RFIs and requests for proposals.

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Army Officials Address Industry Issues With Software Development RFI
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Army Officials Address Industry Issues With Software Development RFI

Army acquisition officials held a media roundtable on Thursday at the Pentagon to address industry concerns with a request for information on a multivendor contract for software procurement, particularly regarding the use of cost-plus contracts, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

In May, the Army started soliciting input on the New Modern Software Development multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, noted that the military branch intended to use a hybrid approach and would not solely use cost-plus contracts for acquiring software.

“It’s not a simple world of cost-plus versus fixed price there. Those are ends of a spectrum. In between those things lie a vast array of hybrid approaches that are tailored to different things. So this is a very complicated thing that cannot be simplified into a binary cost or fixed price narrative,” Bush, a previous Wash100 awardee, told reporters during the event.

Jennifer Swanson, chief systems engineer for the Army’s acquisition office, said the service is experimenting with a pilot program that will issue a solicitation without disclosing the type of contract upfront.

“I’m not saying we’re definitely doing it, but we’re working through the legalities and the possibility of using this modern software development contract as the pilot to look at what we would do if we didn’t specify contract type up front in a task order requirement,” Swanson told reporters.

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GovCon Index Dropped Sharply Last Week
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GovCon Index Dropped Sharply Last Week

Last week, Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index declined by 4.08%, closing with an average of $5,312.73 on Friday. These losses represent the highest weekly decline since GovCon Index launched in December 2023. 

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that collects and presents stock market data from 30 key government contracting organizations in real time. Users can leverage this information to assess the financial performance of each tracked company and gain insights into the broad trends shaping today’s GovCon marketplace.

Only one company, Palantir, recorded growth on Friday. GovCon Index achieved slight gains on Wednesday, but was unable to turn the tide before the end of the week. Despite these losses, GovCon Index has grown by 13.8% overall this year.

For more information on daily GovCon Index performance, check out last week’s market reports. Click here to view the full list of tracked organizations.

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FDIC Fails to Effectively Implement Security Controls for Cloud Environment, OIG Says
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FDIC Fails to Effectively Implement Security Controls for Cloud Environment, OIG Says

The Office of Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said the FDIC’s security controls in its cloud computing environment are not effectively implemented in five areas: identity and access management, cloud secret protection, patch management, flaw remediation and audit logging.

The audit, conducted in partnership with Sikich, found six common themes of security weaknesses in the FDIC cloud platform, the OIG said Thursday.

According to Sikich, the cloud platform teams did not consistently implement secure coding practices, configure cloud platform security settings per cloud service providers and industry best practices, or provision access to its cloud-based systems in accordance with the principle of least privilege.

The company also found that the platform relied on outdated software components and was not properly monitored by the FDIC and that cloud service providers were solely responsible for causing certain vulnerabilities.

Sikich made recommendations, including designing and implementing a plan to prevent, detect and remediate security weaknesses, to improve cloud security controls.

The FDIC concurred with all recommendations and plans to complete all corrective actions by December 30, 2026.

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NOAA Unveils Inaugural Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space
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NOAA Unveils Inaugural Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce has selected 17 space industry professionals to serve on a federal advisory committee that will provide NOAA with independent recommendations on matters related to commercial space policy and regulations.

NOAA said Friday the inaugural Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space, or ACES, will look at key issues associated with the leadership, sustainability and growth of U.S. commercial space activities.

ACES is set to hold its first public meeting in Washington, D.C., over the next two months, allowing the members to set priorities and develop strategies to address the issues facing the commercial space sector.

NOAA plans to name additional members to the advisory panel in 2025 to create a staggered cycle of two-year terms. 

The 16 ACES members who have accepted to serve on the committee for two years are:

  • Al Tadros, Redwire
  • Alex Gilbert, Zeno Power
  • Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot Aerospace
  • Blake Bullock, Northrop Grumman
  • Brien Flewelling, ExoAnalytic Solutions
  • Caryn Schenewerk, Georgetown University
  • Chris Kunstadter, Triton Space
  • Clare Martin, Astroscale U.S.
  • Danielle Pineres, Planet Labs PBC
  • Dave Cavossa, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
  • David Gauthier, GXO
  • El Gardner, Aperio Global
  • Kalpak Gude, Amazon Kuiper
  • Mary Lynne Dittmar, Axiom Space
  • Michael Nicolls, SpaceX
  • Tony Frazier, LeoLabs

Schenewerk and Gauthier will serve as the committee’s chair and vice chair, respectively.

NOAA is also in the process of naming Jared Hautamaki to ACES as a 17th member. He will serve as a space law expert in his personal capacity.

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Data Integrity Key to AI Systems in Nuclear Industry, Regulatory Agencies Say
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Data Integrity Key to AI Systems in Nuclear Industry, Regulatory Agencies Say

In order for artificial intelligence to be successfully integrated into the nuclear industry, the data upon which such systems depend must be meticulously curated, validated and governed throughout its lifecycle, according to a document jointly developed by nuclear regulatory organizations from Canada, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

The recently-released document, titled “Considerations for Developing Artificial Intelligence Systems in Nuclear Applications,” notes that because “reliability, safety, and security are paramount” within the nuclear industry, ensuring the adequacy of AI systems by guaranteeing the quality and integrity of data is equally crucial.

“Deficiencies in data, such as incompleteness, bias, or inaccuracies, could lead to erroneous AI outputs with potentially unacceptable consequences; flawed data may result in flawed output. Equally, AI systems receiving very different inputs in real-world deployment versus training or testing may not perform well,” the document warns.

Prepared by the the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the United Kingdom Office for Nuclear Regulation and the United States’ Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the document seeks to tackle “important topics that should be considered when deploying AI to ensure continued safe and secure operation of nuclear facilities, and other uses of nuclear materials.” The document is meant to benefit all parties involved in the lifecycle of AI systems, including developers, end users, regulators and their partners.

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DOE to Award $68M for AI Tech Development Projects
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DOE to Award $68M for AI Tech Development Projects

The Department of Energy has announced that 11 multi-institution projects focused on artificial intelligence will receive $68 million in funding.

DOE said Thursday the projects, comprising 43 awards, include the development of AI foundation models that could be used to speed up scientific programming and advance automation in laboratories, among other use cases.

The department will also fund the development of energy-efficient AI algorithms using next-generation microtechnologies and the creation of foundation models to advance science and preserve privacy.

The projects, which will run for up to three years, were selected through a competitive peer review process under DOE’s Funding Opportunity Announcement for Advancements in Artificial Intelligence for Science.

“These research efforts will make scientific AI both more trustworthy and more energy efficient, unlocking AI’s potential to accelerate scientific discovery. There is a huge variety in the number of applications where scientists can use AI, from the laboratory to the field to producing scientific research,” said Ceren Susut, associate director of science for advanced scientific computing research at DOE.

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Commerce Department Names New National AI Advisory Committee Members
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Commerce Department Names New National AI Advisory Committee Members

The U.S. Department of Commerce has revealed four new members of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, a group of experts advising the White House on various issues regarding AI.

The department said Thursday Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the appointments of Aneesh Chopra, Christopher Howard, Angie Cooper and Beth Cobert to the NAIAC. 

Chopra is the current chief strategy officer of Arcadia while Howard serves as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Arizona State University. Cooper is the EVP of Heartland Forward while Cobert, former president of the Markle Foundation, held vital roles at the Office of Management and Budget.

The new members will each serve three years with the committee and can be reappointed for a second consecutive term.

Raimondo expressed confidence in the new committee members, saying, “Empowering our nation’s top talent in AI across academia, industry, non-profits and civil society is fundamental to the responsible development and deployment of this generation-defining technology.”

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USMC Plans to Spend More on 5G Network Training System
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USMC Plans to Spend More on 5G Network Training System

The Marine Air-Ground Task Force Training Command and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center are considering an additional $20 million investment in the Marines’ new 5G network training platform currently under testing in an exercise. 

MCAGCC is demonstrating the new 5G-based communication and training capability at the Service Level Training Exercise 5-24 scheduled from July 13 to Sept. 11, the U.S. Marine Corps said Friday.

The exercise deployed two refurbished Cell on Light Trucks to demonstrate multi-domain operation simulation among other 5G training activities.

Matthew Moreno, assistant chief of staff for MAGTF-TC/MCAGCC communications directorate, said the exercise’s use of the repurposed COLTs demonstrates cost savings and efficient utilization of available resources. “We’re turning tens of millions of dollars in government assets into a high-value training tool for a fraction of the original cost,” he stressed.

According to Moreno, the USMC’s goal is to invest in an additional 11 to 15 permanent 5G training network sites plus six deployable counterparts.

Besides providing live, virtual and constructive training, other potential capabilities cited in using the 5G network include technology testing and development. The network is part of the USMC’s Project Tripoli creating live, virtual, constructive environments—dubbed LVCE—for training on a persistent, global, all-domain and all-echelon scale.

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NRO Conducts 3rd Mission to Launch Proliferated Satellite Architecture
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NRO Conducts 3rd Mission to Launch Proliferated Satellite Architecture

The National Reconnaissance Office has launched NROL-113, the third mission supporting the agency’s effort to deploy a next-generation proliferated satellite architecture that NRO Director Chris Scolese said in May would “enhance our ability to collect and deliver critical information at the speed our users demand.”

NROL-113 was launched on Sept. 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the NRO said Friday. The launch was carried out in partnership with SpaceX and U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 30.

The agency aims to conduct about half a dozen launches within the year in support of its proliferated architecture. The first launch, NROL-146, took place in May while the second launch, NROL-186, took place in June.

Regarding the satellite architecture, Scolese, a four-time Wash100 awardee, said it is characterized by a diversity that “allows us to remain agile and resilient amid increasing competition and emerging threats, ensuring we are well positioned now and in the future to deliver on our mission of keeping our nation safe.”

NRO Conducts 3rd Mission to Launch Proliferated Satellite Architecture

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