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GSA to Update Identity Protection, Breach Response SIN on Professional Services Schedule
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GSA to Update Identity Protection, Breach Response SIN on Professional Services Schedule


GSA to Update Identity Protection, Breach Response SIN on Professional Services ScheduleThe General Services Administration has announced plans to clarify certain definitions and implement changes to a special item number for identity protection and data breach response services on the Professional Services Schedule, Nextgov reported Friday.

GSA proposed to clarify the definitions of “enrollee” and “impacted individual” and eliminate data breach analysis services from SIN 520-20 to address overlap with “breach forensic services” on the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Services SIN.

The agency said such changes intend to address “ambiguity resulting in higher pricing exceeding commercial rates offered for same or similar services,” according to the document.

Other proposed changes to SIN 520-20 include clarifications on system security plan requirements and more examples of additional services under the second section.

The planned changes are scheduled to take effect Aug. 29, according to the report.

GSA Launches Accelerated Contracting Process for Startups
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GSA Launches Accelerated Contracting Process for Startups


GSA Launches Accelerated Contracting Process for Startups

The General Services Administration has launched the pilot program for a new service that aims to refine and accelerate the contracting process for startup companies’ and federal market entrants’ commercial offerings.

The agency said Wednesday the Commercial Solutions Opening procedure provides new firms with fast-track vendor selection timelines and simplified contract terms, as well as an option for commercial vendors to secure their intellectual property.

CSO can be used along with an other transaction authority or non-federal acquisition regulation conforming contract to establish an agreement.

GSA will operate the service and support other agency procurements under the Assisted Acquisition Service.

The CSO pilot program will end on Sept. 30, 2022.

The agency has also unveiled the Procurement Innovation Resource Center, which will support the adoption of the accelerated contracting procedure, as well as promote tools and resources that encourage the use of unique contracts for modern offerings.

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David Norquist: DoD-Wide Audit Results Could Come in Fall
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David Norquist: DoD-Wide Audit Results Could Come in Fall


David Norquist: DoD-Wide Audit Results Could Come in Fall
David Norquist

Pentagon Comptroller David Norquist has said the ongoing Defense Department-wide audit is part of National Defense Strategy implementation efforts and that he expects the results to be available by fall, DoD News reported Thursday.

He told WGAN radio station in an interview the review will cover the Pentagon’s personnel, equipment and property investments.

“It’ll be an annual process, and as I like to say to the workforce, it will go on as long as we both shall live,” Norquist added.

The comptroller noted that before the audit, U.S. Army identified 39 helicopters in the service branch’s Black in the service branch’s Black Hawk fleet were “not properly” included in the property system.

The U.S. Navy has saved $65 million after it implemented a system to automatically transmit information and manage the quality of data.

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NIST’s Ron Ross: Cyber Adversaries Thrive in Complexity
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NIST’s Ron Ross: Cyber Adversaries Thrive in Complexity


NIST’s Ron Ross: Cyber Adversaries Thrive in Complexity
Ron Ross

Ron Ross, a senior computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has said federal agencies should address complexity with their technology platforms as they counter cybersecurity threats, MeriTalk reported Thursday.

“The adversary works in the world of the stack, and that complexity is where they thrive,” he said Thursday during a panel discussion at FCW’s Cybersecurity Summit.

Ross discussed the threat posed by the increasing number of personal devices to information technology systems and cited the need to build “stronger, penetration-resistant systems” as threat actors leverage machine learning, artificial intelligence and other technology platforms.

Other panelists include Matthew McFadden, director of cyber practice at General Dynamics’ information technology business; and Francisco Salguero, deputy chief information officer at the Agriculture Department.

Report: Federal Gov’t Plans Reskilling Efforts to Address Cyber, IT Skills Gap
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Report: Federal Gov’t Plans Reskilling Efforts to Address Cyber, IT Skills Gap


Report: Federal Gov't Plans Reskilling Efforts to Address Cyber, IT Skills GapThe Trump administration plans to initiate reskilling programs in a bid to address the information technology and cybersecurity skills gap among federal employees, FedScoop reported Thursday.

The reskilling efforts, mandated by the President’s Management Agenda, will be under the oversight of several agencies including the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management.

Among the reskilling options available to the government is cross-training, a strategy that nonprofit company Mitre has implemented for decades.

Joel Jacobs, chief information and chief security officer for MITRE, said that his organization’s cybersecurity department would “borrow” personnel with backgrounds in information security from divisions involved in federally-funded research and development.

The R&D personnel would gain operational experience while cybersecurity staff would be exposed to new ideas and innovations in the field.

Although Jacobs is skeptical that the strategy can be used across the bureaucracy due to mission diversity, he says it could work if applied to “adjoining components.”

“I think they have to be looking for adjacencies in talent, not strictly or narrowly prescribed versions of cyber engineers or exclusively trained from a cyber curriculum,” Jacobs commented.

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VA Adopts Secure Cyber Posture Across Multiple Cloud Vendors; Royce Allen Comments
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VA Adopts Secure Cyber Posture Across Multiple Cloud Vendors; Royce Allen Comments


VA Adopts Secure Cyber Posture Across Multiple Cloud Vendors; Royce Allen CommentsRoyce Allen, chief cybersecurity architect for the Office of Cybersecurity Policy and Compliance within the Department of Veterans Affairs, has announced that VA is establishing a secure cyber posture to handle multiple cloud vendors, MeriTalk reported Thursday.

The department is using Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services to develop its own cloud to manage several services and cloud providers.

“The goal is to have multiple managed services from multiple vendors supporting us at all times, to keep it fair at the acquisition level,” Allen noted.

The cybersecurity official added the importance of running legacy systems until all applications and data are safely migrated into the cloud.

Allen recommended to other federal agencies with multiple vendors to assess their own environments and adopt the cloud practices of other organizations.

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Carla Provost Assumes Role as Full-Time Border Patrol Chief
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Carla Provost Assumes Role as Full-Time Border Patrol Chief


Carla Provost Assumes Role as Full-Time Border Patrol Chief
Carla Provost

Carla Provost, acting chief of the U.S. Border Patrol since April 2017, has been appointed to the position on a full-time basis.

She has held various supervisory, management and leadership roles at Border Patrol over the past 23 years and is the first woman to lead the agency, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.

Her career started in 1995 as an agent at the Tucson Sector’s Douglas Station and received promotion to a supervisory role in 1998.

In 2011, she received assignment under the Senior Executive Service to serve in the El Paso Sector as deputy chief patrol agent.

Provost was named Border Patrol’s deputy chief in 2016 and entered the acting position of her current office in April 2017.

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Mike Pence Unveils Plans to Form New Combatant Command, Service Branch for Space
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Mike Pence Unveils Plans to Form New Combatant Command, Service Branch for Space


Mike Pence Unveils Plans to Form New Combatant Command, Service Branch for Space
Mike Pence

Vice President Mike Pence has announced plans to establish by the end of the year a new space-focused military command that would be headed by a four-star general, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The plan includes the formation of a new “space force” as the country’s sixth service branch as early as 2020 in response to threats posed by potential adversaries, Pence said in his speech Thursday at the Pentagon.

A senior official at the White House said the administration plans to work with Congress to introduce by early 2019 a bill that would set up a new military department.

Defense News reported the proposed “space operations force” will offer space expertise to the space combatant command in times of conflict.

Pence said a new space development agency will be established to serve as a joint acquisition arm for space platforms and advance technology development through experimentation and prototyping efforts.

He noted that the Defense Department will appoint a civilian to the new assistant defense secretary for space post to manage the space force’s expansion efforts and report to the DoD secretary.

“This leader will be key to a critical transition to a fully independent secretary of the space force,” Pence added.

The announcement came days after Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the Pentagon is supportive of a plan to form a new space-centric combatant command.

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House VA Subcommittee for IT Modernization to Conduct First Hearing in September
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House VA Subcommittee for IT Modernization to Conduct First Hearing in September


House VA Subcommittee for IT Modernization to Conduct First Hearing in SeptemberA house subcommittee dedicated to oversee a Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health record modernization program will hold its first hearing on Sept. 13, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, has said the subcommittee will help determine the role of VA’s interagency program office in the potential 10-year, $16 billion contract the department will complete with Cerner Corporation.

“[We will] dig deeper into if there are ways that maybe perhaps Congress could give the IPO more authority,” Banks added.

The subcommittee will also conduct an in-depth assessment of the contract’s details, as well as possibly preside over other information technology initiatives that will be included in the EHR project.

Banks will lead the subcommittee with ranking member Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., both of whom are the youngest members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

VA’s contract with Cerner will involve transferring all patient data into the Cerner Millennium platform.

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Federal Spending Spree Imminent in Remaining Months of Fiscal 2018; PSC’s David Berteau Comments
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Federal Spending Spree Imminent in Remaining Months of Fiscal 2018; PSC’s David Berteau Comments


Federal Spending Spree Imminent in Remaining Months of Fiscal 2018; PSC’s David Berteau Comments
David Berteau

Federal agencies are expected to spend up to 40 percent of their fiscal 2018 budgets before the new fiscal year begins in October, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

Defense and civilian agencies would have to obligate at least $140 billion in additional budget authorized under the omnibus spending package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in March, when agencies were already halfway through fiscal 2018.

“If agencies are going to spend the extra money in fiscal 2018, it’s going to have to be at a much higher percentage in the fourth quarter than it has been historically,” David Berteau, president of the Professional Services Council, told the publication.

Civilian and defense agencies have awarded approximately $300 billion in fiscal 2018 contracts, according to the Federal Procurement Data System.

A report by The Pulse shows that out of the 10 largest federal agencies, the Energy Department and NASA are the only two that have obligated 70 percent of their projected discretionary budget for fiscal 2018.

“In short, this means there is a lot of money, more than normal, still on the table for Q4 FY18,” according to the report.

Berteau noted that agencies look to contract vehicles with extensive scopes and viable ceiling values that allow them to immediately obligate funds.

“I would think the government is looking for those vehicles. … And contractors themselves would be trying to help customers find them and use them,” he added.

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