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State Department Wants Contractors to Perform More Self-Assessments
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State Department Wants Contractors to Perform More Self-Assessments

Vendor self-assessments have emerged as a potential measure to address the challenges associated with the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, or CPARS process, but a State Department official said companies rarely submit those assessments, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

Self-assessment is “an incredibly underutilized tool. We would love to see more of it,” said Michael Derrios, the senior procurement executive at the State Department.

Derrios cited the lack of engagement between the government and vendor at the start of the contract performance and stressed the importance of continuous communication throughout the contract period’s duration to avoid surprises when CPARS ratings are finalized.

“The dialog has to be happening throughout the year, and it’s almost like you have to be writing your CPARS the entire time with direct questions like, ‘How do you think this is going to play into CPARS ratings? You have to be that direct about the dialog,” he added.

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US Army Awards BAE Systems $440M Contract to Supply Bradley Fighting Vehicles
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US Army Awards BAE Systems $440M Contract to Supply Bradley Fighting Vehicles

The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a $440 million contract modification to continue manufacturing Bradley Fighting Vehicles. 

Under the contract, BAE Systems will produce more than 200 Bradley A4 variants for the Army to replace some of the vehicles the government has given to Ukraine, the aerospace and security company announced Thursday.

Dan Furber, director of ground vehicle production for BAE Systems Combat Mission System’s business, said, “The Bradley Fighting Vehicle brings game-changing capabilities to the Army and our allied nations.”

The Bradley A4 vehicle is designed to advance mission performance and satisfy numerous functional requirements. The vehicle’s system is designed for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity and communication within the Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team. 

It is meant to increase soldier safety and the equip with the ability to defeat oppositional forces in any environment.

“Because of the support for additional production of the modern Bradley A4 variant, this enduring capability continues to make a difference for troops all over the world, ensuring they have the firepower, mobility and survivability they need to achieve their missions,” Furber stated.

BAE Systems will continue developing the Bradley A4 vehicle across the company’s broad industrial network in Aiken, South Carolina; Anniston, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Jose, California; Sterling Heights, Michigan and York, Pennsylvania.

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Jennifer Orozco Appointed Department of Air Force Deputy CIO
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Jennifer Orozco Appointed Department of Air Force Deputy CIO

Jennifer Orozco , a U.S. Air Force veteran with a career spanning almost three decades, has been chosen as the new deputy chief information officer for the Department of the Air Force, the DAF Office of the CIO announced on LinkedIn Thursday.

In her new role, Orozco will assist the CIO in overseeing the Enterprise Information Technology, Data and Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity directorates and managing the office’s $17 billion budget and 20,000 personnel worldwide.

As deputy CIO, Orozco will oversee DAF’s information technology investment strategy, including data management, cloud computing and digital transformation. She is also tasked with safeguarding the department’s systems from cyber threats.

Orozco has served in various capacities in her 28 years with the Air Force and the Department of Defense.

Before her appointment, she was the director of security for special program oversight and information protection, in which she was responsible for protecting sensitive information, technologies and capabilities.

Orozco was division chief for security policy and oversight at the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of Air Force and for the Strategy, Readiness and Force Development directorate of Security Forces before that.

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CMS Wants Feedback on Impact of AI in Healthcare
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CMS Wants Feedback on Impact of AI in Healthcare

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is soliciting information on current artificial intelligence capabilities that could enhance its program executions.

In a request for information posted on Monday, CMS said it seeks input on AI technologies that could inspire the workforce on AI capabilities and increase efficiencies within agency operations.

The government expects to receive submissions from healthcare companies, providers, payers and tech startups.

The input from interested parties should focus on discussing the impact of key AI functionalities in healthcare, including generative AI, diagnostics and imaging analysis, business automation, workforce enablement, direct-to-patient communication, robotic-assisted healthcare delivery and fraud detection.

In their submissions, the organizations should also outline their experience and describe how their AI technology would address risks and benefits.

CMS will then select organizations to demonstrate their AI products and services during a series of “CMS AI Demo Days,” which aim to educate the CMS community on AI products.

During the demo phase, the chosen organization will work with the agency’s technical panel and will prepare a 15-minute presentation of their products or services.

Interested parties should submit their questions before Sept. 27 and their capability statements by Oct. 7.

On Dec. 11, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit to explore the transformative trends and innovations shaping the future of the healthcare sector.

CMS Wants Feedback on Impact of AI in Healthcare
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Pentagon Establishes New Special Access Program Policy
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Pentagon Establishes New Special Access Program Policy

The Department of Defense has released a directive establishing policy and providing governance structure for the management of all special access programs, or SAPs, across DOD.

The latest DOD Instruction, which took effect Thursday, outlines the responsibilities of the director of the DOD Special Access Program Central Office—or DOD SAPCO—the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and USD for acquisition and sustainment, among other officials, for the oversight of SAPs.

The directive states that the director of DOD SAPCO should serve as the proponent for developing and implementing policies for SAP execution, management and governance and publish and maintain security classification guides, among other functions.

According to the document, the department will develop and apply SAP security protection to classified national security information in compliance with an executive order and other regulations to protect sensitive classified data related to advanced technologies and capabilities.

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of DOD and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, approved the latest directive.

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19 and hear top U.S. intelligence community officials and industry executives discuss the challenges, innovation initiatives, opportunities and technologies shaping the future of American intelligence.

POC - 2024 Intel Summit
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Army Advances FTUAS Program With Prototype Evaluations, Flight Demos
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Army Advances FTUAS Program With Prototype Evaluations, Flight Demos

The U.S. Army has reportedly made significant progress with its Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System, or FTUAS, program.

Two competitors — Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems — completed the modular open system approach, or MOSA, conformance evaluations in May and later conducted flight demonstrations of their prototype aircraft, the Army announced Tuesday.

The FTUAS are intended to help brigade combat teams by providing reconnaissance and surveillance. The data they collect will enable the BCT commanders to make the right decisions during multi-domain operations.

The MOSA certification was done by replacing the hardware and software of the vendors’ prototype aircraft with the mission computer from a third-party surrogate. This allowed the independent assessor to determine the openness and modularity of the prototype.

During the flight demonstrations, held at the Army Redstone Test Center, the unmanned systems were evaluated based on their vertical takeoff and landing, on-the-move command and control, reduced acoustic signature, system integration, rapid emplacement and flight performance.

The FTUAS program is in accordance with the mission of the Program Executive Office for Aviation, particularly the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Project Office, of modernizing the Army’s aviation fleet of crewed and uncrewed aircraft.

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FedRAMP Should Expand Metrics to Include Assessment Reciprocity, MITRE Says
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FedRAMP Should Expand Metrics to Include Assessment Reciprocity, MITRE Says

MITRE has released its response to a request for information issued by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program regarding a set of metrics meant to measure the end-to-end FedRAMP authorization experience.

Public input had been sought for those metrics with the aim of focusing and refining them, MITRE said Tuesday.

Input was solicited from a variety of stakeholders, including cloud service providers and third-party assessment organizations. Responses were to be submitted no later than Aug. 29.

For its part, MITRE recommended that the metrics be expanded to enhance the effectiveness of FedRAMP beyond cost and timeliness to include the streamlining of compliance and the reduction of redundant assessments.

Concerning the latter, MITRE specifically proposed that FedRAMP processes and metrics be revised to bring about “reciprocity-at-scale,” a concept that calls for the reuse of assessment information across risk management frameworks and assessment and authorization processes.

MITRE believes that through reciprocity, the government would be able to deploy secure cloud services faster by being able to recognize certifications and authorizations across varying frameworks, while service providers would be able to expand their services into new markets while enjoying savings from not having to undergo multiple certifications.

MITRE’s other recommendations include those concerning continuous monitoring and support for the adoption of quantum resistant cryptography and zero trust.

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GSA’s 18F Issues De-risking Government Technology Guide 2.0
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GSA’s 18F Issues De-risking Government Technology Guide 2.0

The 18F digital services agency within the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services has released an updated guide to help federal, state and local government agencies reduce the risk of failure of government technology projects.

GSA said Wednesday the De-risking Government Technology Guide 2.0 includes an in-depth section on vendor management to help agencies manage the implementation of their tech projects and marks the first update since the document’s publication in 2020.

“The new section on vendor management adds even more value to a guide that’s already proven to be a useful resource across federal and state governments,” said TTS Director Ann Lewis. 

“Thoughtful acquisition of software requires collectively understanding existing systems, programs, and agency goals. The updated guide offers foundational knowledge that helps reduce cost, time, and risk during technology procurement, making service delivery more efficient and effective,” she added.

The updated guide offers modern software development best practices and information on 18F’s experience working with federal and state partners. It also combines the original document’s two parts: the Federal Field Guide and the State Software Budgeting Handbook.

The document covers topics such as the differences and tradeoffs between custom and commercial software, how to buy custom software development services using performance-based services contracting and key principles for effective custom software development.

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GAO Says DOD Lacks Data for Managing National Defense Stockpile
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GAO Says DOD Lacks Data for Managing National Defense Stockpile

The Government Accountability Office has found that the Department of Defense does not have sufficient information to determine all the critical materials that should be included in its national defense stockpile.

A review of the DOD’s stockpile management also revealed a lack of clear guidelines for when to release and use products from the stockpile, GAO said Tuesday.

The DOD stores items that are strategic and critical to defense and essential civilian needs in times of national emergency.

GAO acknowledged the DOD processes for identifying material requirements and managing the stockpile but said the agency does not have program offices and other relevant entities providing the necessary data for stockpile modeling, resulting in the DOD not having stock of its highest priority materials.

DOD reports indicate that from fiscal years 2019 to 2023, the agency primarily stored up the same 50 types of materials but the number of items in shortfall increased by 167 percent, the government watchdog said.

GAO made six recommendations, including identifying the roles and responsibilities for providing data needed to model DOD’s requirements.

The Defense Department concurred with all of the recommendations.

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Gen. John Lamontagne Takes On AMC Commander Position
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Gen. John Lamontagne Takes On AMC Commander Position

Gen. John Lamontagne accepted the role of commander of the Air Mobility Command at a ceremony held at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, on Sept. 9.

Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff for the U.S. Air Force, spearheaded the AMC change of command ceremony alongside several other mobility leaders to welcome Lamontagne, the Air Force said Wednesday.

“I could not be more proud to be here today and sharing this stage with these great mobility leaders and be a part of this passing of the baton to keep this air mobility machine moving. The country depends on it, and [Americans] can depend on it,” Allvin emphasized

The appointment comes simultaneously with the Air Force’s declaration to undergo a reorganization in preparation for great power competition.

Prior to taking on the AMC commander role, Lamontagne served as the deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa. In this role, Lamontagne gained experience implementing strategic mobility and readiness across numerous environments.

Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command and 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said Lamontagne’s prior leadership experience should benefit the AMC’s global engagements.

“Members of AMC, you are gaining a tremendous leader who is ready to build upon your legacy and recent successes,” Van Ovost said to the room of airmen.

In leading the command, Lamontagne will manage a total force numbering 107,000 airmen and over 1,100 aircraft. Lamontagne said he looks forward to leading the men and women throughout the AMC as the Air Force aims to gain an advantage in the global warfighting landscape.

“To the men and women of Air Mobility Command, we stand here today on the shoulders of giants that have preceded us both personally and organizationally… it is a long proud legacy,” said Lamontagne, in his inaugural remarks as AMC commander. “Some things have changed, and some things have not… Our nation and our predecessors possess an asymmetric advantage, and that asymmetric advantage is the ability to project power anywhere in the world at the time and place of our choosing. And only this command can do it!”

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