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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower Joins GOA-TSS as VP of Communications
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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower Joins GOA-TSS as VP of Communications

Mark Amtower, a managing partner of advisory firm Amtower & Co. and a member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, announced via LinkedIn that he has joined GOA-TSS (Growth Officers Association – Taking Sales Seriously) as its vice president of Communications.

In a relation-driven market, growing and managing your business network has never been more critical. For 37 years, Mark Amtower has advised companies of all sizes on the best practices in marketing to the government. 

GOA-TSS is a non-profit membership organization working to expand the network of growth leaders in the GovCon market. GOA-TSS provides a forum for growth executives to connect with other sales leaders and interact with GOA-TSS to help its members expand relationships across the industry and build a network of colleagues to meet.

The company was co-founded by Helene Johnson & Carol Papillo, who act as board chair and president for the company, respectively, to create a community-driven organization that supports growth officers in the government contracting community.

During a recent conversation where the co-founders highlighted the formation of GOA-TTS and detailed the impact of the pandemic “new normal, Helene Johnson said the following: 

“GOA-TTS offers advantages to both large and small businesses.  In addition, members of other associations in the federal space are typically below the growth executive whereas GOA-TTS appeals to # growth officers with focus on JVs, M&As and different teaming constructs,” she explained. 

About GovCon Expert Mark Amtower

Since 2009, Amtower has been coaching GovCon companies and individuals on leveraging LinkedIn. It’s not about learning how to be “on” LinkedIn. It’s about learning how to more fully leverage LinkedIn to market the Federal government in ways that were never possible before.

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Navy, HII Eye Another 2-Carrier Contract for CVN 80 & 81 Procurement
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Navy, HII Eye Another 2-Carrier Contract for CVN 80 & 81 Procurement

Capt. Brian Metcalf, a program manager for new aircraft carrier construction at the U.S Navy, has shared that the service branch is internally creating another two-ship pitch that will be presented to Congress for the next carrier procurement from HII, Defense News reported Tuesday.

In an interview ahead of the Enterprise keel laying ceremony, the Navy official said the pitch for the upcoming CVNs 82 and 83 is expected to align with the proposed 2-3-4 plan, or buying two carriers using three years of advanced procurement funding and with a four-year gap between each ship.

“We’ve sent [Congress] several scenarios. The scenario that we believe is optimal is two ships every eight years, on four-year centers,” explained Metcalf.

Earlier, the Navy awarded a single contract to HII for two aircraft carriers and according to the company, the approach enabled it to keep its schedule and maintain budget for CVNs 80 and 81 despite inflation levels.

“We were able to place the vast majority of the orders for 81 before that inflation — so just smart buying by the Navy and the nation and HII, a good strategy to get that ship underway,” said Christopher Kastner, president and CEO of HII.

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PSC Comments on Proposed Nondisplacement Obligations on Contractors; David Berteau Quoted
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PSC Comments on Proposed Nondisplacement Obligations on Contractors; David Berteau Quoted

The Professional Services Council has submitted to the Department of Labor its feedback on a proposed rule to implement nondisplacement requirements on services contractors in accordance with an executive order signed in November 2021.

The executive order seeks to avoid the displacement of employees under service contracts and reduce disruption in the delivery of services during the transition period between current and successor contractors through the use of an experienced workforce, PSC said Monday.

“Neither the EO nor the proposed rule cite any study showing that this rule would generate any efficiencies or benefits other than those that already occur because such hiring is commonplace in many instances,” said David Berteau, president and CEO of PSC.

“Absent any data to support the Government’s belief that requiring successor contractors to offer employment to their predecessor’s employees offers any improvements in the existing efficient, economical, seamless transitions of work,” added Berteau, a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

He said PSC recommends that the government withdraw the proposed rule or revise the EO.

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NARA Unveils Digital Preservation Framework as Linked Open Dataset
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NARA Unveils Digital Preservation Framework as Linked Open Dataset

The National Archives and Records Administration has opened as a linked open dataset its Digital Preservation Framework that outlines best practices for preserving 684 file formats.

The move seeks to expand access of digital preservation professionals to NARA’s research by publishing data in a machine-readable format that can be linked to associated resources published by other organizations, NARA said Thursday.

“We are putting something out there that fits into a larger set of international resources, like Wikidata for Digital Preservation,” said Leslie Johnston, director of digital preservation. 

“It means you can find relevant information from all the authoritative sources and follow the path through what we, and other researchers, know about hundreds of formats and what we suggest should be done with them to maintain accessibility,” Johnston added.

Elizabeth England, senior digital preservation specialist at NARA’s Digital Preservation unit, worked on the framework’s linked data version, while the digital engagement team at the office of innovation was responsible for the public access environment.

The public can use the linked data resource in three ways, including browsing the lists of formats by record category and downloading the full framework file format plans and supporting documentation.

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DOD to Test Advanced Manufacturing Tech for Military, Commercial Applications; William LaPlante Quoted
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DOD to Test Advanced Manufacturing Tech for Military, Commercial Applications; William LaPlante Quoted

The Department of Defense’s industrial base policy office has partnered with the Austin Center for Manufacturing and Innovation in Texas to introduce a two-year pilot program that will focus on the production of inert chemicals for military and commercial applications.

The pilot program launched through the Defense Production Act Title III Program will advance the use of private capital to scale emerging technology platforms to meet future national security requirements, DOD said Monday.

“Our support enables the United States to more effectively harness innovation in manufacturing, enhance supply chain resiliency, and develop a more robust industrial base that is well prepared to meet the needs of American strategic interests while developing a future workforce for advanced chemical manufacturing,” said William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner. 

“This pilot program is a first step in finding new and creative platforms to innovate within the American manufacturing sector,” added LaPlante.

The DPA Title III Program will provide funding and use the pilot program’s results to assess future opportunities to further expand the approach to other sectors including clean energy and microelectronics and other geographic locations.

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Karl Mathias: Acquisition, Cybersecurity Top Priorities for HHS CIO Office
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Karl Mathias: Acquisition, Cybersecurity Top Priorities for HHS CIO Office

Karl Mathias, chief information officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, said his office aims to transform its acquisition process and help HHS to develop a consolidated approach for managing potential risks to information technology assets.

Mathias told FCW in an interview that he expects the departmentwide cybersecurity strategy to be ready in September and go beyond the zero trust model required by President Biden’s executive order in May.

“My goal is to knock down servers. Fortunately, I have CIOs who think along the same lines, and they’re busy going to cloud,” he said.

Within his office, Mathias is aiming to improve the efficiency of procurement efforts and obtain the best value in negotiations.

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Lumen Technologies Proposes Its Resources as Prime Combatants for Cybersecurity Needs; Martin Nystrom Quoted
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Lumen Technologies Proposes Its Resources as Prime Combatants for Cybersecurity Needs; Martin Nystrom Quoted

Telecommunications company Lumen Technologies has put forward a potential solution to combat what its team sees as one of the most glaring problems facing the cybersecurity industry.

In an article published August 22, Lumen Vice President of Security Development Martin Nystrom asserts that perhaps even more than the influx of new cyber attacks launched during and in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, “the burnout of cybersecurity staff” is a widespread issue in need of attention.

It is understood that in today’s network environment, cybersecurity professionals are enduring brutal work hours and ever-fluctuating, mutating targets. For these problems and others, Nystrom posits, Lumen’s various automated technologies and Security Operations Center as-a-Service tool are a viable remedy.

Powering this platform are well-trained, knowledgeable analysts frequently with experience from government SOC spaces. Additionally, the platform and its operators are constantly monitoring cyber activity, all day, every day of the week, which they argue could relieve a burden for agencies whose cybersecurity staff are reaching capacity. Their efforts are intended to cut down on false positive identifications as much as possible while promoting wide visibility and an evidence-based risk management system.

Lumen is also a founding member of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative and a member of CISA Central for many years. These involvements demonstrate the company’s commitment to solving cybersecurity threats on a national security scale and are also indicative of Lumen’s cross-industry partnerships with the goal of safeguarding data for government agencies, commercial enterprises and individuals alike.

The Monroe, Louisiana-based company’s Black Lotus Labs threat intelligence staff is another resource for mitigating cyber bad actors. It is a peered network that seeks to locate and extinguish complex cyberthreats internationally.

The strategies and systems Lumen has put in place are designed to relieve organizations of all sizes from the intense demands the cybersecurity sector has faced, especially in the last couple of years.

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NREL, Toyota Partner to Develop Megawatt-Scale Fuel Cell Power Generation System
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NREL, Toyota Partner to Develop Megawatt-Scale Fuel Cell Power Generation System

The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with Toyota Motor North America to develop and install a fuel cell power generation system at NREL’s Flatirons Campus in Arvada, Colorado.

NREL said Wednesday the $6.5 million project will run for three years and will identify performance limitations and degradation of the 1-megawatt proton exchange membrane fuel cell power generation system.

The research and development project will also examine how the fuel cell system performs when used with energy storage and renewable energy systems.

Toyota will provide multiple fuel cell modules to build the system, which will be part of a larger system designed for demonstrating megawatt-scale hydrogen production, energy storage, power production and grid integration.

DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded the project.

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Labor Department Unveils Online Portal for Notification of Construction Contract Award
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Labor Department Unveils Online Portal for Notification of Construction Contract Award

The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has launched an online portal to streamline the process of notifying the department of construction contracts and subcontracts awards.

DOL said Friday the Notification of Construction Contract Award Portal will enable contracting officers, contractors and subcontractors to submit to OFCCP a notice within 10 days of the award of a federal construction contract or subcontract valued at more than $10,000.

In a previous announcement, DOL said contractors can submit a single file for information on contract value, estimated commencement and completion dates of a contract, contract awarding and receiving entity and contract places of performance.

“As the pace of federal investments in our nation’s infrastructure accelerates, we expect an increase in the number of contractors and projects under OFCCP’s jurisdiction. This tool will enable us to schedule and perform compliance reviews more efficiently and effectively,” said Jenny Yang, director of OFCCP.

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Curtis Puckett Elevated to Lead DISA, Enterprise Services Business for GDIT
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Curtis Puckett Elevated to Lead DISA, Enterprise Services Business for GDIT

Curtis Puckett, recent vice president of DISA Enterprise IT Services for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), has been promoted to lead the company’s Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and enterprise services sector.

With more than 33 years of experience across the government contracting (GovCon) sector and military service, Puckett has extensive knowledge of leading complex programs supporting the Department of Defense (DoD), implementing innovative solutions and emerging technologies.

As the vice president of DISA Enterprise IT Services for GDIT between Feb. 2020 to his new role with the company, Puckett has spearheaded operations for the DISA enterprise IT services business unit, where he drove efficiencies and introduced emerging technologies to improve the delivery of services.

His career encompasses broad experience implementing enterprise solutions that include systems engineering and integration, software engineering and development, enterprise resource planning, network operations, cloud architectures, information assurance, cybersecurity, telecommunications and IT services management.

Puckett began his career in IT with the Air Force, spending 10 years of his career as a satellite communications technician before commissioning and finishing out his 25-year career as a cyber officer at DISA.

About General Dynamics Information Technology

The people supporting some of the most complex government, defense, and intelligence projects across the country. We deliver. Bringing the expertise needed to understand and advance critical missions. We transform.

We ensure today is safe and tomorrow is smarter. We are there. On the ground, beside our clients, in the lab, and everywhere in between. Offering the technology transformations, strategy, and mission services needed to get the job done.

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