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Inconsistent Funding Affects DHS HQ Consolidation Project, GAO Report Says
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Inconsistent Funding Affects DHS HQ Consolidation Project, GAO Report Says

A lack of consistent funding for the General Services Administration’s project to build a consolidated Department of Homeland Security headquarters at the St. Elizabeths campus in Washington, D.C., has affected efforts to finalize the project cost and timeline, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

In its 26-page report, GAO said it could not perform a comprehensive reliability assessment of pricing and schedule estimates for the DHS HQ consolidation work due to limited report details from the department.

A 2014 GAO review deemed initial estimates “unreliable” and law enacted in April 2016 requires the department to coordinate with GSA to submit updated data to Congress.

The government audit agency noted project appropriations stood at more than $2.8 billion as of June and DHS now expects consolidation efforts to conclude sometime in 2027.

GSA officials interviewed for the audit, which took place from March to August, are aiming to finish a reset of capital planning and investment associated with the consolidation project in 2023.

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NASA Halts First Artemis I Launch Attempt Following Engine Issue
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NASA Halts First Artemis I Launch Attempt Following Engine Issue

NASA halted Monday the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft due to an issue with one of the rocket’s engines.

The space agency said the scrub was announced after launch controllers encountered an issue getting an RS-25 engine to the proper temperature range for liftoff.

According to NASA, launch controllers must thermally condition the four RS-25 engines before super cold propellant flows through them.

Several additional issues were identified and resolved during the approximately two-day countdown for the launch, including “a leak at the quick disconnect on the 8-inch line used to fill and drain core stage liquid hydrogen and a hydrogen leak from a valve used to vent the propellant from the core stage intertank,” NASA said in a blog.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA has backup launches on Sept. 2 and 5 for the Artemis I mission.

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DCSA Unveils New Portal for Security Clearance Submissions
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DCSA Unveils New Portal for Security Clearance Submissions

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has completed the pilot program for a new portal for submitting security clearance applications, paving the way for the implementation of a federal-wide personnel vetting software, Federal News Network reported Monday.

The e-App is a portion of the National Background Investigation Services program that enables federal agencies to submit background investigations cases, according to Jeff Smith, NBIS executive program manager at DCSA.

The portal replaces the legacy Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system and is designed with a more user-friendly interface and error checking and correction features.

“It removes a lot of the errors up front, therefore reducing any turnaround time or the back and forth, ultimately speeding along the applicants clearance request, and/or the periodic re-investigation for future deferment into continuous vetting,” Smith explained.

DCSA, which assumed the responsibility for NBIS from the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2020, expects to decommission a suite of legacy background investigation systems in 2023.

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Jay Ribeiro Named Transportation Department CISO, Associate CIO
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Jay Ribeiro Named Transportation Department CISO, Associate CIO

Jay Ribeiro, a cybersecurity professional with more than two decades of government and industry experience, has landed the dual role of chief information security officer and associate chief information officer at the Department of Transportation.

Ribeiro assumes the new position after serving as the CISO of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for nearly four years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He previously served as director of information security and CISO of the Federal Election Commission and held various senior-level IT positions at the departments of State and Defense.

He also brings experience working as an information systems manager at the U.S. Army and deputy CISO at the Air Force. 

Ribeiro concurrently serves as a adjunct lecturer at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.

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Octo, NVIDIA Join Forces to Accelerate AI Adoption in Government Organizations; Rob Albritton Quoted
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Octo, NVIDIA Join Forces to Accelerate AI Adoption in Government Organizations; Rob Albritton Quoted

Technology firm Octo has begun a collaboration with NVIDIA that will find the former company employing the latter’s resources to embolden its artificial intelligence offerings.

Through membership with the NVIDIA Partner Network, Octo is expected to be able to provide a deeper portfolio of AI tools and technologies to its federal government customers, the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company said Tuesday.

Rob Albritton, senior director of Octo’s Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, commented that NVIDIA’s technology arsenal and technical know-how will prove instrumental to the delivery of “the latest AI computational technologies.”

Albritton also noted that oLabs, the recently renovated facility in Reston that serves as Octo’s R&D hub, will now be partly operated by NVIDIA’s personnel.

Thus, oLabs and NIVIDA’s joint efforts will “enable us to train and deploy ML solutions faster and offer the most capable support possible to our customers, as we provide the most modern systems and software to help them meet their mission objectives,” Albritton continued.

oLabs is seen as a powerful attraction for automated technology specialists due to its large computing capacity and its direct project pipeline to the government and these features will only be bolstered by NVIDIA’s participation.

“With NVIDIA-accelerated infrastructure, Octo and its oLabs innovation center will be able to improve support for government agencies during natural disasters and strengthen cybersecurity using AI,” explained Craig Weinstein, vice president of the Americas Partner organization at NVIDIA.

Octo opened the remodeled and expanded oLabs hub in late May. Since then, the company has wasted no time in producing products in their new center. They released a platform configured for federal government agencies to collect, manage, safeguard and access analytical data in June.

In recent news, NVIDIA partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to provide a central processing system to Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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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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