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Russell Rappel-Schmid Named Postal Regulatory Commission Chief Data Officer
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Russell Rappel-Schmid Named Postal Regulatory Commission Chief Data Officer

Russell Rappel-Schmid, a data analytics leader, has joined the Postal Regulatory Commission as chief data officer.

He will report to Erica Barker, secretary and chief administrative officer at PRC, and will be responsible for the commission’s data management and governance efforts and compliance with the OPEN Government Data Act, PRC said Tuesday.

“With his experience implementing data initiatives and his knowledge of the postal sector, Russ is well-positioned to lead the Commission’s emergent open data efforts, and to support the Commission as it continues to provide transparency and accountability of the postal system,” said PRC Chairman Michael Kubayanda.

Rappel-Schmid most recently served as chief data officer at the State of Alaska and worked on the state’s data governnance plan to facilitate cloud migration efforts.

Prior to this role, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General as a member of the data analytics team. He spent two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as an audit manager and aircraft firefighter.

The commission is soliciting public feedback on the beta version of a dashboard that shows data on service performance results for specific postal products and related components. The agency seeks comments on the service performance data dashboard’s functionality, usability, presentation and other features and frequency of desired updates.

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FedRAMP Seeks Comments on Threat-Based Scoring Approach to Authorizations
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FedRAMP Seeks Comments on Threat-Based Scoring Approach to Authorizations

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program is soliciting comments on an updated white paper that reflects changes to threat-based scoring methodology and informs stakeholders of its potential applications.

FedRAMP said Tuesday it expects the threat-based model to allow federal agencies and cloud service providers to prioritize security controls that are effective against the current threat environment and result in quantitative-based risk management decisions when it comes to authorizing cloud platforms for government use.

The Threat-Based Methodology White Paper reflects update to the scoring approach and alignment with the Mitre ATT&CK threat framework version 8.2. 

FedRAMP previously used the NSA/CSS Technical Cyber Threat Framework or NTCTF in its threat-based scoring methodology. 

The program aligned the threat-based model with the Mitre ATT&CK threat framework by analyzing each security control in the NIST SP 800-53, rev. 5 within the FedRAMP High baseline.

The threat-based risk profiling methodology has three phases: threat-based analysis; security controls assessment; and risk profiling.

The top 10 questions and answers you need to know about federal government contracting
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Given how complicated the government contracting industry is with its policies, regulations, and process, it is easy to get lost. That is why some are left with many questions about government contract opportunities and the entire federal contracting industry.

 

It may take a while for you to find an answer to these bothering questions you have. So, to help you take the edge of your burden, here are some answers to the top 10 questions about government contracting:

 

What are examples of government contracts?

A. Set Aside Contracts

There are two types of set-aside contracts: competitive and sole-source set-aside, which help small businesses win federal government business agreements.

 

I. Competitive set-aside

Small businesses capable of delivering and performing the work are offered competitive set-aside contracts—projects under this contract classification amount to less than $150,000.

 

II. Sole-source set-aside

When a contract is sole-source, a single contractor can only fulfill the contract’s requirements. On the other hand, the sole-source agreement is still open for bids at some time.

 

B. Joint venture

Small businesses and other company categories, including HUBZones, WOSB small businesses, SDVOSB small businesses, and joint ventures or firms, can compete for federal contract appeals. However, a company must first meet the SBA’s requirements before negotiating teaming agreements on joint venture contracts.

 

C. Fixed-price contracts

Because the contractor is responsible for all costs, profits, and losses, fixed-price contracts are the riskiest types of government contracting arrangements. The reason behind this is that this form of contract has a fixed price that does not fluctuate.

 

D. Cost-reimbursement contracts

A cost-reimbursement contract examines the project cost and budget ceiling that a prime contractor must reach and not exceed, especially without the permission of a contracting officer.

 

E. Incentive Contracts

Incentive contracts are used when a contracting opportunity may be obtained for less than a certain amount of money. Incentive contracts reward the contractor’s technical accomplishments while also assisting in the achievement of the procurement objectives by:

  • Encouragement of federal contractors to go above and beyond; and
  • Avoiding failures and making the greatest use of time and resources.

 

F. Indefinite-Delivery Contracts

When the federal agencies are unsure about the volume and duration of use, indefinite-delivery contracts are utilized to purchase products and services.

 

G. Time-and-Materials

Fixed-price agreements are the absolute opposite of time-and-materials agreements. When revisions in the project’s scope aren’t required, this federal contract is widely employed in the construction and product development industries.

 

H. Labor-Hour

The federal government examines the costs of materials before determining a per-hour labor rate and offering labor-hour contracts to enterprises. Contrary to the time and materials agreements, this arrangement has the advantage that businesses are not required to furnish the materials needed.

 

I. Letter Contracts

This category, also known as Undefinitizes Contract Actions (UCA), is utilized when the federal is unable to reach a timely agreement on a procurement agreement. Federal vendors can start supplying items or services when they receive a contract letter.

 

How do I find open government contracts?

How do I find open gov business opportunities?

The SAM (System for Award Management) is an official government organization that keeps track of all federal contracting opportunities. Simply browse to their main page and click “Contract Opportunities” to see a list of available options. Another advantage of this website is that you can get an analysis report to see what contracts have been awarded in the past.

 

Where can I find government contracts online?

Where to find gov contracts?

Contracting opportunities are posted on a variety of federal government websites. You can locate lists of federal contracting opportunities on the following gov websites:

 

SAM.gov

SAM.gov is a portal run by the United States federal that lists federal jobs for $25,000 or more. The website also has a list of previously awarded federal business agreements that can assist you in preparing your bid.

 

Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)

Dynamic Small Business Search is a federal government site maintained by the Small Business Administration. All of the profiles of businesses that have been registered with the System for Award Management are stored and shown on the site (SAM). A list of federal contracts intended for small enterprises can also be found on the website.

 

SubNet

You can still enter into federal contracting as a subcontractor if you don’t think your company is ready to serve a prime contract. You will better grasp how the industry works by subcontracting with other small firms or prime vendors, and you will be better prepared to bid on your first prime contract.

 

GSA.gov

It is a website where long-term and big federal business opportunities can be located, also known as the Federal Supply Schedule and Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). The General Services Administration was created to assist various federal departments in interacting with small businesses as fast as possible.

 

How do I find government contracts on SAM?

System for award management is an official gov website

The website of SAM is user-friendly. All you have to do is click on the “Contract Opportunities” link on the front page, and you’ll be taken to a searchable database of available federal contracts.

 

Are government contracts public record?

Yes! The public has the right to access federal contracting documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) because the funds for the contracts originated from the citizen’s tax.

 

However, is it true that all contractors’ sensitive information is also available to the public merely because federal solicitations are public records? No. There are a few exceptions to the public disclosure of information under FOIA Exemption No. 4; trade secrets, commercial and financial information of contractors or enterprises will not be revealed to the public.

 

How do I find awarded government contracts?

Transparency is a priority for the United States government. Aside from the websites mentioned above, you may check out the details of the government’s spending history on USASpending.gov, which the government accountability office created. You can observe the trend in the federal marketplace using the GSA’s Forecast of Contracting Opportunities.

 

How do I get local government contracts?

The government’s website, USA.gov, gives information on becoming a part of the federal marketplace. Here’s what you need to know to successfully sell your products or services to the local authority, as mentioned on the website:

  • Contact your local state procurement department office to access the powerful development tools and strategies required for your industry’s success.
  • Determine your state’s policies and procedures.
  • Look for contractual jobs in your area and around the world.

 

Where can I find DoD contracts?

SAM.gov is usually where the Department of Defense posts all its contracting opportunities. You can learn more about them by visiting the official website of the Department of Defense.

 

Is there a list of federal contractors?

Getting to know the federal vendors in diverse industries, including health care, defense, construction, and IT, may take some time due to the thousands of contractors available in the marketplace. As a result, we’ve put these on your list:

Top 10 Federal IT government contractors List in 2022

Top 10 Construction Contractors for the U.S. Government (2021)

Top 10 Healthcare and Medical Government Contractors

 

Are government contracts profitable?

Are gov contracts profitable?

The United States government is well-known for being one of the world’s largest spenders, and it regularly grants funds to federal contractors. As a result, we may conclude that the government contracting industry is an excellent place to start or expand a small firm or a huge corporation.

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Amentum Completes Acquisition of PAE; CEO John Vollmer Quoted
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Technical and engineering services company Amentum has finalized its acquisition of PAE Incorporated, a Falls Church, Virginia-based global defense contractor.

The company announced Tuesday that it will complete the absorption of PAE and its outstanding shares of common stock for an estimated all-cash sale of $1.9 billion.

“We look forward to bringing the best people and the most differentiated solutions to support our clients’ success across defense and civilian agencies, while accelerating our growth in intelligence and technology services,” said Amentum CEO John Vollmer, a seven-time Wash100 Award recipient.

The companies’ combined forces are expected to bolster Amentum’s arsenal of services surrounding synthetic training, sensor-based technologies, intelligence and space operations.

PAE’s addition to Amentum’s stable is also intended to build on work with cyber and information technology, as well as satellite communication connectivity, environmental services, asset management and mission support.

The transaction results in a combined revenue of over $9 billion for Amentum for the last year as well as reportedly making it the second-largest provider of services to the U.S. government. They now employ over 50,000 people.

ExecutiveBiz published an interview on Tuesday with Vollmer where he spoke about the PAE acquisition, in addition to Amentum’s recent $462 million Navy contract, among other subjects.

In terms of the impacts of acquiring PAE, Vollmer shared, “Amentum will deepen its existing customer relationships at the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, NASA and will allow us to bring additional capabilities as we continue to grow our intelligence and technology business.”

Amentum was created in February 2020 as an outgrowth of the management services arm of AECOM. The company also acquired military contractor DynCorp International in September 2020.

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HawkEye 360 Appoints Four New Members to Advisory Board; CEO John Serafini Quoted
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HawkEye 360 Appoints Four New Members to Advisory Board; CEO John Serafini Quoted

Commercial satellite monitoring company HawkEye 360 has named four military and intelligence community veterans to its advisory board.

The Herndon, Virginia-based company said Tuesday that the Honorable Deborah Lee James, Essye B. Miller, Retired Admiral Paul F. Zukunft and Retired Admiral Mike Rogers will make up its Advisory Board Class of 2022.

In regard to the new inductees, HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini said, “Their expertise will be consequential as we continue to position HawkEye 360 as the global leader in [radio frequency] data and analytics.”

With time spent in governance, finance, capture management and strategic planning concerns at Science Application International Corporation and serving as 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, the Honorable James will leverage three decades of homeland and national security experience.

“Whether it’s monitoring suspicious activity on a national border, or supporting our warfighters with better situational awareness, HawkEye 360 is committed to protecting against emerging threats through innovation in space,” the Honorable James said of the company’s strategy.

Miller has held senior-level positions such as the principal duty of the Department of Defense chief information officer, acting DCIO for cybersecurity and technology and cybersecurity management roles in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. As principal duty she was responsible for advising the secretary of defense for information management / information technology and information assurance.

Retired Admiral Zukunft served in the Coast Guard for 41 years, which included the operation of three cutters that traveled the globe. He also achieved the highest appropriation in the Coast Guard’s history to provide modernization and upgrade efforts for its fleets and infrastructure during his time as 25th commandant.

“HawkEye 360 takes the guesswork out of detecting and monitoring to the point where you can vector a cutter, aircraft or UAV to a known threat far in advance before it reaches our Homeland. I look forward to working on critical maritime awareness capabilities that I wish I personally had while I was in command,” commented Admiral Zukunft.

Retired Admiral Rogers joins HawkEye 360’s advisory board with 37 years of Navy experience, during which he earned the rank of four star admiral. At the height of his career he simultaneously held the positions of commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency. He also frequently collaborated with individuals across the U.S. and international governments.

The Honorable James, Miller, Zukunft and Rogers will be added to HawkEye 360’s roster of 17 current advisory board members.

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Dragos Sales Leader Randy Crow Talks Optimizing Federal Processes With Potomac Officers Club
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Dragos Sales Leader Randy Crow Talks Optimizing Federal Processes With Potomac Officers Club

Randy Crow, a sales leader for Dragos’ eastern North America and U.S. federal government team, recently spoke with the Potomac Officers Club in an Executive Spotlight interview on his career highlights thus far, the guiding principles of his leadership style and his thoughts on optimizing federal processes. Crow is a software and cybersecurity industry veteran whose work with Dragos includes providing industrial asset identification, threat detection and cyber attack response support to federal customers.

“I set very high expectations of both myself and my team, and I don’t ask anyone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself,” Crow said of his leadership strategy. “Above all, I value trust, loyalty and collaboration.”

In this excerpt from his interview, Crow outlines the transformations he would like to see in the federal government across multiple focus areas:

“There are several areas in which I would enact changes across the federal landscape. In the financial area, I would centralize all of the wasted efforts on contract vehicles and promote enterprise arrangements over a broad set of technologies. In regards to ethics, I would establish a whistleblower capability to flag abuse by resellers and aggregators. I would change the source selection process by implementing a Value Add component for technically acceptable and low cost awards. Lastly, I would centralize all set asides and create a unified set of rules and regulations for all of them.”

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Dragos’ Randy Crow and to learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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US, UK Armies Pledge to Collaborate in Future Vertical Lift Aircraft Development
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US, UK Armies Pledge to Collaborate in Future Vertical Lift Aircraft Development

The U.S. Army has entered into a project arrangement with its British counterpart to work together on developing vertical lift rotorcraft and ensure interoperability between their future air assets.

The U.S. service branch said Monday the Future Vertical Lift Cooperative Program Feasibility Assessment project will task both armies to share insights on future rotorcraft requirements and programs and analyze new concepts involving the lower-tier air domain together.

The two countries will work together on projects such as the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft and the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, with a goal of bridging the gap between U.S. and U.K. systems to keep up with emerging technologies and capabilities.

Other objectives of the collaboration include reducing rotorcraft development costs, schedule and performance risk; improving interoperability and integration; and promoting cooperative research, development, test and evaluation, 

Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of U.S. Army Future Command’s Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, and Major. Gen. James Bowder, director for futures at the British Army, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective service branches in the U.K.

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DOE to Issue $175M in Awards for Clean Energy Projects; Secretary Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE to Issue $175M in Awards for Clean Energy Projects; Secretary Jennifer Granholm Quoted

The Department of Energy will invest $175 million in 68 projects that aim to develop a range clean energy technologies including those applicable to nuclear recycling, electric vehicles and energy storage.

DOE said Monday its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy will lead the OPEN 2021 program, which focuses on high-risk clean energy technologies.

Companies, national laboratories and universities from across 22 states will drive these projects in support of the Biden administration’s clean energy goals.

Technology projects under OPEN 2021 include efficient fuel cells, electrified aircraft propulsion systems, anchoring methods for hydrokinetic systems and magnesium anode-powered transportation technology made to boost the supply chain security of batteries.

Participants include the University of Houston, Carnegie Mellon University, Makai Ocean Engineering, Hinetics and Nokia Bell Labs.

“Universities, companies and our national labs are doubling down on advancing clean energy technology innovation and manufacturing in America to deliver critical energy solutions from renewables to fusion energy to tackle the climate crisis,” said Jennifer Granholm, secretary of energy.

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Kevin Cramer, Jack Reed Address SEC to Urge Cyber Transparency Boost
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Kevin Cramer, Jack Reed Address SEC to Urge Cyber Transparency Boost

Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., have jointly issued a letter that urges the Securities and Exchange Commission to boost cybersecurity transparency for investors.

The senators recommend the commission require publicly traded companies to make it known whether their boards of directors include cybersecurity experts, Cramer’s office said Wednesday.

The letter asks SEC Chair Gary Gensler to lay down policy that would govern these cybersecurity disclosures.

“The goal is to encourage directors to play a more effective role in cybersecurity risk oversight,” Cramer and Reed said in the letter.

Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Angus King, I-Maine; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have also signed the letter.

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JAIC Launches AI Educational Pilots for Defense Personnel; Greg Allen Quoted
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JAIC Launches AI Educational Pilots for Defense Personnel; Greg Allen Quoted

The Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) has released new training pilots to provide defense personnel across all levels with artificial intelligence education, FedScoop reported Monday.

Greg Allen, JAIC’s policy and strategy chief, told FedScoop that his center partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to produce educational offerings ranging from AI courses to a coding boot camp.

According to Allen, the center aims to transition learning materials to other defense institutions by 2023 to reach up to hundreds of thousands out of nearly three million DOD employees and service members.

“These are folks who actually need all the skills to meet their current and future operational needs,” explained the official.

The JAIC pilots are borne out of a congressional mandate to develop an AI workforce and educational strategy as part of the fiscal 2022 defense policy bill.

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