The Department of Defense (DoD) has revised the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program to remove the certification requirement for suppliers of commercial-off-the-shelf products, FedScoop reported Tuesday.
Read More »DoD Inspector General Looks at Department’s Commercial IT Product Security
The Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General conducted an audit to verify whether DoD assesses cybersecurity risks in commercial off-the-shelf information technology products. The audit found that DoD employs COTS IT products that hold commonly known cyber vulnerabilities due to lack of associated policy, strategy and product standards, DoD IG said in a report publicly released Tuesday.
Read More »Army Launching Efforts to Modify Commercial AI Tech for Military Use
The U.S. Army is working to apply and modify commercially available artificial intelligence technology to better suit military applications, Federal News Network reported Thursday. Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, commander of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, said the service branch seeks to develop AI capabilities that run on human-machine teaming technology for logistics and sustainment, situational awareness and adversary behavior analysis.
Read More »DoD, GSA, NASA Propose Rule to Include Ombudsman’s Information in Multiple-Award IDIQs
The Defense Department, NASA and the General Services Administration have introduced a rule that seeks to require agencies to include in solicitations for multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite–quantity contracts the ombudsman’s contact information. The agencies proposed the regulation as an amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation in an effort to establish a "standardized way to provide the necessary information to contractors with a single contract clause for use by all agencies," according to a Federal Register notice posted Thursday.
Read More »GAO: DoD Needs Data Sharing Strategy for Commercial Item, Price Reasonableness Determinations
The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Defense Department adopt a strategy to help defense agencies share information regarding the quality and price reasonableness of commercial off-the-shelf products. GAO said Tuesday DoD should also develop a plan to fill the Commercial Item Group database with more data and appoint an entity to …
Read More »GSA Releases E-Commerce Portal Implementation Plan
The General Services Administration has issued a plan for the establishment of an e-commerce portal that can be used by federal agencies to buy commercial products and services, Nextgov reported Friday. GSA released the implementation plan Friday and said it will work with the Office of Management and Budget to …
Read More »Alan Chvotkin: PSC Backs E-Procurement Portal Implementation Approach
Alan Chvotkin, an executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, has said PSC supports transparency and adoption of a phased-in approach in the federal government’s implementation of e-commerce portals for procurement processes. Chvotkin joined industry representatives and General Services Administration officials at a public meeting Tuesday to …
Read More »DARPA Program Aims to Secure COTS Components for Military Platforms
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has introduced a program that seeks to address security risks from commodity off-the-shelf devices and increase the security of network-connected systems. DARPA said Tuesday it aims to create a system that can automatically deploy, generate and secure configurations of military components and subsystems through the agency’s …
Read More »GSA, OMB to Host Public Meeting on E-Procurement Process Implementation
The General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget will hold a public meeting on Jan. 9 in Washington to discuss with industry a provision in the fiscal 2018 defense policy bill about the use of commercial online platforms for procurement processes. GSA said in a Federal Register …
Read More »Report: Rep. Mac Thornberry’s Bill Would Require DoD to Use Commercial Marketplaces for COTS Purchases
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has introduced a bill that seeks to encourage the Defense Department to use e-commerce marketplaces to procure commercial-off-the-shelf products as part of efforts to reform DoD’s acquisition process, Federal News Radio reported Thursday. The bill released Thursday would direct DoD …
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