DHS to end EAGLE II and launch NextGen program for new contract vehicles, FBI is investigating the JEDI cloud procurement contract, and officials look at what governments can do to better use disruptive tech. All this and more in Public Spend Forum’s Weekly Roundup for March 8, 2019.
DHS to Move on From Eagle II
The chief procurement officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to move to established contract vehicles outside DHS to support the agency’s IT services needs, instead of recompeting its big EAGLE II contract. In a notice to industry posted Feb. 27, DHS procurement chief Soraya Correa said the agency had formally adopted governmentwide acquisition contracts run by the General Services Administration and National Institutes of Health to replace one of the agency’s primary IT services contracts. “EAGLE I and II have served their purpose. The Department will not pursue a re-competition of EAGLE II,” she said. Instead, DHS will let EAGLE II run its course until it expires in 2020.
Report: FBI Investigating JEDI Cloud Procurement Process
After complaints from Oracle about conflicts of interest that favor Amazon Web Service, one person involved in the military’s looming $10 billion cloud transformation initiative has been interviewed by both the Department of Defense (DoD) inspector general (IG) and the FBI’s Public Corruption Squad, according to Federal News Network. The FBI’s involvement suggests investigators are looking into potential criminal conduct around the contract that has generated a firestorm of controversy throughout the tech industry over the last year. The Federal News Network source said the DoD IG and FBI also asked about relationships of contractors and government personnel working on JEDI and other contracts.
IT’s Vital Role in Multi-cloud, Hybrid IT Procurement
Changes in cloud deployment models are forcing a rethinking of IT’s role, along with the demand for new tools and expertise. In a recent BriefingsDirect podcast, Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, talks with Rhett Dillingham, Vice President and Senior Analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. The two discuss the changing IT procurement landscape as more organizations move to multi-cloud and hybrid IT operating models.
8 Things Governments Can Do to Use Disruptive Technology Better
Making sure officials know what things like artificial intelligence do is a good starting point, according to a Deloitte Consulting report. The payoff of disruptive technologies is greater when state and local governments integrate them to work with each other and make sure top officials know what they do, according to the report. One way governments can integrate them is by optimizing supply chains through a combination of financial system upgrades, cloud computing, AI predictive modeling, and blockchain for tracking. “Most state and local governments … are still in the episodic stage, not necessarily working hard on a number of them,” Scott Buchholz, chief technology officer for the government and public services practice at Deloitte Consulting, told Route Fifty.
Also in the news:
USAF Awarded 242 Contracts in Two Weeks, It Might Change Everything
GSA Releases Solicitation for 2GIT BPAs
FBI Probe, Oracle Suit Eye Amazon’s Government Procurement Role
