Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa says her agency is creating something called “digi-badges,” accommodations for employees who are putting innovative processes they’re learning into practice. “I think it’s a good way to encourage people to continue to participate in the webinars, to continue to be innovative and to continue to learn because that’s what this is really about,” Correa said. “It’s staying on top of the business, making sure we understand how technology is changing, how we are trying to change procurement and how we can do business better.”
SpaceX And Breaking The Federal Contracting Mold
Former Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Administrator Steve Kelman takes a look at SpaceX, and what he regards as their ruthless attention to keeping costs down. Kelman contrasts SpaceX’s approach with what he sees United Launch Alliance doing, which he sees reflected in information technology procurement: “For developing a new system, we typically run a competition, but after the initial competition, the government and the contractor enter into a post-award sole-source arrangement. And when the systems themselves are initially developed, they generally are done so in a cost-reimbursement environment.” Free registration is required to read this article.
CYBERCOM Getting Rapid Acquisition Office Off the Ground
U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is close to hiring an executive to lead its new rapid acquisition program. CYBERCOM was granted $75 million in 2016’s defense authorization act to create an office to rapidly develop new systems and capabilities. The money will also be used for the sustainment of cyber operations equipment, and CYBERCOM will receive $75 million per year until 2021.
OMB Releases Memo on Security Breaches
Shaun Donovan, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, has issued a memorandum on preparing for and responding to a breach of personally identifiable information. The 47-page memo is intended for all stakeholders who may have a hand in an agency’s security measures (i.e. Senior Agency Official for Privacy, Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Security Officer and more). The memo replaces previous guidances.
Writing at Defense News, John T. Walker of Navigant is the latest to assess what President-Elect Donald Trump’s criticisms of large weapons programs might mean for defense acquisition going forward. Walker writes that we should not expect Trump to behave as previous presidents: “He is not an ideologue, nor does he strictly care about policy. His world view is transactional in nature. It’s about looking at the world through business and media lenses. Every issue is distilled down to financial terms and placed in the context of a traditional business transaction and the positional role Trump chooses to play.”