All Learning Content
FedRAMP Fulfilling Its Promise
Jul 12, 2017
Recent metrics show the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has indeed accelerated its rate of review for authorizing cloud computing service applications. In the five years since its inception, FedRAMP has doubled the number of authorized cloud service providers on an...
Hacking the Defense Acquisition Cycle
Jul 12, 2017
Product innovation in the U.S. Department of Defense follows an implicit rule: “Better, cheaper, faster—pick two.” Today, the military is simultaneously confronted with declining budgets, skyrocketing system development costs, and a diverse spectrum of rapidly evolving complex military...
GSA and VA Partnering to Improve Opportunities for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
Jul 12, 2017
The General Services Administration (GSA), along with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is making it easier for agencies to find veteran-owned vendors on acquisition supply schedules. A memorandum signed on July 10 allows verified vendors clearer designations on the GSA’s VA Advantage...
NDAA Amendments to Watch
Jul 12, 2017
Representatives submitted their amendments for the House defense authorization bill and Federal News Radio compiled a list of four amendments to keep an eye on this week. They include improving cyber retention within the military, ensuring cybersecurity for federal employees, making the...
Defense Rules Extending to Civilian Agencies?
Jul 12, 2017
A bipartisan bill, “Promoting Value Based Procurement Act,” would extend Defense Department rules to civilian agencies. “Price should not be the sole deciding factor when the federal government is purchasing complex, innovative information technology, and engineering systems, where the least...
Artificial Intelligence from SparkCognition That Teaches Itself
Jul 11, 2017
An artificial intelligence (AI) startup, SparkCognition, has dozens of aviation-industry customers and is now looking to work with the U.S. military. The Austin, Texas-based startup says their AIs can teach themselves enough about a field to assess situations and offer solutions. SparkCognition,...
Charlotte Promoting More Inclusive Procurement Through City Accelerator Program
Jul 11, 2017
The Charlotte Business INClusion office, which promotes diverse economic development throughout North Carolina’s largest city, applied for a spot in the New York City-based nonprofit Living Cities’ accelerator focusing on inclusive economic opportunity through procurement. “We know that...
DHS OIG Finds Issues with PALM
Jul 11, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spent over $24 million on a cloud-based personnel management system, but a recent report suggests it doesn’t deliver the savings or functionality that was initially promised. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found those savings didn’t materialize...
Using Data To Strengthen The Integrity And Effectiveness Of Public Procurement – Ideas From The Finalists (Part 3)
Jul 11, 2017
We wrote here an introduction to the Open Contracting Innovation Challenge, which is a competition run by the Open Contracting Partnership and the Open Data Institute to recognise ground-breaking data-driven ideas for improving public procurement. The Innovation Challenge honours original ideas...
Department of Veterans Affairs Makes List of Firings, Suspensions Public
Jul 10, 2017
In a move that will surely send shockwaves across the DC metro region and beyond, the Department of Veterans Affairs released an “adverse action report” detailing the job roles and locations for hundreds of personnel changes. VA said the move was in the spirit of transparency; federal unions...
Nevada’s Largest City Going ‘Smart’
Jul 7, 2017
City hall leaders are looking to improve how Las Vegas gathers and analyzes information using the Internet of Things. The city is about two months into its pilot of Cisco’s Smart+Connected Digital Platform, with sensors at 20 intersections downtown and a plan to scale the network throughout the...
Joint European PPI Group for Buying High-Performance Computing
Jul 7, 2017
Within the Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions for High-Performance Computing (PPI4HPC) project, a group of leading European supercomputing centers have formed a buyers’ group to execute a joint PPI for the first time for high-performance computing. For the first time, Barcelona...
