Tue.Nov 12, 2024

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How to increase climate resilience in urban areas

American City & Country

In the face of climate change, cities around the world are experiencing unprecedented weather patterns that have profound impacts on urban life. City planners and policymakers must leverage weather data to design resilient urban environments capable of withstanding these changes. One of the most pressing issues is the increasing focus on heat, driven by alarming trends in annual weather data by city.

Demand 98
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Navy to Issue Solicitation for $10B Construction Contract

GovCon Wire

The U.S. Navy intends to issue a solicitation for a potential eight-year, $10 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple-award construction contract. According to a presolicitation notice posted on SAM.

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Trending Sources

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GSA is cooking up a new, comprehensive procurement data source

Federal News Network

The government both creates and runs on data. Given that agencies spend hundreds of billions of dollars on goods and services the more procurement data it has, the better it can understand trends and ‘manage’ procurement. That’s the idea behind a data source effort known as Hi-Def. GSA’s assistant commissioner for the office of strategic innovation, Charlotte Phalen, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more details.

Data 89
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Raytheon Conducts Live Fire Exercise for LTMADS

ExecutiveBiz

Raytheon, an RTX business, has completed the 5th live-fire testing round of its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, an active electronically scanned array radar designed to counter airborne threats such as manned and unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and hypersonics.

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How to Create a Blueprint for Fleet Resilience

Speaker: Jeff Dickinson - President and CEO of Railgistixs Transport, Supply Chain and Logistics Thought Leader

Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

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Supreme Court Appears Ready to Side With Whistleblower in False Claims Act Case

Whistleblower Network News

On November 4, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Wisconsin Bell Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Heath , a False Claims Act whistleblower case that could limit the scope of the law and restrict the ability of the government and whistleblowers to crack down on fraud in industry-funded federal programs that are mandated by Congress. The case concerns a qui tam whistleblower suit filed against Wisconsin Bell alleging that the telecommunications company defrauded the Federal Communications Commissi

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Isaiah Haddon - Strategic Development Specialist

USFCR

Isaiah Haddon joined US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) in June 2024 as a Strategic Development Specialist, where he plays a vital role in helping organizations achieve their federal funding objectives. In his role, Isaiah focuses on guiding clients through the complexities of government contracting and developing impactful strategies that align with clients' unique goals in both grants and federal contracting.

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Skills Benchmarking Lays Groundwork for AI Success

GovLoop

In the coming years, government agencies are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI solutions to transform all aspects of their operations and services. The challenge is that they need to develop the workforce to support that vision. The October 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence emphasized the importance of training employees in the benefits, risks and limitations of AI for their job functions.

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Inward processing in continuous production processes is complicated if anti-dumping duties are in play

Import and Trade Remedies

Companies engaged in continuous production processes may face challenges when using the EU inward processing procedure. For background, inward processing allows an EU company to import materials without having to pay import duties and other charges like anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties, if the product made with these imported materials is exported.

Export 59
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Carahsoft’s Steve Jacyna Discusses CISA’s CDM Program

ExecutiveBiz

Carahsoft Technology has a long history of supporting the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to Steve Jacyna, director of innovative cybersecurity solutions at the company.

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Brazil’s CIESP/FIESP New Arbitration Rules on the Autonomous Taking Of Evidence

Kluwer Arbitration

On September 4, 2024, the Chamber for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration of CIESP/FIESP (the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, Brazil) released a new set of arbitration rules for the autonomous taking of evidence through arbitral proceedings (the “Rules”). This development, and the general trend it tends to set, builds on the continuous improvement of Brazil as a favorable seat of arbitration, providing parties with an expedited, yet flexible, means of autonomous taking of

IT 52
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Ga. Judge Tosses Feral Horses Island Enviro Suit

Government Contracts

A Georgia federal judge encouraged the National Park Service to better manage the feral horses of Cumberland Island, even as she dismissed a lawsuit alleging federal and state agencies mistreated the animals and allowed them to trample the habitat, eggs and nests of endangered sea turtles and piping plovers.

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Sagewind Capital Invests in Sabel Systems

WashngtonExec

Private equity firm Sagewind Capital LLC announced a majority investment in Sabel Systems Technology Solutions LLC, a federal government provider of digital R&D, acquisition and sustainment solutions. Sabel was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. Its Digital Engineering Cloud helps the Defense Department accelerate R&D and enhance agility, scalability and connectivity.

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SEC, SolarWinds Walk Away From Settlement Talks

Government Contracts

Settlement negotiations between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and software developer SolarWinds Corp. reached an impasse Tuesday, with the parties telling a New York federal judge that they did not feel it was worthwhile to continue discussing a possible end to the novel enforcement action.

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SUM CERTAIN NOT NEGATED BY LANGUAGE TO PREVENT DOUBLE COUNTING

Public Contracting Institute

Readers know that to provide a complete claim, one of the elements is that the contractor provide a “sum certain” for the dollar damages that are sought. You cannot qualify the sum by stating that it is “approximate” or “about” since that is not a certain sum. But what if you explain in your claim that the sum stated could be changed if there are other payments made, i.e., there may be some double counting.

Price 52
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Ex-ComEd Exec Asked If Madigan Hires Truly An 'Exchange'

Government Contracts

Defense attorneys got their chance Tuesday to grill an ex-Commonwealth Edison executive who testified the utility hired people who did little to no work at the behest of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, asking if it truly traded those jobs for Madigan's action on ComEd legislation or if the company was just building goodwill with a key decision-maker.

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How Do You Finance This? Creative Financing Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations

Government Contracts & Global Trade

Financing a significant capital project is a major undertaking for nonprofit independent schools, social services agencies, theaters, museums, health care institutions, colleges and other organizations. During this collaborative session with investment banker, Susan Winshall, Managing Director at Zions Bank, and attorney Sarah Smith, Partner at McCarter & English, LLP, we will learn about process, players and possibilities in tax-exempt bond financing and explore recent trends.

Finance 52
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Comerica Sues CFPB To Stop 'Ultra Vires' Benefits Card Probe

Government Contracts

Comerica Bank has sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a Texas federal court, accusing it of carrying out an overreaching and unlawful investigation into the bank's handling of a government program for distributing federal benefits via debit cards.

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How SLED Can Secure OT, Critical Infrastructure

GovLoop

In state and local governments, much of the operational technology (OT) that monitors and controls critical infrastructure is based on legacy technology. That presents a major challenge. “Outdated OT systems were not originally designed with cybersecurity in mind. They may lack modern security features, and they are difficult to patch and update,” said Bryan Schneider, Director, Public Sector, with Fortinet.

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BREAKING: Ex-National Guardsman Gets 15 Years For Top Secret Leaks

Government Contracts

A former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who leaked top secret Pentagon documents on the social media network Discord was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for a breach that federal prosecutors have said caused "exceptionally grave and long-lasting damage" to national security.

Media 52
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A Preliminary view of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – And What are the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Contracting Considerations?

Public Contracting Institute

There is much hype surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), but the most prominent consideration is that it is: “Artificial” Intelligence. That hype is a footprint consequence of a number of common concerns of the layman, outsider, enthusiast. Some scrutiny undertakings: Will AI replace humans? What are the risks? AI lacks instinct, intuitiveness based on human nature vs. nurture tendencies and cultural habits and norms.

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Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

Government Contracts

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

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What is a Prime Contractor?

Select GCR

A prime contractor is a company or entity hired directly by the federal government to oversee and execute large-scale projects. They are responsible for managing the entire project, including hiring subcontractors, coordinating tasks, and ensuring compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations. This article will explore what is prime contractor roles, responsibilities, and the importance of prime contractors in government projects.

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BREAKING: Jury Holds CACI Liable For $42M Over Abu Ghraib Torture

Government Contracts

A Virginia federal jury ruled Tuesday that defense contractor CACI must pay $42 million to former prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib military prison, finding it aided and abetted their torture by the U.S. military.

IT 52
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Pricing Federal Contract Bids: Do’s and Don’ts

Government Contracts & Global Trade

The most important section in your federal proposal and contract will always be pricing – just ask any CEO or federal buyer. But in today’s government market, there are a lot of areas that can confuse a contractor’s pricing strategy. And when you win the bid, the questions remain: “will we make a profit?” and “did we leave money on the table?

Price 52
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How to Protect Against Identity Threats

GovLoop

Identity-based cybersecurity threats are on the rise. The number of phishing attempts — the most common type of cyberattack — increased 62% from 2023 to 2024, for instance, and identity-related incidents have directly affected 84% of organizations this year, a 68% increase from 2023. What’s more, identity breaches are often the first step to a larger cyberattack, and the public sector is a primary target.

Import 52
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How OCC Charted Its Course for Cloud Adoption

FedTech Magazine

Cloud is a huge part of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s IT modernization efforts because many of its applications lived on-premises, according to CIO and Chief Data Officer Kristen Baldwin. Care and feeding of on-premises solutions can impact banking operations, whereas migrating to the cloud made routine updates something users didn’t need to schedule their activities around.

IT 52
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Using Login.gov as an OIDC IdP with Amazon Cognito user pools

AWS Public Sector

As federal agencies strive to enhance digital services and create a seamless customer experience , integrating robust identity and access management (IAM) solutions has become paramount. Amazon Cognito , a robust user identity management service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides a secure and scalable solution for managing user authentication and authorization.

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Sigma Defense Opens New Facility in Maryland

ExecutiveBiz

Sigma Defense Systems has opened a new facility in Lexington Park, Maryland, to expand capabilities in cybersecurity architecture, software development and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for the Department of Defense. The Lexington site will also be used for tests aimed at enhancing DevSecOps, CJADC2 and C5ISR delivery for the DOD, the company said Monday.

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Using AWS CDK to build an extensible file-scanning solution for Amazon S3 buckets

AWS Public Sector

In today’s digital world, ensuring the security of information is essential. One common scenario where data security is crucial is when files from external sources are received by an organization. While Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) provides robust security features like the default encryption of all uploaded files, there are scenarios where it’s important to ensure that the incoming files are free from any kind of malware, such as viruses, before they are processed or stored inside

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Reliable Robotics to Demo UAS Flight Safety Tech for FAA

ExecutiveBiz

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Reliable Robotics a contract to conduct in-flight test and evaluation of the company’s detect and avoid system, or DAA, which includes advanced air-to-air radar.

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Justices Won't Take On Tossed Bid-Rigging Conviction

Government Contracts

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Tuesday to look at a Fourth Circuit decision that upended the bid-rigging conviction of a government contractor's former executive, rejecting U.S. Department of Justice concerns that the ruling could make it harder to prosecute when contractors have a subcontracting relationship.

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Jim Hanley Joins SNC as Strategic Initiatives VP

ExecutiveBiz

Sierra Nevada Corporation has named Jim Hanley as vice president of its strategic initiatives. Hanley, who brings to the role nearly 3 decades of defense industry experience, announced the appointment on LinkedIn.

IT 52
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Art of Procurement Founder Philip Ideson Featured in The Procurement Ledger

Art of Procurement

While he can almost always be found sitting in the interviewer’s chair, Art of Procurement Founder and Managing Director Philip. The post Art of Procurement Founder Philip Ideson Featured in The Procurement Ledger appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Paragon Names Julie Van Kleeck to Board of Directors

ExecutiveBiz

Julie Van Kleeck, former vice president of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s space and launch propulsion business unit, has been appointed to the board of directors of Paragon Space Development.

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Paul Toledo Named Leidos’ Space Systems Division VP

GovCon Wire

Paul Toledo, a nearly two-decade veteran in the space and defense industries, has joined Leidos as vice president of space systems division, the executive announced in a LinkedIn post Monday. Toledo spent almost seven years at Northrop Grumman before moving to the Reston, Virginia-based IT services provider.

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Why Auria Space Is GovCon Vet Damian DiPippa’s Most Promising Venture Yet

ExecutiveBiz

A lot has happened to Damian DiPippa since we last spoke to him in February. You see, DiPippa started his career as an aerospace engineer working missile and satellite solutions for the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, which is now the Missile Defense Agency.