Wed.Jun 19, 2024

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Fine-tuning an LLM using QLoRA in AWS GovCloud (US)

AWS Public Sector

Introduction Government agencies are increasingly using large language models (LLMs) powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) to extract valuable insights from their data in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud (US) Regions. In this guide, we walk you through the process of adapting LLMs to specific domains with parameter efficient fine-tuning techniques made accessible through Amazon SageMaker integrations with Hugging Face.

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Billie Winner-Davis and Victoria Turner

Whistleblower Network News

In this special episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner speaks with Billie Winner-Davis and Victoria Turner about the trauma experienced by family members of whistleblowers who face retaliation. Billie is the mother of Reality Winner , the intelligence community whistleblower imprisoned for leaking a NSA report on the Russian government’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 election.

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PPDNI Stacey Dixon Accepts 2024 Wash100 Award

GovCon Wire

Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Dr. Stacey Dixon received her 2024 Wash100 Award from Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson during a recent meeting. The Wash100 Award annually recognizes the executives of consequence shaping the government and the government contracting sector.

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Derrick Reig Named Chief Revenue Officer of Exostar

ExecutiveBiz

Derrick Reig has joined Exostar as chief revenue officer. In his new role he will be responsible for managing the customer journey and implementing revenue-generating strategies, the Herndon, Virginia-based company announced Wednesday. Previously, Reig served as the CRO for CB Insights, where he led sales development, solutions consulting and customer success teams.

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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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Bechtel-Led NAS JV Gets $442M Air Force Test Operations Support Contract Extension

GovCon Wire

A joint venture led by Bechtel has secured a potential one-year, $442.2 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force to continue providing test operations and sustainment support for the Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tennessee.

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GSA contracting officers are driving schedule holders crazy

Federal News Network

Complaints coming from contractors on the General Services Administration’s multiple-award schedule. They say contracting officers are trying to re-negotiate finished contracts and making unreasonable demands for information. For more, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Interview transcript Tom Temin And you have found that this is mainly happening in the information technology part of the Unified Schedules program.

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Lockheed Secures $2.3B NASA Contract to Develop NOAA GeoXO Weather Satellite Constellation

GovCon Wire

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has received a potential $2.27 billion contract from NASA to build a constellation of Geostationary Extended Observations weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA said Tuesday the cost-plus-award-fee contract includes the development of three GeoXO weather satellites with options for four additional spacecraft.

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TRAX International Books Potential $265M NASA Contract for Logistics and Management Support

ExecutiveBiz

TRAX International has received a potential six-year, $265 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to deliver NASA logistics services and management support. The space agency said Tuesday the contract covers disposal operations, export control, equipment management, mail, supply, materials and transportation for its missions.

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The CAS Board is Looking to Address CAS Applicability When it Comes to IDIQ Contracts

Redstone Government Consulting

In the June 18, 2024 Federal Register , the Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) put out a notification that it was looking for input on how Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) applicability should be handled when it comes to Indefinite Delivery Vehicles (IDVs) (i.e., Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts). This goes back to an old CASB case from three years ago – CASB Case 2021-01 , Application of Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) to Indefinite Delivery Vehicles (IDVs).

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Back to Basics: The Buy American Act

SmallGovCon

We get a lot of questions about federal government contracting as federal government contracting attorneys, which makes sense. One thing we get asked about a lot is the Buy American Act. This is also unsurprising, as the government really did not do the best job in making it clear what this act does. We have talked about the Act before, but now, let’s take a deeper dive into it.

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Improving customer experience for the public sector using AWS services

AWS Public Sector

Citizens are increasingly engaging with public sector entities through digital surfaces and touchpoints. Every touchpoint is an opportunity for the public sector to give their consumers an experience tailored to their preferences and needs. In fact, citizens are increasingly expecting government to provide modern digital experiences for conducting online transactions.

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Boosting Cybersecurity Power for State, Local Government & Education (E154)

FedInsider

In professional baseball, winning championships does not depend on having a large budget. Like talented members of a pro-league team, there are some government agencies that just seem to “get it” when it comes to cybersecurity, despite being straddled with limited funding. This week on Feds At the Edge, we’ve got an all-star lineup, including James Weaver, Secretary and State Chief Information Officer from the North Carolina Department of Information Technology will lead the way through how thei

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Kip Gering Named SpiderOak Chief Revenue Officer

GovCon Wire

SpiderOak, a Reston, Virginia-based zero trust cybersecurity platforms provider, has appointed Kip Gering, a veteran cybersecurity executive, as chief revenue officer. The company said Tuesday Gering will directly report to SpiderOak CEO Dave Pearah and lead business development, sales and marketing departments and execute the corporate plan to drive market expansion and revenue growth.

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ATI Secures Navy OTA to Manage Information Warfare Research Project Consortium

ExecutiveBiz

The U.S. Navy has awarded Advanced Technology International an other transaction agreement to manage the third iteration of the Information Warfare Research Project consortium.

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Inside the Air Force’s Gen AI Chatbot

GovCon Wire

In June, the Department of the Air Force launched an experimental generative AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT. The Non-classified Internet Protocol Router AI tool, dubbed NIPRGPT, can converse with Air Force personnel and assist them with certain tasks.

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CesiumAstro Raises $65M in New Funds to Boost R&D, Manufacturing Capabilities

ExecutiveBiz

CesiumAstro, a space communications technology provider, announced closing its Series B+ funding round and raising $65 million. Trousdale Ventures led the investor group, with matching participation from the Development Bank of Japan and Quanta Computer, CesiumAstro said Tuesday. Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies is also one of the investors.

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Damian DiPippa Joins Enlightenment Capital-Backed Auria as CEO

GovCon Wire

Damian DiPippa, formerly CEO of Aretum, has taken on the chief executive role at Auria, a space domain awareness provider backed by Enlightenment Capital. DiPippa brings over three decades of industry experience in missile defense, satellite operations, systems engineering and mission and intelligence, Auria said Tuesday.

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Rancher Government Solutions, Mainsail Team Up to Deliver Advanced IT Security Offering

ExecutiveBiz

Rancher Government Solutions has partnered with Mainsail Industries, a provider of network and cybersecurity services, to help government customers transform information technology security, from the silicon level to the application layer.

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State Department Clears $300M FMS Deal With Taiwan for Altius-600M UAV

GovCon Wire

The State Department has approved the request of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. to procure Altius 600M-V unmanned aerial vehicles and related equipment for approximately $300 million.

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Peter Modigliani Named Senior Adviser at Govini

ExecutiveBiz

Peter Modigliani, formerly vice president at Beacon Global Strategies, has been appointed senior adviser at Arlington, Virginia-based software company Govini. He said in a statement Tuesday, “Govini’s Ark software provides essential workflows to make smarter acquisition decisions faster.

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FDH Aero Launches Defense Aftermarket Division; Matt Lacki Quoted

GovCon Wire

FDH Aero has established a new division focused on serving the defense industry’s aftermarket needs and simplifying the procurement process for aerospace and defense companies.

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Lockheed, Air Force Conduct Flight Test of Mk21A ICBM Reentry Vehicle

ExecutiveBiz

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force have concluded their flight test of a reentry vehicle designed to be integrated into the service branch’s future intercontinental ballistic missile weapon system. During the test, an unarmed Mk21A reentry vehicle flew over the Pacific Ocean after launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Lockheed said Tuesday.

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How Are Federal Agencies Approaching AI? Experts Weigh In

GovCon Wire

In the age of artificial intelligence, the path forward can sometimes be unclear. While AI holds great potential and promise for unlocking new innovations, it also uncovers new risks and threats. As AI advancements continue to accelerate, federal officials are viewing AI and approaching its implementation in multiple ways.

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How Digital Engineering Could Impact Army Innovation, According to Experts

ExecutiveBiz

Digital engineering is a method of product development that uses digital modeling to inform the final version of a technology. Mark Kitz, program executive officer for command, control, communications-tactical for the U.S.

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Lisa Rosenmerkel Sworn in as VA Chief Data Officer

GovCon Wire

Lisa Rosenmerkel was sworn in as chief data officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs after more than a year of holding the post on an acting basis. Rosenmerkel made the announcement via LinkedIn post, through which she also expressed intent to continue working with VA employees to support veterans.

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Intelligent Waves to Facilitate Sale of COMSovereign Offerings to Government, DOD Customers

ExecutiveBiz

Intelligent Waves will serve as an authorized solutions partner of communication systems developer COMSovereign under the terms of a new agreement between the two companies.

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Federal Circuit Rejects Counsel’s Error in Misreading Rules

Public Contracting Institute

In a recent case before the Federal Circuit, the Court found no excusable neglect in filing beyond the deadlines in the rules, and refused to reconsider an appeal of a breach of contract claim which had been rejected by the Court of Federal Claims as untimely. United Communities LLC v. United States, No. 2022-2074 (Fed Cir. Jan. 12, 2024). United Communities submitted a claim to the contracting officer that alleged breaches of a contract for a rent cap on military member’s basic allowance for h

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Florida Addresses Digital Services, Cloud and Cybersecurity

FedInsider

Members of Florida state and local agencies joined industry execs to discuss the state of digital transformation and cloud architecture. Florida, already the third largest U.S. state by population, is experiencing rapid growth and increased pressure to keep up with more and more citizen needs. The state’s population grew by 14.5% from 2010 to 2020, meaning more citizens need additional internet-based, user-friendly government services.

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Navigating the Intersection of Sovereign Acts and Commercial Activities: Insights from Omega v. Panama

Kluwer Arbitration

In the 2022 case of Omega Engineering LLC and Oscar Rivera v. Republic of Panama (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/42), the Tribunal faced the challenge of distinguishing between a state’s sovereign acts and its commercial activities. This case raised the critical question of when a state’s conduct shifts from exercising sovereign authority to acting as a purely commercial entity.

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Damian DiPippa Named CEO of Auria

WashngtonExec

Damian DiPippa is the new CEO of Auria, an Enlightenment Capital-backed company. “Auria has built an impressive suite of innovative solutions and software products with an amazing team of employees dedicated to solving the toughest challenges across the Space domain,” said DiPippa. “I am excited to join this team and look forward to leveraging my [.

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Pre-Bid and Pre-Proposal Meetings: Similarities and Differences

The Procurement ClassRoom

Differences Between Pre-Bid and Pre-Proposal Meetings Purpose of Clarification: Both pre-bid and pre-proposal meetings are held to explain the details of the solicitation documents to interested parties. The goal is to clarify any technical or procurement-related aspects, ensuring that all potential participants have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements.

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WATCH: SAIC’s Diana Ceban on Heart of Greater Washington Campaign

WashngtonExec

Diana Ceban, vice president of health at SAIC, sits down with WashingtonExec’s Rachel Kirkland to discuss her new role as chair of the Heart of Greater Washington campaign, which includes the Greater Washington Region Heart Ball set for April 2025. Ceban shares her personal connection in the fight against heart disease as well as how [.

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Generative AI for public agencies: 5 best practices for secure implementation

AWS Public Sector

This is a guest post from SMX, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing public agencies by streamlining services and providing valuable insights from large datasets. To keep pace with generative AI’s widespread growth, President Biden issued an Oct. 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.

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Top DOD Execs to Watch in 2024: Serco’s Kai Skvarla

WashngtonExec

Kai Skvarla Senior Vice President International Maritime and Defense Programs, Serco Kai Skvarla is at the helm of Serco’s international maritime and defense growth strategy. In his pivotal role, he collaborates closely with Serco’s Regional CEOs and their maritime business unit leads to shape and execute the company’s global defense strategy. Since joining Serco, Skvarla [.

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Top DOD Execs to Watch in 2024: Aeyon’s Duane J. Piper

WashngtonExec

Duane J. Piper Chief Administrative Officer, Aeyon Duane J. Piper’s most significant recent accomplishment involves successfully integrating the operations of the four legacy companies that now form Aeyon. Following this integration, the focus shifted to refining the consolidated back-office operations and developing infrastructure to support and sustain the company’s growth.