GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 22, 2023

On November 17, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule , implementing Section 874 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), clarifying that certain DoD-unique statutes and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clauses are inapplicable to DoD commercial item procurements, including acquisitions of commercial off-the-shelf items and commercial services.

Procurement 147

Procurement Innovation Contract Capacity 147

Inside Government Contracts

DECEMBER 20, 2023

In keeping with the trend of increased attention on the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) qui tam provisions, the Second Circuit recently weighed in on a seeming conflict between the statute and the relator’s obligations under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“FCRP”). Under Rule 4(m) of the FRCP, the court generally must dismiss a complaint if the plaintiff fails to serve the defendant with a complaint and summons within 90 days of filing.

Balance 147

Balance Government Contracts IT Contract 147

Art of Procurement

DECEMBER 14, 2023

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, is usually associated with organized crime. In 1992, it. The post Reading FedEx Ground the RICO Act appeared first on Art of Procurement.

Influencing 142

Influencing Corruption Procurement Risk Management 142

Open Contracting Partnership

DECEMBER 19, 2023

At 2 am on Saturday morning, the day after the 10th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was meant to end in Atlanta, exhausted negotiators finally adopted a resolution on “ Promoting transparency and integrity in public procurement in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ”. We should pay credit to the remarkable tenacity and leadership from the French government who proposed the resolution and who pushed for the most ambitious and i

Public Procurement 140

Public Procurement Procurement E-procurement IT 140

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,

Logistics

Telles.eu

DECEMBER 5, 2023

The European Court of Auditors published yesterday its report on EU public procurement between 2011 and 2021 , looking into the competition for public contracts covered by EU rules. Frankly, it makes for grim reading: “Overall, we conclude that the level of competition for public contracts to deliver works, goods and services, decreased over the past 10 years in the EU single market. (…) Our analysis of the data available indicates a significant increase in single bidding overall, a high level o

Public Procurement 140

Public Procurement Procurement Thresholds Corruption 140

AWS Public Sector

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Jeff Kratz, right, and Thomas Siebel, center, listen as Jason Bonci talks during their fireside chat at the AWS Partner Keynote at re:Invent 2023. This week, the city of Las Vegas served as a vibrant hub of energy and creativity during the Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent 2023 conference. This is my 11th year participating in re:Invent and I continue to be awestruck by the innovative ideas and value that AWS Partners bring to our customers.

Education 137

Education Networking Leadership Innovation 137

FedScoop

DECEMBER 20, 2023

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is looking for feedback on its “secure by design” white paper, which pushes software manufacturers to follow more stringent security principles in the design and development of all products shipped to customers. CISA initially published its white paper — “ Shifting the Balance of Cybersecurity Risk: Principles and Approaches for Secure by Design Software ” — in April but released updated joint guidance with 17 domestic and foreign partners in

IT 134

IT Manufacturing Balance Education 134

FedInsider

DECEMBER 18, 2023

Agencies have matured in their understanding of zero trust. No longer trying to define what it is, focus is now on the affordability within already challenged budgets. In the latest episode of Fed’s At the Edge, we sit down with Brian Dennis, Principal Technologist of the Public Sector for Akamai Technologies. An expert in the deployment of zero trust, Brian will give listeners an overview of the most economical ways agencies can move forward with this crucial cybersecurity strategy.

Budget 134

Budget Education Leadership Networking 134

Open Contracting Partnership

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Challenge: Uganda’s public procurement authorities lack adequate resources and manpower to monitor many major contractors across the country’s more than 100 districts, leading to abandoned projects, missing deliverables and time and cost overruns. Open contracting approach : Uganda’s Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) worked collaboratively with civil society and a development partner, the German Development Agency GIZ to build a digital contract monitoring s

Public Procurement 135

Public Procurement Procurement Contract Collaboration 135

Inside Government Contracts

DECEMBER 19, 2023

Since its creation in 2006, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has funded the development of medical countermeasures for pandemic influenza, anthrax, smallpox, Ebola virus disease, Zika virus, and, of course, COVID-19. In just the last year, BARDA has made more than 35 new awards to partners, assisted its partners in achieving 20 FDA approvals of their products, and launched Project NextGen, a $5 billion program it leads alongside the National Institute of Allergy and In

Manufacturing 130

Manufacturing Innovation Collaboration Data 130

GovCon Wire

DECEMBER 26, 2023

President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act that seeks to authorize $886 billion in military spending for fiscal year 2024, Reuters reported. The Senate voted 87-13 to pass the FY 2024 NDAA, which cleared the House in a 310-118 vote.

Finance 128

Finance 128

GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 20, 2023

On December 14, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Freepoint Commodities LLC, a Connecticut-based commodities trader, had agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve a DOJ investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In addition to the DPA, Freepoint agreed to pay over $98 million in penalties.

Corruption 147

Corruption Consulting Transportation Transportation 147

Federal News Network

DECEMBER 22, 2023

The Defense Department’s long-awaited proposed rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program lays out DoD’s plan to introduce the CMMC requirements over the next three years. The proposed rule, released today and scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Dec. 26, would establish requirements “for a comprehensive and scalable assessment mechanism” to ensure defense contractors are implementing required security protections.

Contract 124

Contract Capacity Data Networking 124

FedInsider

DECEMBER 19, 2023

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 | 2:00PM EST | 90 Minutes | Training Certificate Ransomware, malware, phishing, DDoS, social engineering, zero-day exploit, botnets – the list of types of attacks out there is long enough to keep even the most seasoned cybersecurity expert awake at night. And with the increased use of remote computing, the cyber attack surface grows as more edge devices are added to networks.

Budget 131

Budget Participation Networking Leadership 131

Telles.eu

DECEMBER 4, 2023

As promised, you can find the (edited) slide deck for my workshop on sustainability in public procurement here. They have been edited to make a bit more sense by themselves and a I also took out a couple of slides pertaining to a work-in-progress from colleagues at CBS. It went well despite me not having enough time to cover all that I wanted, but that is fine since the audience was very mixed and I felt the need to give a grounding on what public procurement rules are and how they work in broad

Public Procurement 124

Public Procurement Sustainability Procurement IT 124

Inside Government Contracts

DECEMBER 14, 2023

The requirement to pay “prevailing wages” to covered workers is a perennial aspect of many types of government contracting, including construction contracts subject to the Davis-Bacon Act (“DBA”) and certain related laws (collectively referred to as the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts or “DBRA”). In recent years, Congress has also expanded the reach of prevailing wage requirements to new industries: clean energy projects seeking to take advantage of federal tax credits under the Inflation Reductio

IT 130

IT Thresholds Manufacturing Contract 130

GovCon Wire

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Rishi Bhaskar, senior vice president and general manager at JMA Wireless, said government agencies looking to modernize their communication systems and meet evolving demands should consider implementing software-based 5G networks. “A 5G software solution provides the flexibility to add network features in response to real-time application and use case requirements.

Networking 124

Networking Government Government Demand 124

GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 18, 2023

By: Richard Arnholt On November 8, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied an unsuccessful bidder’s protest that asserted the Veteran Administration’s (VA) evaluation of Texas Waste Company’s past performance was unreasonable and reflected the Contracting Officer’s (CO) bias. The GAO decision provides an in-depth look at the high evidentiary bar associated with proving governmental bias in bid protests and the need to have definitive evidence before making such a claim.

Bidding 147

Bidding Contract Evaluation Price 147

Federal News Network

DECEMBER 1, 2023

For the big federal contracts on the horizon in 2024, not a whole lot is changing when it comes to what the government plans to buy. But there are still a lot of opportunities for contractors, as agencies re-compete some of their biggest buying vehicles. Those are some of the takeaways from Deltek’s annual list of top contracting opportunities. Ashley Sanderson is a senior research manager at Deltek.

Category Management 123

Category Management Professional Services Contract Participation 123

FedInsider

DECEMBER 19, 2023

Thursday, January 11, 2024 | 2:00PM EST | 1 Hour | Training Certificate Recent headlines have been full of stories about state and local governments and school systems being targeted by malicious actors. And these organizations are likely to face tight budgets and limited manpower to deal with a cyber threat. For many agencies, the reality is it’s a matter of when – not if – they will be attacked.

Participation 122

Participation Engineering Networking Budget 122

FedScoop

DECEMBER 26, 2023

Medical devices like heart monitors, which are under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration, have cybersecurity vulnerabilities that aren’t frequently exploited but nevertheless pose risks to hospital networks and patients, according to a recent watchdog report. The Government Accountability Office highlighted that the FDA’s medical device cybersecurity formal agreement is five years old and needs to be updated with the help of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security

Manufacturing 121

Manufacturing Accountability Networking Data 121

Inside Government Contracts

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) has awarded billions of dollars to a series of new infrastructure and clean energy programs. The scope and size of these programs have, in turn, attracted scrutiny from the DOE’s Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), as evidenced most recently by an OIG Special Report (“Report”) detailing what the OIG characterized as “Management Challenges” at DOE.

Management 130

Management Data Quantity Evaluation 130

GovCon Wire

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Jeff Bezos-owned space company Blue Origin and private equity firm Cerberus have made bids for United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Bidding 122

Bidding Finance 122

GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 14, 2023

In September 2022, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco outlined the Department of Justice (DOJ) approach to enforcing corporate misconduct and directed agencies to review existing voluntary self-disclosure policies or, if none exist, draft new ones. Two recently announced Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) settlements involving reinsurance companies demonstrate what happens when the rubber hits the road.

Corruption 147

Corruption Insurance Media Import 147

Federal News Network

DECEMBER 12, 2023

A senior leader at the Genderal Services Administration is returning to the private sector. Sonny Hashmi, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA, is leaving after three years. Hashmi’s last day will be December 29. FAS Deputy Commissioner Tom Howder will serve as acting commissioner until a new one is named. Hashmi will be heading back to the private sector, but it is unclear where he will land.

IT 122

IT Networking Evaluation Data 122

FedTech Magazine

DECEMBER 21, 2023

Many federal IT priorities have been set by executive order; among them, the move toward zero-trust security and the effort to improve citizens’ digital experience with government. These orders are guiding the technology trends expected for 2024, as agencies work to meet zero-trust deadlines and look forward to metrics by which they’ll be able to measure their progress toward the customer experience goals of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA).

Influencing 120

Influencing Integration Integrity Government 120

FedScoop

DECEMBER 5, 2023

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking cloud-related information to support an analytics and machine learning research and development project that’s in the works for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The Advanced Analytics Platform for Machine Learning (CAP-M) project, which is being developed by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate for CISA, is “envisioned to be a multicloud, multi-tenant environment for testing new software and tools, and developing complex mac

Contract 121

Contract 121

FedInsider

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 | 2:00PM EST | 1 Hour | 1 CPE Zero trust revolutionizes network security architecture because it is data-centric and designed to stop data breaches. While that is its primary purpose for government, it also increases agility for modern networks that traditional network designs can’t emulate. It has been almost two years since the Office of Management and Budget issued its federal zero trust architecture strategy, which set out specific goals for agencies to achieve by t

Networking 119

Networking Participation Telecommunication Leadership 119

GovCon Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Mergers and acquisitions across the government contracting landscape are back on the upswing after a relatively slow year for deals. In an Executive Spotlight interview with Executive Mosaic, Booz Allen Hamilton Executive Vice President Rob Silverman gave us a glimpse into the company’s recent acquisitions and shared insights for M&A moving forward.

Government Contracts 122

Government Contracts Contract Government Government 122

GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 7, 2023

You are reading the November 2023 Update of the Bass, Berry & Sims Enforcement Roundup, where we bring notable enforcement actions, policy changes, interesting news articles, and a bit of our insight to your inbox. To stay up to date, subscribe to our GovCon & Trade blog. If you have questions about any actions addressed in the Roundup, please contact the international trade team.

Transportation 147

Transportation Transportation Corruption Manufacturing 147

ExecutiveBiz

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Pragyansmita Nayak , chief data scientist at Hitachi Vantara 's federal subsidiary , has outlined strategic steps to integrate artificial intelligence tools into government systems to optimize operations, enhance security and achieve mission objectives. Federal agencies must first establish a data management strategy, focusing on data provenance and lineage, to ensure data quality and prevent the infiltration of "poisoned" data that threat actors may exploit to disrupt AI systems, N

Quality 119

Quality Data Integration Integrity 119

FedTech Magazine

DECEMBER 5, 2023

To deliver cutting-edge capabilities, the military needs to bring new applications to warfighters quickly and effectively. To that end, Department of Defense branches have leaned heavily into DevSecOps, a practice that encourages collaboration among development, security and operations organizations to speed software production. But the talents needed to inform the DevSecOps pipeline aren’t always readily available.

Engineering 117

Engineering Collaboration 117

FedScoop

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Dozens of journalists and staff at Voice of America are strongly opposed to the state-owned news organization’s plan to use AI-generated synthetic voices, documents obtained by FedScoop show, with employees expressing concerns that the tool could breed mistrust with its audience, cause misinformation to spread and potentially eliminate jobs within the newsroom.

Leadership 117

Leadership Media Management Transparency 117

AWS Public Sector

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI ) streamline business processes and allow providers of public services to connect with citizens in new and intuitive ways. For example, local councils can draw on cloud-based AI tools to make content more understandable. This is something we’re focused on at Swindon Borough Council , a local authority in England.

Import 115

Import Demand Budget Evaluation 115

GovCon Wire

DECEMBER 27, 2023

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of a proposed $1 billion military training contract extension with the government of Saudi Arabia. The move was announced Friday following the State Department’s approval of the foreign military sale, which will require deploying 339 U.S.

Contract 119

Contract Government Government 119

GovCon & Trade

DECEMBER 5, 2023

On November 21, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied an unsuccessful bidder’s protest, arguing that the terms of a solicitation were biased and that the awardee failed to comply with a mandatory solicitation requirement. The decision offers important lessons that contractors should keep in mind when evaluating solicitations; submitting proposals; and evaluating whether and when to file a bid protest.

Bidding 147

Bidding Evaluation Consulting Import 147