October, 2023

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Key Steps Contractors Should Consider When Facing a Government Shutdown

Inside Government Contracts

Although Congress averted a Government shutdown on October 1 by passing a temporary spending bill, we may be headed toward a shutdown next month. As many Federal Government contractors have experienced during prior Government shutdowns, some portions of the Government — primarily those not funded through annual appropriations bills or that provide “essential services” — may continue to operate (often without pay or access to certain resources), while others shut down immediately, leaving contra

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CSO Requirements for Government Contractors

GovCon & Trade

We recently authored an article for Reuters examining Commercial Solutions Openings, a contracting mechanism through the Department of Defense (DoD), which seeks innovative commercial technologies or services. We defined CSOs as “another pathway for nontraditional technology companies to provide goods and services to the federal government. They are used ‘to obtain innovative solutions or potential capabilities that fulfill requirements; to close capability gaps, or provide potential innovative

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New Documentary Centers Reality Winner in the Telling of Her Story

Whistleblower Network News

“My name is Reality Winner. I’m an airman, a veteran, and I was convicted under the Espionage Act.” With these opening lines, delivered straight to camera by Winner centered in close-up, the documentary Reality Winner establishes why it is being re-released in a revised form: Reality’s voice can now be centered in the telling of her story. Reality Winner , directed by Sonia Kennebecker, was previously released in 2021 in an earlier form and was then titled United States vs.

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Cyber Attacks are Just as Damaging as Natural Disasters

FedInsider

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 2PM EDT | 90 Minutes | 1.5 Training Certificates It has been almost seven years since the White House issued Presidential Policy Directive 40, setting out the federal continuity policy “to maintain a comprehensive and effective continuity capability through Continuity of Operations (COOP), Continuity of Government (COG), and Enduring Constitutional Government (ECG) programs, ensuring the resilience and preservation of government structure under the United States Con

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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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The LEGO Sustainability Saga

Art of Procurement

“We can’t say we inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow if we’re ruining the planet.” – Tim Guy Brooks, Head. The post The LEGO Sustainability Saga appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Enumerates Fed Civ Sector Advantages of Using Proven DOD Cybersecurity Technologies & Services

GovCon Wire

By Chuck Brooks, President of Brooks Consulting International With its broad national security role, the DOD has been a pioneer in the development of numerous innovative cybersecurity solutions.

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International Trade Enforcement Roundup – September 2023 Update

GovCon & Trade

You are reading the September 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.

Media 147
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AT&T’s Lance Spencer Shares Insights on 5G Potential, Challenges & Use Cases in the DOD

ExecutiveBiz

Lance Spencer , client executive vice president for defense at AT&T , leads the company’s efforts to help the Department of Defense modernize its operations with 5G offerings. Spencer recently sat down with ExecutiveBiz for an Executive Spotlight interview, during which he discussed the immense potential of 5G, its ability to transform the way the military uses technology and the challenges that may be faced in its development and deployment.

IT 136
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Generative AI in Government

FedInsider

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 | 2:00PM EST | 1 Hour | Training Certificate It is hard to believe that ChatGPT isn’t even a year old yet, when you look at the tidal wave of new apps that have been released in its wake. After decades where the phrase “artificial intelligence” was sufficient, commentary in the public sphere has already moved to the next level – generative AI.

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Talk(ing) about blockchain and smart contracts in public procurement

Telles.eu

Tomorrow I will be participating in the 2023 EPCO public procurement conference, sadly not in person but only online. The title of my presentation is "The limited scope for using blockchain and smart contracts in public procurement" and it is an evolution of my paper from last year on the use cases for blockchain in public procuremen t. It is fair to say not much has changed in an year, so I still see a very limited role the technology in procurement.

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Pandemic-Tested Telehealth Technology Expands into Mainstream Care

FedTech Magazine

In a pilot physical therapy program run by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville, N.C., veterans work to save a medieval village from a fire-breathing dragon. “While they’re tracking the dragon, they have to keep it in their line of sight,” says Caitlin Rawlins, deputy director of clinical tech innovation in the VA’s Office of Healthcare, Innovation and Learning.

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Third-Party Funding and the Constitutionality of Qui Tam Suits After Polansky

Inside Government Contracts

The Supreme Court’s decision in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. , 143 S. Ct. 1720 (2023), has increased attention on arguments that the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions may be unconstitutional. Although the majority’s opinion in the case did not address the issue, the dissent by Justice Thomas—joined in this regard by Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett—stated that “[t]here are substantial arguments that the qui tam device is inconsistent with Article II and t

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UPDATE: 8(a) Reopens its Certify Site Welcoming New Applicants

GovCon & Trade

On September 29, the Small Business Administration (SBA) reopened its Certify portal to new applicants seeking admittance into the SBA 8(a) program. This decision comes over a month after a ruling from the Eastern District of Tennessee prohibited the SBA from applying a presumption of social disadvantage to certain designated groups. In an August blog post , we wrote about the Ultima decision and its effects.

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Applying AI in Healthcare: Netsmart AI Data Lab

AWS Public Sector

Over the past decade, billions of federal dollars have been invested in reshaping how hospitals and clinics manage their health records. But in human services, post-acute and community-based services — the segments of care dedicated to mental health, substance use, home care, hospice and the environments people live in — change has been slower to come.

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5G: The Transformation of Defense Networks

FedInsider

Friday, October 13, 2023 | 2:00PM EDT | 1 Hour | 1 CPE In 2022, the Department of Defense created a cross-functional team to accelerate the adoption of 5G and future-generation wireless networking technologies, laying the foundation for new opportunities to implement innovative solutions to military needs. The potential is there for 5G (and beyond) to remake the integration and interoperability of the different DoD domains – air, land, sea, space, and cyber – as envisioned in DoD’s Joint All-Dom

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DISA Adds 4 Contractors to Proliferated LEO Satellite-Based Services Program

GovCon Wire

The Defense Information Systems Agency has added four companies to a multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide satellite-based services and capabilities to the U.S. Space Force.

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Retired Army General Michael Garrett Joins Nano Dimension’s Board

ExecutiveBiz

Michael Garrett , a retired U.S. Army four-star general, was added to the board of directors of Nano Dimension , a provider of intelligent machines for the fabrication of additively manufactured electronics. He brings to Nano Dimension experience in serving as commanding general of the Army Forces Command-- a role that capped his almost four decades of service with the Army.

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Updates to FAR Small Business Recertification Requirements:  More Clarity, More Complexity

Inside Government Contracts

Last Friday, September 29, the FAR Council published a proposed rule that would update the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2020 changes to rules on when small businesses must recertify their status in connection with orders under multiple-award contracts. The SBA size and socioeconomic recertification rules are convoluted — especially in situations where a small business becomes a large business by virtue of an M&A transaction and w

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The Corporate Transparency Act: A Primer for “Small” Businesses

GovCon & Trade

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which aims to curb illicit financial activities like money laundering and other fraudulent activities, will go into effect on January 1, 2024. Consequentially, many types of businesses, known as “reporting companies,” will be required to provide certain identifying information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) related to the individuals who directly and indirectly own them.

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Building smart infrastructure: Using AWS services for digital twins

AWS Public Sector

A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical asset or system, which can be used for various purposes including simulation, analysis, and optimization. In the government sector , digital twins can be particularly useful in optimizing the performance of essential infrastructure, such as transportation networks, power grids, and water systems. Services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), such as AWS IoT Core , Amazon Simple Storage Service ( Amazon S3 ), and Amazon SageMaker can be used to collect

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Meeting the Requirements of a Mixed IT Environment

FedInsider

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 | 2:00PM EDT | 1 Hour | Training Certificate Agencies today are faced with the challenge of modernizing legacy IT solutions to streamline workflows and increase the speed and quality of their services. But the push toward standardization must also take into account that people do their best work when they have the best tools.

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Portugal's plan for mandatory green public procurement (IV - vehicles)

Telles.eu

After parts I , II and III we finally reach part IV on the purchase or leasing of vehicles (contract type - 5) For these, the Annex establishes four different award criteria and two contract performance clauses/technical specifications, with issues to be found on both, mostly due to the non-technology neutral approach to the drafting. Award criteria For award criteria the Annex states the following mandatory criteria: "ii) Fuel consumption: at least 5% of criterion iii) Running costs arising fro

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Booz Allen’s Susan Penfield, John Larson Discuss AI’s Implications for Government Missions

ExecutiveBiz

Susan Penfield , chief technology officer at Booz Allen Hamilton and a three-time Wash100 awardee, said the 2024 issue of the company’s Velocity magazine explores the opportunities and challenges associated with harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in support of government missions. As part of this year’s edition of Velocity, Penfield and John Larson , an executive vice president and AI practice lead at Booz Allen, talked about key issues related to AI transformation in a video interv

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GAO’s Annual Bid Protest Report:  Protest Filings and Sustain Rate Soar

Inside Government Contracts

On Thursday, GAO released its Bid Protest Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2023 , which provides bid protest statistics and other interesting information regarding GAO’s protest system. The number of protest filings increased by 22% from FY22. After decreases over each of the past four years, the number of cases filed surpassed 2,000 for the first time since FY20.

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GovCon M&A: What Is Going On In 2023? Predictions for 2024 (On-Demand Webinar)

GovCon & Trade

I recently had the honor of taking part in a thought-provoking panel discussion titled “ GovCon M&A: Unveiling the 2023 Landscape and Forecasts for 2024.” This illuminating webinar featuring Sharon Heaton, the Founder and CEO of sbLiftOff, and Kenneth Dodds, Vice President at Live Oak Bank, was a deep dive into the world of Government Contracting Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A).

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Generative AI in education: Building AI solutions using course lecture content

AWS Public Sector

The education sector has gone through a transformative technological change in the last few years. First, the pandemic created a rise in e-learning solutions, as teachers and students adopted digital platforms for communicating, teaching and learning, and managing academic information. These solutions show that students all over the world can get quality education over the internet.

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DoD Investing in the Future of 5G

FedInsider

Friday, October 20, 2023 | 2:00PM EDT | 1 Hour | 1 CPE Communications security is one of the foremost priorities in any battlespace. This is one reason the Department of Defense is keen on building out 5G capabilities, because of its ability to create secure private networks anywhere it is deployed. But 5G’s capabilities extend beyond creating private networks on the fly.

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Portugal's plan for mandatory green public procurement (III - food procurement)

Telles.eu

After the first two entries ( here and here ) of a more general nature, this one will be focused on contract specific critiques, in particular food procurement (contract types 9 and 15). I will be doing the post on vehicles sometime later this week Contract type 15 - food products, catering and automated vending For food procurement, the text of the Resolution and contract type 15 include a reference to the need to have 'short supply chains'.

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WNN Exclusive: Fish and Wildlife Service Whistleblower Awards Remain Severely Underutilized

Whistleblower Network News

This is part of a series of WNN exclusives on whistleblower awards paid out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to wildlife whistleblowers. From late 2019 through 2022, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued twenty-one whistleblower awards to individuals who provided high-quality information about wildlife crime. The existence of these awards has not been previously made public and details about them were made available to Whistleblower Network News in response to a Freedom o

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FAR Council Issues Interim Rule Outlining Procedures Relating to Excluded Covered Articles and Sources

Inside Government Contracts

On October 5, 2023, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) issued an interim Federal Acquisition Regulation rule (FAR rule) that implements the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA). This FAR rule implements the requirements of the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and the Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC) final rule for complying with exclusion or removal orders.

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Digging out data to shine a light on public buying in Mongolia

Open Contracting Partnership

Mongolia’s economy is dominated by large state-owned mining companies that control much of the country’s wealth. But what they do with that money remains hidden. A series of recent scandals shows just how little accountability there is. To tackle this problem, the country has proposed wide-ranging legislation , including an anti-corruption package with measures to standardize the operations of Mongolia’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and ensure they follow consistent rules throughout processes

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Building high-throughput satellite data downlink architectures with AWS Ground Station WideBand DigIF and Amphinicy Blink SDR

AWS Public Sector

As the number and size of satellite constellations in orbit increase, satellite ground segment architectures must modernize to maintain agility, operational excellence, and economic viability. Virtualizing ground segment architectures can reduce dependency on mission-specific hardware components and drive forward this modernization. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud enables ground segment engineers to explore the possibilities of these architectures with services and features built specificall

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Data & AI are Driving HR Modernization

FedInsider

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 | 2:00PM EDT | 1 Hour | Training Certificate The federal government has a complex hiring process, governed by a host of regulations and policies. Difficulties in hiring young people and individuals with valuable skills such as cybersecurity, and the impact of the pandemic on all employers, has modernizing HR is at the forefront of many agency leaders’ minds.

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Portugal's plan for mandatory green public procurement (II)

Telles.eu

Yesterday I looked into the main text of the draft Council of Ministers Resolution introducing mandatory green public procurement in Portugal. I had assumed that looking into it would be a two part affair. Turns out it will be a four part one instead since I keep finding stuff worth discussing. This second part will not cover the whole of the Annex to the Resolution but only my two main critiques to it.

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Booz Allen’s Josh Petty to Chair Executive Mosaic’s 4×24 General Counsel Group

GovCon Wire

Josh Petty, general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton, has been appointed chair of Executive Mosaic’s 4×24 General Counsel Group. The 4×24 leadership program offers its members, who represent impactful organizations within the government contracting industry, a space to come together with top federal officials to consider critical U.S. missions.

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Fleet Management Technology Keeps Federal Vehicles Running

FedTech Magazine

The General Services Administration leases about 200,000 vehicles in domestic and overseas locations — nearly one-third of the entire federal nontactical fleet. Tracking the costs and maintenance needs for these cars and trucks is a critical task. Real-time data derived from modernized fleet management tools “enables GSA Fleet to save money by tackling maintenance issues early, before they can become the cause of a major repair,” says Crystal Philcox, assistant commissioner of GSA’s Office of Tr