Sat.Feb 24, 2024 - Fri.Mar 01, 2024

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DOD Issues Final DFARS Rule Implementing Increased Buy American Restrictions for Defense Procurements

Inside Government Contracts

On February 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DOD”) issued a final rule that increases the domestic content requirements for defense procurements. The new rule amends the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) to implement Executive Order 14005 (“EO”). The EO was intended to strengthen the requirements of the Buy American Act (“BAA”) by, among other things, directing the FAR Council to issue new rules increasing the domestic content threshold for determining whether a

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Bid Protest Minute: GAO’s Task Order Jurisdiction

GovCon & Trade

On December 21, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed a protest by ELS, an unsuccessful bidder on a Department of Defense (DOD) task order opportunity, concluding that it did not have jurisdiction to consider it. GAO reasoned that because “the value of the task order [was] below $25,000,000. it does not have jurisdiction to consider the protest.

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Updated NIST cybersecurity framework adds core function, focuses on supply chain risk management

FedScoop

A decade after releasing its landmark national cybersecurity framework, the National Institute of Standards and Technology on Monday released version 2.0 , an updated document that emphasizes governance and supply chain issues for both public and private sector entities. The new guidance, which outlines “high-level cybersecurity outcomes that can be used by any organization … to better understand, assess, prioritize and communicate its cybersecurity efforts,” adds a sixth core function — “govern

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Top Pricing Execs to Watch in 2024

WashngtonExec

For WashingtonExec’s Top Pricing Execs to Watch in 2024, we identified the best of the best in building proper pricing models for success, bringing strategic thought leadership to each opportunity, and putting long-term growth and strategy first. Based on their accomplishments, impact on business goals and vision for the near-term future, these execs bring exactly what the GovCon community needs to empower competition and success.

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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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Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

GovLoop

National Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March, which this year falls on March 1. Here’s a few ideas to help you honor the occasion. Take a moment to think about each person and communicate thanks. An individualized note can mean a lot. Recognize an employee at a meeting. Consider a creative gesture like a photo collage for the team that points out employee contributions.

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Sen. Ernst hopeful about fixes to small business contracting

Federal News Network

The fix is in for federal small business contracting. And this fix is actually a good one. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, are trying to correct a misunderstanding of congressional intent when it comes to how and when agencies should consider price when reviewing proposals for contracts.

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SSC Seeks Proposals for Space & Cyber Tech Broad Agency Announcement

GovCon Wire

Space Systems Command has begun seeking concept papers for a potential five-year, $99 million broad agency announcement to develop, deliver and sustain cyber technologies designed to defend space assets from emerging threats.

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Textron, General Dynamics to Design ARV Prototypes for Marine Corps

ExecutiveBiz

Textron Systems and General Dynamics ' land systems division have been awarded contracts worth $22.7 million combined to design advanced reconnaissance vehicle prototypes equipped with a 30 mm medium-caliber autocannon for the U.S. Marine Corps. Under an $11.8 million contract, Textron will build an ARV-30 prototype vehicle at its facility in Hunt Valley, Maryland, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

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Need to Improve CX? Low-code Automated Testing Can Help

GovLoop

Government agencies have a lot riding on improving their constituents’ customer experience (CX), and they understand the consequences. That’s why the White House made CX a federal priority starting with an Executive Order issued in 2021, which recognized that every public interaction with government is an opportunity to build or lose trust, and why state CIOs have ranked CX a top priority every year since then.

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Webinar Recap: 5 Ways GovSpend Can Help SLED Agencies Meet Procurement Goalss

GovSpend

In a recent webinar hosted by GovSpend Relationship Manager and SLED expert Paige Mockler, procurement professionals were shown how to leverage GovSpend’s public sector intelligence to meet their procurement goals. The agenda promised insights into vendor verification, sourcing new vendors, validating pricing against historical purchase orders, market research, and tailoring bids and RFQs for success.

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GDMS Business Books $116M Navy Contract for Ship Maintenance Management Software

GovCon Wire

A subsidiary of General Dynamics‘ (NYSE: GD) mission systems business won a potential $116 million contract to lead the procurement of a management decision software for shipboard and shore-based maintenance activities of the U.S. Navy.

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GDIT AI Exec Dave Vennergrund Discusses Power of Data Lakehouses & Meshes

ExecutiveBiz

Combining data lakes and meshes will enable government agencies to align their data assets more efficiently in compliance with the executive order on artificial intelligence, said Dave Vennergrund, vice president of AI and data insights at General Dynamics Information Technology. He discussed the significance of information lakehouses to government initiatives enabled by AI and machine learning, and how they can help the development of trustworthy and secure AI.

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How cloud modernization transformed OPM cybersecurity operations

FedScoop

Few organizations in the world provide human resource services at the scale of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM oversees personnel management services for 2.2 million federal workers — and the retirement benefits for another 2.7 million annuitants, survivors, and family members. Because the agency also manages the federal workforce’s recruiting, hiring, and benefits management, OPM is responsible for handling vast amounts of sensitive data, making it a prime target for cy

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Director of UK’s SFO Advocates for Whistleblower Awards

Whistleblower Network News

On February 13, Nick Ephgrave QPM gave his first public speech as Director of the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office (SFO), during which he expressed a desire to pay awards to financial fraud whistleblowers in the U.K. “I think we should pay whistleblowers,” said Ephgrave. The SFO and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have historically been resistant to the idea of whistleblower awards.

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GovCon Expert Kim Koster Lays Out How GovCons Should Ditch the Spreadsheets & Enhance Inventory, Asset Tracking

GovCon Wire

By Kim Koster, VP of Industry Marketing at Unanet As the public sector navigates increasingly complex acquisition and inventory policies for handling government property, inventory and asset tracking has become a challenging area for government contractors to manage.

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Tara Martin Assumes VP of Business Development for Maritime Role at L3Harris

ExecutiveBiz

Tara Martin , formerly vice president of business development for the electro-optical sector at L3Harris Technologies , has transitioned to become VP of BD for the maritime sector at the company, she announced on LinkedIn Wednesday. Martin has been with L3Harris for over three years, initially joining as senior director of BD for the reconnaissance mission systems sector in October 2020.

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Export-Import Bank taking open-minded approach on the use of generative AI tools

FedScoop

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is among the agencies opting for a more permissive approach to generative AI tools, providing employees the same kind of access the independent agency has for access to the internet, according to its top IT official. “We do not block AI any more than we block general internet access,” Howard Spira, chief information officer of Ex-Im, said during a Thursday panel discussion hosted by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC).

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Wash. Seeks Injunction To Force GEO ICE Prison Inspections

Government Contracts

The Washington state labor and health departments have urged a Washington federal judge to compel GEO Group to let inspectors inside a Seattle-area immigrant detention facility, saying the private prison giant will otherwise continue to block entry and keep regulators from investigating complaints about unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

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Gina Raimondo on Commerce’s Investments in Leading-Edge Logic Chip Manufacturing for AI Systems

GovCon Wire

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said artificial intelligence systems are driving the demand for leading-edge logic chips and the Department of Commerce is working to meet that demand through its investments under the CHIPS for America program as part of its implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act.

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Time to Return to Just-in-Time?

Art of Procurement

“Wisdom is given equally to everybody. The point is whether one can exercise it.” – Taiichi Ohno, The “Ten Precepts”. The post Time to Return to Just-in-Time? appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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AI advisory committee wants law enforcement agencies to rethink use case inventory exclusions

FedScoop

There’s little debate that facial recognition and automated license plate readers are forms of artificial intelligence used by police. So the omissions of those technologies in the Department of Justice’s AI use case inventory late last year were a surprise to a group of law enforcement experts charged with advising the president and the National AI Initiative Office on such matters.

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Boeing To Pay $51M To End 199 Arms Export Violation Claims

Government Contracts

The Boeing Co. will pay $51 million to resolve nearly 200 export violations that threatened U.S. national security when its foreign employees downloaded and transferred technical data in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, with $24 million to go toward compliance efforts, the U.S. Department of State announced Thursday.

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US Government Preparing 3 Key Space Contracts for Launch

GovCon Wire

The United States is in the midst of a global race to dominate the space domain, and to stay ahead, the federal government must accelerate its efforts to expand and deepen its space capabilities. U.S.

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FAR Parts and Why They Matter to Government Contractors

Redstone Government Consulting

If you have Government contracts, you probably heard of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, but how much do you know of its parts? Why is it important to know? How could it possibly impact me?

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OPM outlines incentives to attract, retain federal AI workforce

FedScoop

The Office of Personnel Management sent guidance to federal agencies Tuesday outlining pay and benefits flexibilities for AI positions as the administration works to attract and retain a workforce equipped to address the budding technology. The memo and guidance from OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, which was shared with FedScoop, summarizes the “considerable discretionary authority” that agencies have for pay, incentive pay, leave and workforce flexibility programs for AI and other key technical jobs,

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Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions and Export Controls

Government Contracts

Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

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Intel Unveils Altera as Standalone Entity Focused on FPGA Market; Sandra Rivera Quoted

GovCon Wire

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) has launched Altera as a standalone company focused on pursuing growth in the field programmable gate array market and delivering artificial intelligence capabilities designed to help clients facing complex technological challenges.

Finance 101
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SmallGovCon Week in Review: Feb 26-March 1, 2024

SmallGovCon

Hello, blog readers and happy Friday. Can you believe it’s already March? In just a few short weeks, spring will (finally) be here! We hope that you’re gearing up for a nice weekend. But before you punch out , let’s take a look at the-week that was. In this edition of the Week in Review, Congress passed a short term spending measure to avoid another government shutdown and a report was released citing that federal employee whistleblower complaints have dropped, and Congress is trying to improve

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FBI, DHS lack information-sharing strategies for domestic extremist threats online, GAO says

FedScoop

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security’s information-sharing efforts on domestic extremist threats with social media and gaming companies lack an overarching strategy, a Government Accountability Office report found , raising questions about the effectiveness of the agencies’ communications to address violent warnings online. In response to the proliferation in recent years of content on social media and gaming platforms that promote domestic violent extremism, the FBI and DHS have taken st

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Ga. Judge Frees ICE Facility From Forced Labor Suit

Government Contracts

A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday allowed an immigration detention facility to escape a proposed class action accusing it of forcing detainees to work for as little as $1 per day after it argued it couldn't be sued under Georgia law.

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Tackling the Data Mountain & Discovering Critical Insights With Acuity’s Gregg Melanson

GovCon Wire

Data is the key to unlocking important insights that can inform decisions on and off the battlefield. But in order to glean these insights, organizations must process and analyze vast amounts of data, which can be a significant challenge.

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GSA CIO, IG spar over purchase of China-made video conferencing cameras

Federal News Network

The General Services Administration’s top IT official says GSA did not violate the law when it bought more than 100 China-made video conferencing cameras in 2022 as part of a pilot project. GSA Chief Information Officer David Shive also says nobody at the agency intentionally misled the contracting officer into approving the purchases. GSA’s deputy inspector general, however, says officials in the agency’s Office of Digital Infrastructure Technologies (IDT) supplied the contracting officer with

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Senate bill calls on NIST to boost work on emerging tech standards

FedScoop

A newly introduced bipartisan Senate bill seeks to improve U.S. participation in international standards-setting bodies for emerging technologies by creating a pilot program that would fund the hosting of standard-setting meetings in the United States. Amid growing concern that U.S. companies and technologies are getting outmuscled by China in standard-setting bodies, the Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2024 from Sens.

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7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

Government Contracts

As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

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Space Force Introduces Futures Command to Bolster ‘Effectiveness’

GovCon Wire

The U.S. Space Force has announced its intention to erect a new field command: Space Futures Command. This wing of the service branch will scout, generate and assess cutting edge technologies and strategies that aid in the overall Space Force and Department of Defense missions.

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SEC Whistleblower Office Posts Notice for $100 Million FCPA Settlement

Whistleblower Network News

On February 29, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of the Whistleblower posted a Notice of Covered Action (NoCA) for a $100 million settlement with global software company SAP SE over charges of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The NoCA signals that the SEC is now accepting whistleblower award claims for the case.