Inside Government Contracts

MARCH 12, 2024

On March 7, 2024, the Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) announced a proposed rule to rescind a longstanding general waiver of Buy America requirements for manufactured products (the “Manufactured Products Waiver”). If finalized, this would be a major change for the agency, reversing a policy that has been in place for more than 40 years.

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GovCon & Trade

MARCH 13, 2024

You are reading the February 2024 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.

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AWS Public Sector

MARCH 15, 2024

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is easy to use—and that’s what makes the technology so exciting. But it’s important not to confuse ease of use with effortless deployment. The value of generative AI is inextricably linked to the technology’s reliability and traceability, as described in our earlier blog post, Generative AI: Understand the challenges to realize the opportunities.

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FedInsider

MARCH 14, 2024

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 | 2:00PM EDT | 1 Hour | 1 CPE In today’s interconnected digital landscape, application programming interfaces (APIs) play a pivotal role in facilitating seamless communication and data exchange between various applications and systems. However, with this increased connectivity comes heightened security risks, particularly concerning the protection of sensitive data in those APIs.

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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

FedScoop

MARCH 15, 2024

The ever-increasing backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests for federal agencies is due in part to technological issues facing the workers charged with fulfilling them, a new Government Accountability Office report found. The congressional watchdog, tasked by a bicameral, bipartisan group of lawmakers to investigate FOIA response delays, found that the backlog jumped from 14% in 2013 to 22% in 2022, with the growing complexity of requests, staffing shortages and increasing threats of liti

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GovCon & Trade

MARCH 13, 2024

We published an article titled “Department of Defense Publishes Long-Awaited CMMC Proposed Rule,” in the March 2024 edition of Cyber Defense Magazine. In the article, we discuss the function of the CMMC Proposed Rule to protect sensitive information being handled by government contractors and identify individuals and organizations that will be tasked with complying with the program.

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Federal News Network

MARCH 12, 2024

Bloomberg Government recently underscored something federal contracting data has been showing. In the last ten years, the number of small businesses doing business with the government has fallen by a third. Small companies staying in the market specialize in it. My next guest says the regulatory burden the government requires keeps non-specialized, so-called mom-and-pop business out of the market.

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Supply Chain Government Government Participation 115

Key Solutions

MARCH 13, 2024

Stepping into a Proposal Manager role for the first time can be overwhelming and intimidating. Many proposal professionals learn on the job or through a trial-by-fire scenario. The “this is fine” meme comes to mind.

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Management 111

FedScoop

MARCH 14, 2024

When generative AI tools exploded into the public consciousness, technology leaders at the General Services Administration made the decision to let agency workers “explore this space.” For longtime GSA CIO Dave Shive, that decision led to some eye-opening — and head-scratching — observations of the GSA workforce. But it also provided a foundation for what would inform the agency’s generative AI policy.

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GovCon Wire

MARCH 14, 2024

Mike Eppes, director of public sector at Keeper Security, said password management is one of the areas the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program addresses and defense contractors should account for such requirements. He noted that the Department of Defense and contractors must advance zero trust adoption.

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Management Accountability Government Government 112

Federal News Network

MARCH 15, 2024

The effort to make buying cloud services easier for agencies and more in line with industry standards continues with yet another acquisition workaround. The General Services Administration issued its second acquisition letter in just over two years, giving its contracting officers permission to move closer to buying cloud services “by the drink,” or through a consumption based model.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 14, 2024

The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection intends to recompete a multiple-award contract for the procurement of cloud computing services. CBP expects the acquisition effort to have a ceiling value of over $100 million and anticipates release of a solicitation for the planned indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract by May 1.

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Quantity Procurement Contract 109

Whistleblower Network News

MARCH 15, 2024

On March 14, the U.S. Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC) announced a $1.25 million whistleblower award. The whistleblower’s information “was quite significant because it, and it alone, caused the Division of Enforcement (Division) to open the investigation underlying the Covered Action,” according to the award order. Through the CFTC Whistleblower Program , qualified whistleblowers, individuals who voluntarily provide original information which leads to a successful enforce

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Finance Networking Import IT 109

GovCon Wire

MARCH 14, 2024

Christy Beach, formerly senior vice president of Patriot Group International, has been appointed chief operating officer, succeeding Robert Whitfield, who took on the chief growth officer role at the Warrenton, Virginia-based expeditionary mission support services provider.

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Federal News Network

MARCH 12, 2024

Government shutdown threats and scrimping on contractor employee wages, those conflicts affect one group of working people perhaps more than any other. People with disabilities. Joining the Federal Drive with Tom Temin , with some of his current concerns, the president of the Alliance for Expanding America’s Workforce, Dwight Davis. Interview Transcript: Tom Temin Tell us about the Alliance first Alliance for expanding America’s Workforce.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 15, 2024

Michael Parrish , chief acquisition officer and principal executive director for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction, has joined the ranks of Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for his work advancing the VA’s major programs and acquisitions and supporting U.S. veterans. As a 2024 winner, Michael Parrish is a contestant in the annual Wash100 popular vote contest!

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Logistics 105

FedScoop

MARCH 15, 2024

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s artificial intelligence plans came into greater focus this week with a roughly $4.43 million request for AI-related funding in its fiscal year 2025 budget, a $3.7 million increase from the previous year, according to an agency spokesperson. In its congressional budget justification for FY 2025 , the NRC said it is looking to develop an AI regulatory framework for the nuclear industry, in addition to facilitating the responsible adoption of AI, which includes g

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GovCon Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

Tria Federal is a leading middle-market government contractor that is making its mark providing digital lifecycle information technology services for federal health, defense and public safety clients. Formed through the merger of three smaller companies, it’s about to celebrate its second year of business.

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GovLoop

MARCH 13, 2024

With greater observability, federal agencies can gain actionable insight into the performance of their IT systems and applications. And by adding AI to their IT operations (AIOps), they can supercharge their ability to apply intelligent incident detection and response in order to speed remediation and keep the mission on track, said Nathan Stacey, Senior Manager with Elastic.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 15, 2024

Science Applications International Corp. booked approximately $284 million in contracts from the U.S. Intelligence Community between January and February. SAIC said Thursday the contract awards include work across the areas of data, engineering and artificial intelligence.

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Whistleblower Network News

MARCH 15, 2024

On March 12, a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) administrative judge ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a letter of “sincere thanks” to whistleblower Dr. Tommie (Toni) Savage. Dr. Savage’s federal employee whistleblower case has stretched on for nearly a decade and a half since she began to experience retaliation for blowing the whistle on systemic contracting fraud within the Army Corps of Engineers.

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Engineering Whistle-blowing Evaluation Contract 106

GovCon Wire

MARCH 12, 2024

Matt Barry, chief operating officer at HP Federal, noted that threat actors can use endpoints as vectors that could enable them to infiltrate an organization’s network and highlighted the importance of security by design to ensure the security of such endpoints and safeguard government and contractor systems.

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Networking Import Government Government 108

FedScoop

MARCH 13, 2024

House lawmakers across the aisle agreed during a Tuesday hearing on the need for a legislative framework for artificial intelligence-generated content that depicts child sexual abuse materials, or CSAM, while acknowledging that there are gaps to fill left by existing statutes that do not explicitly include AI stipulations. During a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing that featured testimony from a New Jersey mother whose high school-aged daughter was the victim of deepfake po

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Accountability Ethics Distribution Media 120

ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 14, 2024

Stacy Smith, a semiconductor industry executive, has joined the board of directors of Intel , bringing to the board his decades of leadership experience in manufacturing and operations, branding, sales and marketing. He will serve on the board’s audit and finance committee in addition to his role as an independent director, the company said Wednesday.

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Finance Manufacturing Leadership 105

USFCR

MARCH 13, 2024

Nick Kosmos joined the US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) team in August 2023 as a Registration & Contracting Specialist. Originally from Maryland and having grown up in Charleston, SC, Nick's move to Florida was driven by his love for the sun, beaches, and the vibrant outdoor lifestyle the state offers.

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Contract 100

GovCon Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

The Department of Veterans Affairs has named CGI Federal as an awardee on the multiple-award Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation 2 contract vehicle for information technology products and services. VA’s Technology Acquisition Center announced the move in a notice published Thursday on SAM.gov.

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Government Contracts

MARCH 15, 2024

Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 14, 2024

Juan Navarro , an experienced information technology professional who previously served as CEO of HDT Global , has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Advanced IT Concepts. He will assume responsibility for guiding the company through its upcoming phase of growth, the Florida-based company said Wednesday.

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IT 105

WashngtonExec

MARCH 11, 2024

Karen Britton, formerly vice president of communications and marketing and chief digital officer for LMI, is described as someone who made a “profound impact” on those in her circles. Funeral services for Britton were held March 4. She passed away at age 59 following a battle with brain cancer. Britton came to LMI in May [.

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GovCon Wire

MARCH 15, 2024

Despite the U.S. federal government not having yet passed a full-year defense appropriation for fiscal year 2024, the Navy has ironed out its request for FY 2025, including a sizable amount for its contribution to the Department of Defense’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, DefenseScoop reports.

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Federal News Network

MARCH 15, 2024

While the award lead times have generally decreased for defense contracts and orders over $250,000 in the last several years, it takes longer for the Defense Department to award larger contracts. The Defense Department uses the metric known as procurement administrative lead time, or PALT, to measure the time between the date an initial solicitation for a contract goes out and the date a contract is awarded.

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ExecutiveBiz

MARCH 15, 2024

Constantine Saab , managing director and chief technology officer at Valor Equity Partners, has joined the advisory board of Peraton. Saab, an 18-year CIA veteran, will provide strategic counsel to Peraton's senior leadership team on shaping the company's business goals and objectives, the company said Thursday.

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Leadership Management 104

Art of Procurement

MARCH 14, 2024

I live in Boston, one of the greatest sports towns in the world (if we do say so ourselves). With. The post Three Strikes for the New Baseball Uniform appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Procurement Risk Management Management 96

GovCon Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded five companies positions on a potential five-year, $2.36 billion multiple-award task order contract to provide construction support services for the Forth Worth District.

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Engineering Contract 105

Government Contracts

MARCH 15, 2024

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., suggested the Air Force's new nuclear missile program should be shuttered after it exceeded its expected cost to taxpayers by $36 billion, unless it can justify its relevance to national security.

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IT 96

Whistleblower Network News

MARCH 14, 2024

Whistleblower advocates are calling on members of Congress to include the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act as a part of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 , the large bipartisan tax bill currently being negotiated in Congress. National Whistleblower Center (NWC) sent a letter to Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee urging him to support the inclusion of the whistleblower reform bill.

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