Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The trillions Congress printed to respond to the pandemic were supposed to come with a tough regime of oversight and transparency. But that only partially came true. My next guest says the COVID spending only exaggerated existing weaknesses in spend reporting. Sean Moulton is senior policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To the IRS, taxpayers are also cases. That makes case management a vital function, to help people resolve issues or get answers to questions. Over the years, the IRS has accumulated dozens of case management systems. Many are long in tooth. Last year the agency set up an office knowns as Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management. Its task is to consolidate and modernize cast management. For a progress report, the Federal Drive turned to co-director Justin Abold-LaBreche. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rarely does an agency have both money and momentum to pursue real change and innovation. But that's exactly what Robin Carnahan believes she has, as the new administrator of the General Services Administration. In her first interview since being confirmed by the Senate about six weeks ago, Carnahan tells Federal News Network's Jason Miller about how she plans on putting that money and momentum to work for GSA’s customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone who thinks they've got cybersecurity chops can prove it in an upcoming challenge competition. Sponsored by Microsoft, the challenge is hosted by AFCEA and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance -- INSA. You'll have to hurry, this year as Emerging Professionals in the Intelligence Community, or EPIC, launches in just days. Federal Drive with Tom Temin got details from Microsoft Federal Senior Account Executive Niloo Norton, and Account Technology Strategist Joel Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a lot of talent out there in the National Guard and reserve forces. But the active duty forces don't have an easy way to tap that talent, much less know it even exists. Now the Defense Innovation Unit has come up with an artificial intelligence application to help close the gap. Here with more, the contractor who is DIU's technical project manager, Scott Sumner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Small Business Administration raised the goal of federal contracting dollars that go to small disadvantaged businesses by 50% over five years. A goal recently stated by President Joe Biden. For how SBA will help agencies get there, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with SBA’s associate administrator for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, Bibi Hidalgo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Department is planning to mandate vaccinations for active duty service members by mid-September. But what about the other components of the military? Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione joins me with new details on the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Illegal fishing is bad, not just for fish populations. It can threaten food supplies, the marine ecosystem, even geopolitical stability. That last problem is why the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit has launched a prize competition for ways to use technology to detect and stop illegal fishing. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the DIU's chief strategist for artificial intelligence and machine learning, Bryce Goodman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal managers have no problem supplying remote employees what they need to be effective. At least technically. But what about the whole person? Research by Accenture Federal Services shows the need to deal with the stress and pressure the pandemic has brought. With some ideas, the managing director for Accenture Federal's human capital practice, Kristen Vaughan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't have solid cybersecurity without the right people. You've heard that before. Organizations need people with the right skills and they need to pay them commensurate with that skill. Yet, the skills shortage continues driven, according to one new study, by low pay. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to study authors Jon Oltsik, a senior principal analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group, and the president of the International Systems Security Association, Candy Alexander. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The military services are providing leeway to troops this year when it comes to moving to new orders. Even so, relocating during the pandemic can be difficult. Service members are competing with a higher civilian move rate and moving companies are having trouble keeping up with demand. For analysis, Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke with moveBuddha co-founder Ryan Carrigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Navy is taking a more holistic view of its global supply chain – and it’s saved hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. The recently launched Naval Supply Systems Command is focused on bringing commercial best practices into the Navy’s decisions about supplying spare parts and maintaining weapons systems. One way to do that is to assign dollar values to mission-capable weapons systems, so officials can track their return on investment for every readiness dollar they spend. For how the effort is going, Federal News Network's Jared Serbu spoke with the commander of Naval Supply Systems Command, Rear Admiral Pete Stamatopoulos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By any measure, the federal market for information technology is enormous -- close to 8% of the discretionary budget. And while it's not growing as fast as it did maybe in the 1990s, it's by no means static. For what's in the immediate future for this $118 billion industry, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the senior director of research at Deltek, Deniece Peterson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coast Guard brass see a rising tide of cyber threats to the nation’s ports, waterways and other pieces of maritime infrastructure. In a new cyber strategic outlook published earlier this month, the Coast Guard committed to increasing its capabilities to both defend its networks and carry out cyberspace operations. Federal News Network Justin Doubleday spoke with Rear Admiral Mike Ryan the head of Coast Guard Cyber Command about the new strategy document. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House’s National Cyber Director, Chris Inglis, says federal agencies need more authoritative data on the threats they face. Inglis is advising Congress to establish a Bureau of Cyber Statistics within the Homeland Security Department. Its purpose would be to get a big picture look at cyber threats. The bipartisan Cyberspace Solarium Commission first recommended creating this bureau, and now members are introducing measures to make the bureau a reality. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices