Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Contractor employees who haven't done so already need to roll up those sleeves and get a vaccination — that is, if they want to go back on site. That's fine, but what about those who for one reason or another can't or won't get a vaccination? For more on this and other late contractor questions, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Coast Guard operates in a domain no less dynamic than any other branch of the military. As an organization it's in the midst of recapitalizing itself, and taking on diversity and climate change. For an update, at the SeaAirSpace conference, Federal Drive with Tom Temin caught up with the Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 12th version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard offered few real surprises. Most agencies continue to earn “B” and “C” grades. What came from the most recent hearing however, is a call to possibly refocus the scorecard or break it apart into smaller and more specific accountability tasks. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss what some lawmakers are thinking about it comes to the future of FITARA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology projects at the Department of Veterans Affairs were taking too long. On average, the agency delivered new software applications in 90 days or less only 22% of the time. That was a few years back. Now, VA has reversed course. Now, nearly all new software comes out in 90 days or less. How? Agile development and DevOps. For more, Federal News Network's Jason Miller spoke with the acting associate deputy assistant secretary for the Enterprise Program Management Office Dan McCune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The General Services Administration’s chief financial officer community of practice is helping CFO offices at other agencies adopt robotic process automation. It’s one reason the Association of Government Accountants recognized GSA with a Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting. For more on GSA’s award-winning financial work, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the director of financial management at GSA Kathy Hammer, and with GSA’s CFO Gerard Badorrek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not only pay for health care but they accredit the organizations that deliver the programs. Now the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has found CMS needs to improve its oversight of a critical piece of health care infrastructure — namely, the cybersecurity of networked medical devices. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to social science research analyst Ivan Troy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You've probably guessed that it's too soon to make a bonfire out of your face masks. In fact, mask mandates are back on here and there, such as for unvaccinated federal employees who want to return to the office. A sort of mini mask war has broken out in Congress, as WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller explained on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With ransomware from Russia threatening U.S. critical infrastructure the question heard more and more is should the U.S. Cyber Command shoot back? Jason Healey says yes, but only under certain, carefully defined conditions. He is a senior research scholar at Columbia University's School for International and Public Affairs, and he spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more insight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government spends more than $90 billion a year on information technology, and as anyone involved in the procurement process can attest, that process is far from perfect. Now the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration are turning to online crowdsourcing to help make it better. The new series of challenges is called Engaging Procurement Ideas to Consider --- or 'EPIC.' The first one wrapped up at the end of June after gathering 1,700 responses. Lesley Field is the acting director of OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy. And Laura Stanton is assistant commissioner for the IT category in GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu welcomed them to Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk about how EPIC works. Field spoke first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even thought the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is coming to an end, the need for oversight isn’t. With billions of federal dollars still flowing into the country, The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction thinks it’ll have plenty of work to do for a long time to come. But how the work gets done will need to change. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu has details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tide is quickly shifting again on the pandemic. Masks are back inside federal buildings. And federal employees have a new vaccine policy from the White House. The Biden administration wants federal employees to either show proof of vaccination or face rigorous testing and social distancing. It's a big policy shift for the federal workforce. Here to walk us through it all is Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NIH has long operated a series of popular governmentwide acquisition contracts through its Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center, or NITAAC. The solicitation for the new vehicle known as CIO-SP4 was barely out before it ran into protests. Since then NITAAC has issued eight amendments to the solicitation and it's making industry scratch its head. To help sort it all out, one of the protesting attorneys and a partner at Piliero Mazza, Cy Alba. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strategy is easier to state than it is to budget for. So when the Pentagon leadership discusses the rising threat of China, are they putting military dollars where their mouths are? For answers, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to analysis of the budget by Govini, and its senior vice president, Jim Mitre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new guide put together by a unit of the Agriculture Department aims to help spur employment in rural areas. Its resource guide includes sources of funding available from the USDA itself. Farah Ahmad, chief of staff for Rural Development at USDA, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk more about the program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That expected order from the Biden administration that federal employees must be vaccinated or else, can they do it legally? For what the implications might be, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the managing partner of the law firm Tulley Rinckey, Dan Meyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices