The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Modernization, Acquisition and More in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Guest User

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers. 

OMB Guidance Presents Chance to Standardize Software Bill of Materials 

Forthcoming Office of Management and Budget guidance on secure development practices offers a chance to make the software bill of materials the standard for vendor self-attestation. But security experts say standardizing the Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), an inventory of software components down the stack, requires practical deadlines for vendors and a concrete process for using the information it contains at agencies. 

Biden Administration Releases New IT Modernization Plan 

The White House released its latest framework for implementing new information technologies into Federal agencies, with cybersecurity and data analytics serving as two key pillars. Outlined in the Office of Management and Budget’s Information Technology Operating Plan, funding from sources like the Technology Modernization Fund and the IT Oversight and Reform Account will help update Federal computer systems. 

GDIT Snags $120 Million Contract to Modernize Student Aid Processing System 

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has been awarded a $121 million contract to modernize one of the Department of Education’s key student financial aid systems. Through the Award Eligibility Determination contract, which has an 18-month base period with eight one-year options and one six-month option, GDIT will migrate mission critical legacy applications to a modern, cloud-based architecture. 

Air Force Aims to Alleviate ‘Pain Points’ Through Robotic Process Automation 

Roughly a week after deploying a robotic process automation (RPA) accelerator to set up 25 different experiments, the Air Force already has five new software-based bots in full operation. RPA uses software technology that enables humans to easily build, deploy and manage digital robots that can perform manual, often repetitive functions. Over the last several years, it’s been having an impact across the government — including in the Air Force. 

TMF to Allocate $100m For High-Impact Customer Experience Improvement Projects 

MB and GSA have designated $100 million of the Technology Modernization Fund for high-impact service providers with innovative projects that will improve customer experience. 

Projects that span agencies; reduce wait times, paperwork and bureaucratic barriers; and improve essential capabilities and systems will be prioritized by the TMF Board. 

GSA Gauging Which Agencies Will Extend Network, Telecom Services on Legacy Contracts 

The General Services Administration expects most agencies that still haven’t awarded Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) task orders to continue services on expiring contracts another year. GSA invoked the continuity of service (CoS) clause for three legacy enterprise network and telecommunication contracts, giving agencies until Sept. 30, 2022, to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that they’ll either complete their transitions to the $50 billion EIS contract or find another solution by May 31, 2024. 

Small Biz Leaders Urge Congress to Address Category Management Woes 

Small business owners and experts implored Congress to take action against the rapidly declining rate of small businesses within the Federal marketplace, testifying that the increased use of category management policies and practices has shut out competition and reduced overall innovation in government. 

VA Issues AVAIL Health Technology Solicitation With $650M Ceiling 

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity solicitation for healthcare technology research and development worth up to $650 million. VA is looking for solutions that fall into five innovation category areas: personalized care, data transformation, digital care, immersive technology and care and service delivery models. 

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