Jason Miller covers civilian agencies in the federal government with a focus on technology and acquisition. He is also an executive editor at Federal News Radio. Jason's reports can be heard Monday - Friday on the Federal Drive and In Depth.

CFOs relying more on data, managing risk to find budget efficiencies

A new Federal News Radio survey finds agency financial managers have moved up to the next level and are using information and performance metrics to inform their decision making. Respondents say they are finding ways to use data to find efficiencies. Workforce training, retaining and hiring are among their top priorities. The survey is part of Federal News Radio's special report, Rise of the Money People.

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CFOs exercise new muscle to impact agency performance

Nearly 23 years after the seminal CFO Act became law, agencies have met its spirit and intent, experts say. CFOs today quickly are becoming more than just number crunchers. They are now masters of data analytics aimed at improving agencies' missions.

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Cyber workforce avoiding retirement wave -- for now

The federal cyber workforce is not facing an immediate retirement wave, but it will if agencies don't increase the number of younger workers.

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NIST, industry begin journey to develop cyber framework

Collaboration and a better way to measure risk emerge as the two main factors in developing a more integrated approach to protecting critical infrastructure systems and networks. At the first of four workshops, NIST got the lowdown from owners and operators as well as information sharing centers on what's working and what needs to be at the forefront as the framework is developed.

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Former VA CIO Baker joins Agilex

Roger Baker becomes the company's chief strategy officer to help it understand the market and ensure it's meeting agency customer expectations.

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OPM Director John Berry to leave when term expires

The director of the Office of Personnel Management is limited to a four-year term under the law. Sources tell Federal News Radio, John Berry informed the CHCO Council he's not planning to stay on when his term expires later this month.

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SES includes more women, minorities than ever before

The Obama administration's efforts to increase the diversity of the Senior Executive Service are starting to pay off. A new report from the Office of Personnel Management shows that in 2012 there were slight increases among women and racial categories.

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OMB's revised PortfolioStat process simplifies IT reporting requirements

Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel said the new process is centered around three concepts: the why, the what and the results. The White House also is consolidating 30 reporting requirements into three that will help agencies determine answers to the three questions. OMB also updated the goals under the data center consolidation initiative.

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New data analytics tool gives Postal Service IG head start on cases

Bryan Jones, the director of the Counter Measures and Performance Evaluation (CAPE) team in the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General, said the development of a dashboard to help investigators visualize data more easily helped overcome initial resistance to these kinds of tools.
March 28, 2013

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Inside the Reporter's Notebook: A deeper focus on strategic sourcing, boosting acquisition and cyber workforces

News and buzz in the acquisition and IT communities that you may have missed this week.

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New bill could curtail FEHBP prescription drug costs

The FEHBP Drug Integrity, Transparency and Cost Savings Act would give OPM more oversight of contracts and pricing methods. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said the bill would save the government billions.

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Sharpe sets 10 priorities to assure success at FAS

Tom Sharpe, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, is focusing on 10 areas to make the organization more responsive and efficient. Sharpe also plans to meet with vendors and employees to improve their satisfaction with FAS.

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House Oversight Committee passes 12 bills affecting agency management

Including the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday passed 12 bills focusing on a variety of agency management issues.

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Issa's IT reform bill moves through committee, concerns still remain

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) with little debate and no amendments. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the bill's author and chairman of the committee, said the provisions to give CIOs more budget control and the IT project and program management improvements will have a big impact on how agencies spend money on technology.

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USDA seeks authority to transfer funds to offset sequestration cuts

Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack can move money in-between accounts within the same bureau, but not across the agency under a special provision called Interchange Authority. Vilsack has officially asked Congress for use of that authority in an effort to stunt the negative effects of sequestration at his agency. At at recent House hearing, Republican lawmakers questioned why more agencies haven't movasked Congress for similar permission.

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GSA in desperate need of funds to repair federal buildings

For the third year in a row, Congress is unlikely to give GSA enough money to repair and maintain federal buildings. Acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini told House lawmakers Tuesday that the government isn't spending the 2-to-4 percent industry average to keep buildings operating well.

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Postal Service reform finds new life on Capitol Hill

Real reform for the U.S. Postal Service may be gaining some steam in Congress. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), the new chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service, tells Federal News Radio, House leadership sees room for compromise with Democrats when it comes to figuring out ways to get USPS back in the black. Farenthold supports the Postal Service's plan to eliminate Saturday mail delivery.

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Sequestration cuts force GSA to cancel two more conferences

The annual SmartPay and FedForum conferences have been canceled this year due to cuts to agency travel and training budgets under sequestration.

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GAO to review agency sequestration planning, implementation

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asked auditors to review five different areas of sequestration. The Government Accountability Office will examine the actual sequestration order, as well as the July 31 memo to agencies from the Office of Management and Budget. He also wants GAO to look at any supporting reports, regulations and orders for compliance with the Budget Control Act, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, and other relevant statutes.

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Cyber vulnerability in GSA's SAM portal exposes vendors' data

The agency in an email to contractors said information including social security numbers and bank account information were publicly assessable. GSA is offering credit monitoring services to those affected.

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