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.

House approves FISMA modernization bill, two other cyber bills

An update to the Federal Information Security Management Act and the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013 passed through the House Tuesday night. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Protection Act also passed, but faces a veto threat because of concerns over data protection.

Comment

GSA appeals MSPB's exoneration of Prouty

The agency also puts former Region 8 Commissioner of the Public Building Service on administrative leave until the MSPB Board makes a decision on the appeal.

Comment

Data analytics improving CFOs' lines of sight for program execution

Federal chief financial officers have more foresight, insight and hindsight than ever before to make better decisions. But just as important as having these wide-ranging sight lines is how they are being translated down to the program level. Experts say agencies are slowly heading down the path of using data to make better decisions.

1

Inside the Reporter's Notebook: A deeper dive into the 2014 budget

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

Comment

Bureau of Fiscal Service primes network for influx of new customers

Kim McCoy, the bureau's chief information officer, said she's looking at how best to pre-position resources to get new agency financial management customers on board more quickly.
April 11, 2013

Comment

FEHBP modernization plan receives cautious optimism from Hill

The Office of Personnel Management told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that the 50-year-old law creating the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) has hurt its ability to keep the FEHBP up-to-date. The agency estimates billions in savings over the next decade should Congress approve the White House's proposals in the 2014 budget request.

2

White House pushes $2B increase in IT spending

The White House asked Congress for a $2 billion increase in federal technology funding for fiscal 2014. Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel said there is broad recognition that the time to invest in IT is now because of the long-term savings and benefits it can bring.

Comment

Intel community seeks to protect workforce from sequestration's impact

James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, said the 17-agency community is trying not to repeat lessons of past cuts that hampered analytical capabilities. Clapper also issued a new IC-wide code of ethics and made a key change to the security clearance form.

Comment

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.

Comment

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.

4

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.

Comment

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.

1

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.

1

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.

1

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.

3

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.

Comment

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

Comment

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.

1

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.

3

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.

1