Fed Gov Today

A 10-year roadmap for agency digitization is out from the Office of Management and Budget. The guidance is called “Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience.” Suzette Kent, CEO of Kent Advisory Services and former Federal Chief Information Officer, explains what’s in it, and what it means for agencies and the government as a whole.“Data as a strategic asset” is not a new term in the federal government. But the kinds of data agencies are tracking, collating, and using to make decisions is growing - fast. Dorothy Aronson, Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer at the National Science Foundation, describes how the nature of data management is changing at NSF, and how her technology infrastructure and workforce are changing with it.The Thrift Savings Plan has set a new record. More people are bringing their money into the TSP than ever before. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, tells you how that happened, and why. She also explains the impact of the potential shutdown on TSP participants, and how to learn more about the shutdown’s impact on the TSP.

A government shutdown wouldn’t just stop work for the two point one million federal employees of the government. It would stop work on almost all the contracts that almost all the contractors that work for the government work on. Soraya Correa, Executive Director of the Contract Management Institute at the National Contract Management Association, and former Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security, tells you what has to happen if a shutdown impacts government acquisition. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will drive toward five strategic objectives. Those objectives (enhance operational readiness; attract and develop your workforce; build resiliency by strengthening partnerships; strengthen stewardship of GEOINT resources; accelerate technology acquisition and integration) will push the agency to what its Director, Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, calls “a new mission and end state.” VADM Whitworth tells you what’s coming to meet each of those five objectives.New updates to the President’s Management Agenda include bringing more customer experience professionals into government, faster. OMB’s Loren Dejonge Schulman told you about them on Fed Gov Today TV recently. Chris Mihm, Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and former Managing Director for Strategic Issues at the Government Accountability Office, explains what’s new - and what’s missing - in the updates to the PMA.

Early fiscal year 2024 is the target date for a reorganization at the General Services Administration. GSA will restructure the Federal Acquisition Service. Alan Thomas, Chief Solutions Officer at Leadership Connect and former Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA, tells you how the reorg will work, and what it will mean for GSA and its employees; GSA customers; and industry. He also details new bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Technology Modernization Fund.150 contracting officers around the world will get extra training in supply chain risk management. That extra training will focus on the cyber supply chain. Michael Derrios, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Senior Procurement Executive at the State Department, tells you what those COs will learn, and how it will help them do their jobs better - and make the State Department more secure.A new initiative from the Defense Department will try to counter China with large quantities of autonomous systems. Breaking Defense reports Deputy Secretary of Defense Katherine Hicks says the Replicator project will “leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” Deborah Lee James, Chair of the Defense Business Board and 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, explains how services can lean in quickly on Replicator, without replicating work they’ve already done.

A new initiative from the Defense Department will try to counter China with large quantities of autonomous systems. Breaking Defense reports Deputy Secretary of Defense Kath Hicks says the Replicator project will “leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” Dov Zakheim, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), writes about Replicator at themessenger.com. He tells you what would make Replicator work, and what could hold it back.Federal agencies are getting some help in hiring customer experience personnel. It’s part of the latest update to the President’s Management Agenda from the Office of Management and Budget. Lauren DeJonge Schulman, Associate Director for Performance and Personnel Management at OMB, details the new options, and new milestones, in the PMA.The Homeland Security Department is 450,000 square feet smaller now in the National Capital Region than it was at the beginning of the fiscal year. That number came from Randolph Alles, Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security, at a House Oversight & Accountability subcommittee hearing last week. Dan Mathews, President of Mathews Associates and former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration, explains what agencies can do about their footprints, and how to think strategically - and long-term - about the federal real estate portfolio.

The Merchant Marine service is dealing with some of the same people problems the rest of government is dealing with. RADM Ann Phillips (USN ret.) is Administrator of the Maritime Administration at the Transportation Department. On the latest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, she explains why the people problem is her biggest issue right now.Several federal agencies are increasing the number of days each pay period employees have to come into the office. The White House is asking agencies to “aggressively execute” back-to-office strategies this fall. President Biden’s Chief of Staff, former Deputy Director for Management at OMB Jeffrey Zients calls in-person work “critical to the well-being of our teams.” The House Oversight and Accountability Government Operations and the Federal Workforce subcommittee called four agency leaders to testify today about their telework posture. The four leaders are Karen Marrongelle, Chief Operating Officer of the National Science Foundation; Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Directorate at NASA; Dan Dorman, the Executive Director for Operation at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Randolph Alles, Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security. In these highlights of the hearing from today, you’ll hear questions for the witnesses from Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL) and Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the recipient of one of the most recent Technology Modernization Fund awards. The TMF Board says the $7.4 million award “aims to help the VA tackle the digitization of forms at scale.” Maria Roat, Founder and CEO of MA Roat Consulting and former Deputy Chief Information Officer of the United States, details the potential pitfalls of digital modernization projects, and how to avoid them.The Internal Revenue Service will soon have more than 90,000 employees for the first time in more than ten years. The Commissioner of the IRS, Danny Werfel says the agency is looking for data scientists, accounting pros, and many more skill sets. On the newest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, I ask the new Chief Human Capital Officer at the IRS, Traci DiMartini, who she’s looking for.The National Background Investigation Services system is on the way to replacing the legacy system the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency uses for security clearances. But the original operational goal of 2019 is now 2024 for full capability. Alissa Czyz, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the Government Accountability Office, explains how the program slid, and how to get it back on track.

The Federal Government is getting better at moving money from one agency to another. But it still has work to do in a number of money management areas. Dawn Simpson, Director of Financial Management and Assurance at the Government Accountability Office, explains what those issues are, and how to fix them.Customs and Border Protection has a 70% goal to hit by the end of this month. That’s the percentage of its applications it has targeted to be in the cloud by the end of fiscal 2023. On the newest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, Sonny Bhagowalia, Chief Information Officer at CBP, tells me about the progress he’s making toward that goal.More than 160 medical centers and clinics in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system are using virtual and augmented reality to treat a wide range of conditions. The treatments are helping veterans with both physical and mental health challenges. Anne Lord Bailey is Director of Clinical Tech Innovation and Immersive Technology Lead, and Caitlin Rawlins is Deputy Director for Clinical Tech Innovation and Extended Reality Network Lead, at the Veterans Health Administration at VA. They and their team are finalists for a Service To America Medal in the Science, Technology, and Environment category. They tell me how they discovered these solutions, how they work, and what’s ahead for virtual and augmented reality in health care.Photo: VA Headquarters in Washington, DC (courtesy Government Accountability Office)

The Commerce Department is counting down to a big cloud move at the end of this month. On the latest edition of the Fed Gov Today TV show, the Chief Information Officer at Commerce, Andre Mendes, tells you what’s coming October 1st.The Chief Information Officer at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is making a culture shift. Robert Costello told me about it in a one-on-one conversation on stage at Carahsoft’s GovForward: FedRAMP Headliner Summit, produced by GovExec, August 23rd. This conversation was the last item on the program, and I started with a retrospective of the day’s discussions.

The White House is asking agencies to “aggressively execute” back-to-office strategies this fall. President Biden’s Chief of Staff, former Deputy Director for Management at OMB Jeffrey Zients calls in-person work “critical to the well-being of our teams.” John Sawyer, Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, and Michael Hoffman, Director of the Center for Economics, both at the Government Accountability Office, have new research on telework and how it’s affecting productivity.The Thrift Savings Plan is tracking 25 pieces of legislation that may affect its future. If some of those bills become law, they could change the way you save for your retirement. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, tells you what they are, and what they might mean for you.Graphic: Thrift Savings Plan logo, courtesy of TSP

The Office of Management and Budget is working on a 10-year plan to modernize federal IT. Chris DeRusha, the Federal Chief Information Security Officer, says legacy system modernization is “the number one biggest rock that needs to get moved for us to be able to secure our systems.” Richard Spires, principal at Richard A. Spires Consulting and former Chief Information Officer at the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service, is author of “Success in the Technology Field.” His new book is titled “Government Can Deliver”, and he explains what’s in the book that can help with the tech modernization the government is undertaking.The Defense Department’s Cyber Workforce Strategy has a new implementation plan to guide the department’s execution of the strategy. That implementation plan includes four goals the department believes will guide its success. Mark Gorak, Principal Director for Resources & Analysis in the office of the Chief Information Officer at the Defense Department, explains the four goals, how the department will hit them, and how it will measure progress.