Alleged contractor conman gets 7 years

Garrison Courtney duped fellow contractors and high-level government officials, the Justice Department says. His guilty plea and seven-year sentence reveal a con job of epic proportions.

General Dynamics again wins DOD's cloud email & collaboration contract

General Dynamics IT has again been picked over Perspecta for the DEOS cloud email and collaboration tools contract that now has a $4.4 billion ceiling -- roughly 40 percent lower than the initial value.

First lawsuit filed against president's anti-bias training ban order

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the National Urban League and National Fair Housing Alliance have filed a class action lawsuit to try and stop President Trump's executive order that bans certain anti-bias training. The lawsuit includes government contractors as part of the class those groups are representing.

Another firm joins protests over $800M Army engineering contract

Another company has joined the list of protesters pushing back on the Army's decision to award an $800 million contract to its three large incumbents.

GSA's Polaris vehicle to have CMMC requirements

Polaris, the contract that will replace Alliant 2 Small Business, will be one of the early vehicles to include CMMC clauses.

DARPA working on search for 'revolutionary' tech

DARPA has begun work on a new broad agency announcement aimed at getting what it calls "revolutionary" research in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and secure systems.

Opinion

Time for industry to change its culture to keep pace with automation

Too often, industry has delivered federal IT solutions designed to address only an immediate need but the time is running out on this short-sighted approach created and it is time to adopt DevSecOps with an emphasis on automation.

For now, industry has few tools to fight anti-bias training ban

There is little industry can do to push back against President Trump's order banning certain anti-bias and discrimination training until the final rules are issued and start getting enforced.

Lack of small business winners draws protest for $800M Army contract

The Army said it would make two small business awards for an $800 million engineering services vehicle but did not follow through and that has drawn one small business protest. A large business has also entered the fray.

Podcasts

PROJECT 38: How implicit bias can lead to bad decisions

In this episode of Project 38, diversity and inclusion expert Minal Bopaiah tells us how unconscious bias can permeate how we make decisions and even how we design our technology. But Bopaiah also sees ways to mitigate the impact.

MetTel takes $711M State Department telecom task order

The State Department awarded MetTel a task order for data services worth over $700 million under the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

Opinion

How the CARES Act impacts state, local governments

The use of the CARES Act by state and local governments offers a unique insight into how that market operates and where vendors might find opportunities.

Inside today's small business opportunity set

Challenges and opportunities of small businesses takes center stage Friday at our next WT Power Breakfast, featuring speakers from the Homeland Security Department and this year's group of Fast 50 companies.

Is it time to rethink IT governance?

In this Q&A from our sibling publication FCW.com, a U.S. Digital Service veteran talks about the need for IT stakeholders of all stripes to share their thoughts on governance obstacles that hinder successful acquisition and deployment of big and small technology projects.

Contractors vulnerable to China hacks

The National Security Agency released details on 25 existing vulnerabilities that Chinese state-sponsored threat groups are using to try to penetrate defense industrial base networks.

What new CMMC rule and deadline mean to you

The Defense Department has codified NIST SP 800-171 and set a deadline of Nov. 30 for contractors to register their compliance. It's the bridge to CMMC compliance.

Mass contract modification expected to enforce anti-bias order

The government will use a class deviation to modify all existing defense and civilian contracts in an effort to force compliance with President Trump's executive order banning certain anti-bias and discrimination training.

December release expected for CIO-SP4 solicitation

Despite the pandemic, the next iteration of the NIH CIO-SP vehicle is steadily progressing with an RFP expected in December.

GSA floats civilian version of CMMC

The General Services Administration will add more supply chain and cybersecurity protection language, including DOD's CMMC requirements for vendors, to its new contracts as risks grow, according to one of the agency's top acquisition managers.

CACI objects to lost $200M Navy contract

CACI International is arguing the Navy made the wrong decision in picking Booz Allen Hamilton for a $200 million acquisition support contract.