Salient makes move into emergency response systems

Salient buys division from Dataline to expand emergency response and mass notification systems capabilities.

Contractors face new cyber regs from DOD

The Defense Department wants to tighten regulation of unclassified DOD data held by contractors and subcontractors.

VA picks small biz contractor for open-source ecosystem

The Veterans Affairs Department has selected a small business as the custodial agent for an open-source ecosystem development program to modernize the VA's VistA electronic health record system.

DOD wants focus on contractor performance, not profits

Frank Kendall, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, talks about the Defense Department's new focus for managing contractors.

Wisconsin lawmakers urge single vendor for VA, DOD health records upgrade

Five Wisconsin lawmakers are urging the VA and Defense departments to consider the benefits of a single vendor for an electronic health record system, according to a Nextgov report.

Automatic debarments not the answer in a war-zone, White House official warns

Dan Gordon tells the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan to avoid creating blanket recommendations on how to punish contractors.

Northrop CEO: Government policies should support strong industrial base

Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush says the government should focus defense policies on fostering innovation as one of the best ways to make the country stronger.

HP has contract cut short by Military Health System

The General Services Administration has not explained why it is terminating a Military Health System contract ahead of schedule, according to a report in NextGov.

Small businesses score as Air Force reopens $3B contract

Big-ticket Air Force award gives small businesses another round at an acquisition-related contract.

DCAA defends tighter scope on audits

The Defense Contract Audit Agency says that raising the bar for audits will save money for the Pentagon and help it target higher-risk projects.

DOD auditors raise the limit on what they'll examine

The Project on Government Oversight released a government memo indicating that the Pentagon has "radically" reduced the scope of cost reviews to be performed by DCAA.

Contractor death toll surpasses military's in Iraq, Afghanistan

More contractors than military personnel are now dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ridge criticizes sluggish implementation of security technologies

Tom Ridge joins the American Security Challenge in a call for more investments in cyber, C4ISR and other security technologies.

Pentagon IG responding to critical Grassley report

The Defense Department's inspector general is defending his office's performance in the wake of a Senate investigation charging that contract audits are ineffective

DOD needs geeky data lovers

The federal government could use more “geeky” types of folks who can define data standards that can facilitate the aggregation of pertinent information agencies need to perform their missions.

DOD's social media chief signs out

Floyd Price is leaving his DOD post in charge of social media programs after a year on the job.

L-3 unit wins $170M contract for manpack satcom systems

The U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded a five-year, $170 million contract to a unit of L-3 Communications for portable satellite communications systems that will give special operations forces high-speed transmission capacity for voice and data communications.

What would the CIO do in Gates' new DOD?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposes closing the current chief information officer's office. What shape should the role take in the future?

Contractors fear being blacklisted under new defense bill

Federal contractor groups are up in arms about a provision in the defense authorization bill that they believe will result in secret blacklists against their members.

Cookies may make a comeback on federal Web sites

A Defense official suggests the longstanding ban on cookies on federal Web sites may be lifted.