OMB to agencies: Start contractor reforms

OMB issued three memos today that outline $40 billion in savings on contract spending. It told agencies to cut seven percent from their budgets for contractors.

Fed CIO helps search for new procurement policy leader

Vivek Kundra said the OFPP administrator should understand the overall challenges in government procurement and be able to speed up the acquisition of rapidly changing technologies.

Who's on First?

Key IT and acquisition jobs remain unfilled in the Obama administration and even the rumormill is strangely quiet.

Chopra: Government must increase pace of Web 2.0

Federal agencies need to follow the lead of the public in using technology to collaborate and communicate, Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra says.

VA puts a hold on 45 IT projects

VA officials halted 45 information technology projects with a budget of $200 million that are behind schedule or over budget.

GAO rejects request to review HUBZone decisions

SBA and OMB contended GAO overreached its authority in ruling that HUBZone businesses should get priority over 8(a) small businesses and service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.

Strong guidance needed for insourcing

The hot button issue of insourcing is creating unease, especially in the Defense Department, where weak guidance has produced a sense of confusion among the various components.

Agencies to share contractor past-performance assessments

A revised FAR rule requires agencies to use a standard database to share contractors' performance information with one another.

New virtualization solutions can cut desktop costs

Desktop virtualization aims to lower the costs and increase the security of desktop computers, but agencies must determine which approach — or combination of methods — best suits their needs.

OMB Web site charts government IT spending

A new Web site launched by OMB lets the public see how agencies are spending money on information technology.

Contractor needed to upgrade Recovery.gov

The oversight board for economic stimulus spending is looking for a vendor to create Version 2.0 of the Recovery.gov Web site.

Obama turns to tech tools to carry out vision

The fiscal 2010 information technology budget request and the 60-day cybersecurity review reveal how the Obama administration regards information technology as a key factor in moving its agenda forward.

Senate confirms Aneesh Chopra

The Senate has confirmed Aneesh Chopra as the nation’s first federal chief technology officer.

Senate panel approves IT oversight bill

A Senate panel has approved legislation to require federal agencies to set up Web sites to track IT projects and create 'tiger teams' for troubled projects.

Aneesh Chopra moves a step closer to CTO position

Aneesh Chopra is one step closer to becoming the first federal chief technology officer after winning unanimous support from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Viewpoint: Cybersecurity czar might be overloaded

An expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the job of securing government networks is too big for one person to be its operational leader.

Stimulus money deadline looms large

The Recovery.gov Web site for tracking economic stimulus law funds is racing to meet an October deadline, official says.

Senate bill would suspend competitive sourcing

Federal agencies would be encouraged to bring previously contracted work in-house under a new bill introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

White House official stresses collaborative approach

White House official Beth Noveck says the collaborative model used for open-source software should be adopted by the federal government.

Kundra calls for context-driven government

Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra wants the government to make its data more available and services more accessible.