Author Archive
Natalie Alms
Senior Correspondent, Nextgov/FCW
Natalie Alms is a senior correspondent at Nextgov/FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie. If you have a tip you'd like to share, Natalie can be securely contacted at nalms.41 on Signal.
Contracts
DOGE no longer has ‘centralized leadership’ under White House tech team, personnel head says
The team that was altered to house DOGE — formerly the U.S. Digital Service — is also still doing its own technology work across agencies.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Salesforce pitches AI agents as the government sheds staff
Amid the White House’s ongoing push to reduce the federal workforce, one Salesforce executive predicted that “government will be the largest users of agentic technologies of any industry."
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Judiciary Democrats launch watchdog website amid withheld funding from inspector general group
The lawmakers are maintaining hotline information for over 20 OIGs, as watchdogs scramble to set up temporary websites after the White House withheld funding from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
- By Natalie Alms
Companies
How Trump’s OPM director wants to attract tech talent after months of workforce cuts
OPM Director Scott Kupor wants to bring on new feds with cutting edge skills, but the government’s recent flood of layoffs and resignations could complicate that effort. With a government shutdown ongoing, too, the administration is threatening more layoffs.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
A shutdown will slow tech modernization, experts warn
Even after a shutdown ends, restarting stalled IT work doesn’t happen immediately.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
White House seeks industry input as it crafts “anti-woke” AI guidelines
Critics have said that the July executive order on “woke” AI could chill free speech, despite the administration’s stated focus on protecting it.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Stephen Ehikian says GSA is primed for a ‘build back’ phase after his departure
The former acting head of GSA is now working at enterprise AI company C3 AI, which sees growing opportunity for federal, state and local business.
- By Natalie Alms
Exclusive
Companies
Trump administration hopes AI can mitigate staffing losses, federal CIO says
Gregory Barbaccia, who was named the federal chief information officer just a week into the new administration, said one of his priorities is learning how to do more with less.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
FAR Council releases changes to 6 sections of acquisition regulation
The White House celebrated the changes as a milestone in its effort to overhaul and simplify the rules surrounding federal buying.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Trump nominates financial executive to be GSA administrator
The nominee, Ed Forst, is a longtime Goldman Sachs alum.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
State Department deputy Michael Rigas tapped as acting GSA head
Stephen Ehikian, who has served as the acting GSA administrator since Trump took office, will be staying on as deputy. Some in the agency speculate the change is due to DOGE fallout.
- By Natalie Alms
Companies
VA-based DOGE associate gets ‘the boot’ after publicly discussing his work
Sahil Lavingia detailed in a personal blog how the reality of hunting inefficiencies at the Department of Veterans Affairs was not what he had expected.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
USDA wants to modernize farmer services, even as staffing cuts could hurt the effort
The department plans to digitize farmer-facing applications that are still on paper.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Here are the tech takeaways from Trump’s budget proposal
The White House has suggested sweeping reductions to many civilian agencies, though it promises to maintain investments in emerging technologies.
- By Alexandra Kelley and Natalie Alms
Contracts
House lawmakers diverge on DOGE but point to bipartisanship on federal tech
Many of the witnesses opted not to discuss DOGE’s high-profile, controversial work on government tech and data during a Tuesday hearing.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
Trump orders structural changes to rules covering $1T in federal spending
The Tuesday mandate — which aims to streamline the way government buys goods and services — was accompanied by a second order requiring agencies to predominantly use commercial products, rather than custom-built.
- By Natalie Alms, Ross Wilkers and Jessie Bur
Contracts
Lawmakers try again with software licensing bill
This marks the third Congress in which the bipartisan bill has been introduced.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
GSA launches FedRAMP revamp
One major goal of the changes is to speed up the timeframe for agencies to get access to the latest technology quickly, “not months or years down the road,” the agency’s acting administrator said.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
GSA to ‘quadruple' in size to centralize procurement across the government
The head of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service told employees at a Thursday meeting that the agency will “do about $400 billion” in procurement management under this effort.
- By Natalie Alms
Contracts
GSA continues slow drip of RIFs, nearly wiping out entire offices
More cuts are coming. Staff in the Technology Transformation Services were told Thursday that their team will be halved.
- By Eric Katz and Natalie Alms