The General Services Administration (GSA) announced a major update on June 13 to its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) that will allow Federal agencies to make upfront payments when purchasing software licenses. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Thursday an 11-month extension of its contract with Oracle Cerner to support the agency’s Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program, with a focus on “improved fiscal and performance accountability.” […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) conducted their first-ever AI tabletop security incident exercise on June 13 with more than 50 AI experts from government agencies and private sector tech firms. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is coming under fire once again for an inefficient IT program, with members of the House VA Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Oversight expressing their concern this week over the VA’s Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTS-3). […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prioritize better managing of its software license inventories to find ways to cut costs and better inform investment decision-making. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced a new online tool to help make the government procurement process easier for Federal employees. […]
With the rapid growth of AI technologies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of Treasury are facing challenges in finding talent with AI expertise, according to agency officials. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is preparing to release a Buyer’s Guide, which CISA Director Jen Easterly on Wednesday said she’s particularly excited about because it will help to shift consumers’ mindset from secure by design to secure by demand. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Monday the 50 members of the recently reestablished Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), along with the two co-chairs. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Monday launched a collaborative project to adapt NIST’s digital identity guidelines to support public benefits programs, such as those designed to help beneficiaries pay for food, housing, medical, and other basic living expenses. […]
The Department of Commerce announced today it has reached a preliminary agreement with Rocket Lab, the parent company of space power provider SolAero Technologies Corp., for up to $23.9 million in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to expand the production of compound semiconductors that power spacecrafts and satellites. […]
A new House bill aims to establish a nonprofit foundation that would help the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) better engage with academia, industry, and civil society organizations. […]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to do more to help state, local, and Tribal authorities use technology resources necessary to investigate unauthorized aerial drone activity, according to a June 6 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. […]
The Department of Energy (DoE) has released a new Fusion Energy Strategy, keeping its 2022 promise to develop a strategy for accelerating the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 6 voted to approve a $200 million pilot project that will take a three-year deep dive into studying the best cybersecurity services and equipment options for K-12 schools and libraries. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is celebrating the two-millionth download of its VA: Health & Benefits mobile app, which is receiving high praise from veterans – especially those using assistive technology. […]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is gathering customer experience (CX) feedback through its recent expansion of WorkwithUSAID.gov, which is a free resource hub that helps organizations learn what USAID does and navigate how to partner with the agency. […]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is looking to reduce the amount of time the agency takes to process benefits for applicants as the agency transitions into the use of the General Services Administration’s single sign-on Login.gov tool, an agency official said this week. […]
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said today that artificial intelligence technologies pose “significant risks” to financial markets that include biased decision-making yet also offer “tremendous opportunities” to lower costs and improve access to financial products. […]
A key advisory panel to leadership of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) voted on Wednesday to approve three recommendations to CISA Director Jen Easterly that aim to improve the operations of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). […]
Federal employees who are looking to retire rely on a largely paper-based system to submit their retirement applications, but the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is looking to change that through a new online application. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) on Wednesday unveiled a new effort to assess the agency’s grant proposals for potential national security risks. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is asking the IRS to take steps to document its use of AI technology in a new pilot the agency is taking to explore the “tax gap” – which represents the difference in the amount of taxes owed versus those collected. […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is turning to artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and high-performance computing technologies to better forecast and disseminate weather and climate information, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said on June 4. […]
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that the Social Security Administration (SSA) assess and review the amount of funds the agency uses in acquiring software licenses, and the possible duplication of licenses that it buys. […]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was the only Federal agency to receive an overall “A” grade on the latest FITARA Scorecard, so MeriTalk took the opportunity to chat with Chief Information Officer (CIO) Jason Gray about the agency’s recent scorecard success. In an exclusive interview with MeriTalk, Gray discusses the secret sauce […]
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – a research component of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – National Eye Institute (NEI) has tapped Kevin Chu to serve as deputy chief information officer (CIO) according to his LinkedIn profile. […]
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has chosen Micky Tripathi to serve as the department’s acting chief AI officer (CAIO), an HHS spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced on May 29 that Scott Flanders will assume the role as the agency’s permanent IT chief. […]
Along with ongoing technology modernization efforts – which include implementation of artificial intelligence and cloud-based technologies to streamline operations – IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said today that increasing the agency’s workforce to handle taxpayer demand remains a high priority. […]