The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Budget, Procurement, Artificial Intelligence, and More in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Fareeha Khan

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers.

House Sends Contracting Innovation Bill to President’s Desk for Signing

The House passed a Senate bill that would require the Office of Management and Budget and agencies’ acquisition officials to share contracting innovations, sending it to the White House for the president’s signature.

What Full-Year Appropriations Halfway Through the Year Means to Contracting

Congress bought itself a short month to get together on final appropriations for 2022. Even if they do agree that there’s a deal on March 11, that means 2022 money will arrive nearly halfway through the fiscal year. And even then, accounts won’t be ready on the 11th. Larry Allen, a Federal sales and marketing consultant, shares the implications for procurement and Federal contractors.

GSA Still Conducting Market Research for Governmentwide Cloud BPA

The General Services Administration continues to conduct market research for its forthcoming Governmentwide Cloud Blanket Purchase Agreement, the first set of awards for which were originally planned for January, according to a supplemental special notice on SAM.gov.

What Does Another Continuing Resolution Mean for Federal Contractors?

Members of the contracting community laid out the various workforce and operational challenges associated with short-term funding measures ahead of a Thursday night Senate vote on a continuing resolution. This latest Continuing Resolution (CR) – the third for fiscal 2022 – funds the government through March 11. On Friday afternoon, the White House announced that President Biden had signed it.

House Digital Service Launches Initial Recruitment Drive

The recently established House Digital Service has opened applications for three IT specialists as part of an initial recruitment drive. All three positions reside within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, and the deadline to apply for each is March 9, 2022.

Survey: AI ‘Mission Critical’ to 70% of Public Sector IT Decision Makers

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are far more than buzzwords in the government space.

Key Efforts for Building the Federal AI Talent Pipeline

Agencies across the Federal government are focusing on developing the in-house expertise and technical workforce necessary for advanced artificial intelligence projects.

Part of Biden’s $15 Contractor Minimum Wage Order Has Been Halted Temporarily

A Federal court temporarily halted part of President Biden’s executive order that requires contractors to pay their employees a $15 an hour minimum wage.

Russian Hackers Are Hitting Cleared Defense Contractors, Security Agencies Warn

Russian hackers are getting a look at U.S. military weapons development and delivery timelines through a two-year cyber campaign targeting defense industrial base companies.

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