Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The Government Accountability Office acts as the government's independent forum for settling disputes by contractors who feel they've gotten an unfair deal from the federal procurement process. Until now, filing a bid protest has been free. But starting next year, GAO will start charging a $350 fee to adjudicate protests. Federal News Radio's Jason Miller writes about it as part of this weeks edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook. He shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Continuing resolutions don't mean contractors or their agency customers should sit on their hands. There's work to be done. Contractors want to get paid. Plus you can still lay the groundwork for the future. Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, shares more advice for contractors on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Few groups have received as much study in recent years as the senior executive service. The latest survey by the Senior Executives Association shows a lot of devotion to their agencies' missions but also worry about the workforces they lead. SEA President Bill Valdez shares his thoughts on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton revealed the SEC's system for companies to submit financial information, known as Edgar, had been hacked. No one can say yet what effect that might have on stock trading markets. At the heart of Edgar is a data standard known as XBRL. Marty Vanderploeg, co-founder and COO of Workiva, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin for an update on this standard and security connected with it.

Some federal IT leaders see a kind of "perfect storm" brewing around a series of new initiatives from the Trump administration. The Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, the president's executive order on reorganization and the coming IT modernization report from the White House all contribute. And the combination of them are forcing some agencies to finally think differently about modernizing legacy systems. Federal News Radio's Nicole Ogrysko shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Those eagerly anticipated Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores are out for the 12-month period ending this past spring. One bureau experienced a nice jump in scores for employee engagement, the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General. Federal News Radio's Scott Maucione spoke with the DoD IG's Chief of Staff, Steve Stebbins, about the results on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

NASA is steadily working on an ambitious plan to launch astronauts into deep space ... with Mars as the ultimate goal. But it's running into program management problems that, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), have led to disaster. Christina Chaplain, director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at GAO, talked dealing with such problems on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Rob Weichbrod has been ensuring the welfare of laboratory animals for 40 years. As Chief of Animal Program Administration at the National Eye Institute, he sings the praises of a group of people who have become surprisingly helpful in doing tasks that others won't do. He explained his discovery of the potential he's found in those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Because of its mission and an ever-changing threat scene, the armed services have long been innovators. For the Navy, much of the innovation has come from the Office of Naval Research. Now the ONR is starting to use so-called lean innovation process. Steve Blank, adjunct professor at Stanford University and adviser to several national security agencies, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Kaspersky Lab may be getting all the attention on Capitol Hill and from the Homeland Security Department for its alleged connection to the Russian government, but cyber experts warn House lawmakers that any cyber tool or service similar to what Kaspersky Lab offers puts agencies at risk. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss why Kaspersky Lab may just be the tip of the cyber iceberg.

The Internal Revenue Service says it's on schedule with hiring policy updates coming out by the end of the month.Officials promise the move will help them plug holes that so-called bad actors are using to find their way back onto the agency's payroll. Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers has more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Because of its mission and an ever-changing threat scene, the armed services have long been innovators. For the Navy, much of the innovation has come from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Now the ONR is starting to use so-called lean innovation process. Steve Blank, adjunct processor at Stanford University and advisor to several national security agencies explained the process on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Because of its mission and an ever-changing threat scene, the armed services have long been innovators. For the Navy, much of the innovation has come from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Now the ONR is starting to use so-called lean innovation process. Steve Blank, adjunct processor at Stanford University and advisor to several national security agencies explained the process on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Cybersecurity threats seem to remain stubbornly a step ahead of organizations trying to protect themselves. That includes federal agencies. What will it take to close the gap? For one view, we turn to Ari Schwartz, former senior director for cybersecurity at the White House, now with Venable. Sam Curry is a longtime cybersecurity industry technologist now with Cyber-reason. Both are part of the Coalition for Cybersecurity Policy and Law.

When multiple contractors get spots on indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contracts, the arrangement is supposed to make competition work more smoothly. But sometimes simply establishing the contracting vehicle causes contractors to squabble. For a case in point, we turn to procurement attorney Joseph Petrillo of Petrillo and Powell.