DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 21-27: DOD and Web 2.0, clud, TSP, cloud, and DHS contractors

The most read stories from the week of February 21-27, 2010… on the DorobekInsider.com, on the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, for Mike Causey, and for FederalNewsRadio.com…

…from the DorobekInsider.com…

1. DorobekINSIDER: DOD issues its much anticipated Web 2.0 policy
2. DorobekINSIDER EXCLUSIVE: GSA cancels one cloud RFQ, plans to launch a new cloud RFQ
3. DorobekINSIDER: CA CIO Teri Takai to be named DOD CIO
4. DorobekINSIDER: GSA procurement guru Drabkin to retire
5. DorobekINSIDER: AFCEA Homeland Security Conference panel on cyber-security — the liner notes
6. DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Johnson speaks to employees – here is what she said
7. DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 14-20: Snow, Drabkin, and your TSP
8. DorobekINSIDER: On NewsChannel 8 talking government openness and transparency — the liner note
9. DorobekINSIDER: OPM’s Berry: Use flexibilities to deal with snowpoclypse type events
10. DorobekINSIDER poll: The Federal News Countdown for Feb. 22 – what’s the big story of th
11. DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: NASA scores Gardner as the new Goddard CIO
12. DorobekInsider: OMB hires performance guru Shelley Metzenbaum
13. DorobekINSIDER poll: Did OPM make the right decision to open DC offices on Friday?
14. DorobekINSIDER poll: What should the federal government’s operating status in DC be for Tuesda
15. DorobekINSIDER: OPM: DC back at work, but… let’s be careful out there
16. DorobekInsider: USDA gets approval for employee buy outs from OPM as mega-management reorg continues
17. DorobekInsider: USDA gets early out approval from OPM as mega-management reorg continues
18. DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: USDA undertakes extensive management reorg – downgrading the CIO, CF
19. DorobekINSIDER: Turnbull to be acting Energy CIO; Energy Deputy CIO Staton also retiring

… from the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…

1. Timeline for TSP’s Roth option discussed
2. Lessons learned, best practices on telework examined after blizzard
3. Air Force tanker contract fight might end soon
4. Preview: What will Congress do to you this year?
5. Bill in Senate would create federal scholarships for cybersecurity degrees
6. How the tanker contract affects federal procurement
7. How to turn failure into success
8. Tuesday Afternoon Federal Newscast
9. How to bust silos and foster collaboration
10. GAO on NASA’s management and program challenges
11. Shame as a motivator at Recovery.gov
12. How collaboration tools helped capture Saddam Hussein
13. DHS rolls out ‘Facebook for first responders’
14. A timeline for the TSP’s Roth option
15. ‘Trust framework’ adoption makes federal agencies more open
16. University of New Hampshire’s Inter-Operability Lab certified by NIST
17. Monday Afternoon Federal Newscast
18. NIST needs public input on Smart Grid
19. TSP participants can now move money from other accounts
20. Getting more feds to telework might be harder than it sounds
21. NIST asks for public input on Smart Grid
22. Friday Afternoon Federal Newscast
23. GPO partners with Cornell on Open Government project
24. DHS looks closely at domestic terrorism
25. TSP participant behavior was strong, steady during crisis
26. Are Feds in the Danger Zone?
27. Now a good time to review where your money is in the TSP
28. Congress will debate TSP contributions this session
29. OPM makes call on snow closings
30. Defense Department issues much anticipated Web 2.0 policy
31. Earnings down for many TSP accounts in January
32. OPM: Federal government closed Tuesday
33. Report: U.S. might be giving al-Qaeda too much credit in cyberspace
34. Senate looks at DHS budget, contractors
35. Analysis: Snow, closings set historic record for federal government
36. FTC: P2P software could put you at risk
37. Terrorist Screening Center considers changes to prevent attacks
38. Sorting through the features of the “next-generation” TSP
39. All TSP funds see gains in 2009
40. Cybersecurity and your personal health
41. Lawmakers look at DoD energy projects
42. Amtower: Bloomberg enters B2G market
43. AFCEA gets ready for ‘Night for the Children’
44. Sunlight Foundation wants to take open government to the next level
45. What’s happening with former NSPS feds?
46. GSA releases 2009 Citizens Report
47. On pay raises and what feds really earn
48. SANS Institute and Mitre partner for annual cybersecurity list
49. Government contractors and the living wage

…for Mike Causey’s Federal Report…

1. Investing Unused Leave
2. Feds in Harm’s Way
3. Going Part Time Without Going Broke
4. Danger Zone: Your Office
5. NSPS: Dead Duck or Sleeping Giant?
6. Shutdown Rules: For Many No Work, No Pay!
7. FERS Sick Leave Cure: Rumor vs. Reality
8. Telecommuting: The Darkside!
9. Going Part-Time Into Retirement

… and from FederalNewsRadio.com …

1. Number of DHS contractors ‘unacceptable’
2. Napolitano blames hiring process for DHS contractor glut
3. High drug prices targeted in House FEHBP plan
4. Three former feds nab high-level private sector jobs
5. Transportation Department scrambles to fend off furloughs
6. IT community prepares for major policy change
7. VA axes 12 IT projects
8. DoD partially lifts ban on USB drives
9. OMB taking a deeper look at data centers
10. OMB’s Werfel lays out new plan to follow agency money
11. OPM to host workshops on hiring
12. Terrorist watchlists receiving mini-makeovers
13. Army putting up $30,000 prizes for apps
14. OMB to follow the money in new ways
15. VA reaping rewards from IT oversight
16. AFGE fires first salvo in bid to organize TSA screeners
17. GSA reorganizes to better green the government
18. OMB, HHS create new health IT task force
19. Senate bill attempts to improve HUBZone program
20. DoD tells Congress greening doesn’t affect goals
21. DoD gives vendors new rules to protect data
22. Telework centers offer alternative workspace for feds
23. DoD is getting green, staying ready
24. OMB’s Zients sets out steps to key productivity boom
25. GSA hires IBM to consolidate procurement databases
26. Federal News Radio Reports
27. GSA releases FY 2010 per diem rates
28. Defense industry brings Styles to ethics
29. ODNI names new CHCO
30. Mass. Comptroller gives Feds thumbs up on stimulus reporting
31. GSA’s Alliant contract attracting early supporters
32. Federal govt. open Tuesday under delayed arrival, unscheduled leave
33. Mobile apps, TechStat lead OMB’s IT evolution
34. Analysis: No easy answers for a lawmaker’s contractor inquiry
35. DoD pursues Net Generation for IT workforce
36. Senate: Con artists are using stimulus scams to fleece citizens
37. Federal government closed on Thursday
38. White House proposes 1.4 percent pay raise
39. AFFIRMing priorities in federal cybersecurity
40. EXCLUSIVE: OMB guidance sets technology tone for 2010, beyond
41. Federal government closed on Wednesday
42. DoD makes it official: FCS is cancelled
43. Teleworking becomes top of mind for federal government
44. OMB’s Sunstein presents new way to look at regulation
45. OPM to test new employee health services
46. Transportation Department scrambles to fend of furloughs
47. USPTO battles Snowmageddon with telework
48. Government needs to define cyber war
49. New federal cookie policy coming soon?
50. Air Force sets new date for tanker RFP

DorobekINSIDER: DOD issues its much anticipated Web 2.0 policy

UPDATED… 5:20p ET

The Defense Department today issued its much anticipated Web 2.0 policy.

This afternoon on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke to David Wennergren, the Defense Department deputy CIO, about the document. Find

Meanwhile, read it here or it is posted below:

View this document on Scribd

DorobekINSIDER poll: The Federal News Countdown for Feb. 22 – what’s the big story of the week?

Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s In Depth with Francis Rose each Friday at 2p ET features the Federal News Countdown, where Francis has a panel of three people who select their top three big stories that impacted the federal government.

This week on the Federal News Countdown:
* Robert Burton, the former deputy administration of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, now a partner with the Venable law firm.
* Melissa Chapman, the former CIO for the Department of Health & Human Services now with Agilex.
* Alan Chvotkin, Executive Vice President & Counsel of the Professional Services Council

What do you think is the big story of the week? Select one of theirs — or offer up one of your own…

DorobekINSIDER EXCLUSIVE: GSA cancels one cloud RFQ, plans to launch a new cloud RFQ

The General Services Administration has canceled its for cloud infrastructure as a service request for quotations and will move to a new RFQ, GSA officials confirmed this afternoon.

In September, GSA extended the deadline for the RFQ saying that the agency wanted to give vendors more time.

This shift comes as the cloud environment has really evolved, GSA officials tell FederalNewsRadio.com’s DorobekINSIDER.

From GSA:

There was an Infrastructure as a Service RFQ that was canceled today. We are moving to issue a new RFQ. Both the definition of IAAS and the marketplace have evolved and matured since GSA began this procurement process. With this new RFQ, we hope to enable a robust pool of vendors and maximize industry participation providing federal customers with a wide range of IAAS offerings. With the rapid evolution of the Cloud Computing marketplace and the ever-present security needs of federal agencies, the new RFQ that will allow vendors to provide additional offerings with a higher level of security than was required in the original RFQ.

Industry sources say that GSA hopes to have a new RFQ out in the next 30 days.

Industry had been concerned because there were a lot of unanswered questions around the RFQ specifically — and cloud computing in general. And industry has been pushing GSA to address issues such as security and privacy, among others. Industry sources say those issues need to be addressed by GSA and the Office of Management and Budget.

The new RFP will be led by GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications, led by Dave McClure. GSA’s Office of Citizen Services operates USA.gov, which operates in the cloud.

Background:

From FederalNewsRadio.com’s FedCloudBlog: GSA’s Casey Coleman at the Gov 2.0 Summit

InformationWeek from Aug. 9, 2009: GSA Outlines U.S. Government’s Cloud Computing Requirements

DorobekINSIDER: AFCEA Homeland Security Conference panel on cyber-security — the liner notes

I am moderating a panel at AFCEA’s 9th Annual Homeland Security Conference — creatively named DHS – The 7-Year Itch – Renewing the Commitment: The Definitive Dialogue on Critical Homeland Security Issues. Specifically, the panel that I’m moderating is titled President’s Comprehensive National Security Initiative. And we have a good panel to discuss these issues, even if the title of the panel doesn’t fully capture it:

Thursday, February 25
9:15 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Panel 6: President’s Comprehensive National Security Initiative
Industry insight into streamlining the cyber security effort through all levels of government. Thoughts and recommendations on policy, strategy and guidelines necessary to secure federal systems; integrate existing federal government resources; and anticipate future cyber threats and technologies.

Moderator: Christopher J. Dorobek (confirmed)
Co-anchor, Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris
Editor-in-chief, the DorobekINSIDER.com

Panelists:
Mr. Shawn Carroll (bio in PDF)
Executive Director of Engineering & CTO
QWEST Government Services

Mr. John Nagengast (bio in PDF)
Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives
AT&T

Mr. Marcus Sachs (bio in PDF)
Executive Director for National Security & Cyber Policy
Verizon

Credit where credit is due: I’m just the moderator. I did not pull the panel together. So I want to credit specifically Wray Varley, Qwest Government Service’s director of advanced programs, DHS & DoJ, for pulling all the pieces together.

As I mentioned, our title is just a tad bid misleading because it really doesn’t capture the scope of what we hope to talk about. (I’m not sure people know what the President’s Comprehensive National Security Initiative even is. I’ve put some background below, including a March 2009 report from the Congressional Research Service that lays it out.)

In the end, what we hope to talk about cyber-security broadly — and our discussion will really go beyond that rather governmental sounding initiative.

It is clear that times are changing in the cyber world. Cyber-security is becoming more of a check-list item to becoming a real national security priority. People are hearing about cyber-security repeatedly, but I’m not sure they know what they can — and should — be doing.

A few data points:

* The Google hack: This comes from Google’s announcement that the company was considering pulling out of China following a massive hack. Of course, we learned that these attacks were actually against a number of private sector companies and investigators are still searching for where these attacks came from. And on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke with George Kurtz, the CTO for cyber-security company McAfee, about those attacks. Hear that conversation here. McAfee and the Center for Strategic and International Studies recently came out with a new report that found people are under attack more then they generally know. You can hear the authors of that report, titled In the Crossfire: Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Cyberwar, here.

* The ZeuS attacks: After Google came word from NetWitness that some 2,400 organizations — including government agencies — had been attacked.

* Could the U.S. lose a cyber-war? That was the stark warning from Mike McConnell, the former director of national intelligence during testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, according to GovInfoSecurity.com. McConnell told lawmakers earlier this week that if a cyberwar were to break out today — “the United States would lose.” He went on to say that this is not because the U-S doesn’t have talented people or cutting edge technology. It is simply because the country is the most dependent and the most vulnerable — and because the country has not made the national commitment to understanding — and securing — cyberspace.

During the discussion, we are going to review this from several perspectives:
* Carrier operations — Nagengast is going to discuss what the telecommunications carriers can/should/are doing to address these important issues.
* Policy issues — Sachs is going to discuss the public and private policy issues that can/should/are helping to address this issue.
* What agencies need to do — Finally, Carroll will go review what agencies can/should/are doing to address these issues.

And my guess is that somewhere in there, we will talk about Networx, which was widely hailed as a real opportunity for agencies to upgrade their network security infrastructure. And earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission was one of the first agencies to use the Networx contract’s provisions for the Trusted Internet Connection initiative. TIC is an OMB initiative that seeks to reduce the number of government connections to the Internet to better enable agencies to secure data that passes through those connections, and OMB has been pushing agencies to move forward with TIC implementation.

Some resources — and I’ll add to these if there are links mentioned during the session:

* Congressional Research Service report: Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative: Legal Authorities, Policy Considerations [March 10, 2009] Report thanks to OpenCRS — and you can download the PDF of the report from their site here.

* Center for Democracy and Technology analysis of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative

* The China threat: Here is some appointment listening — and reading. Last week on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke to James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine, who wrote a fascinating piece about China generally, but also that country’s role as a cyber-attacker, which he argues is somewhat exaggerated… although he goes on to say that he doesn’t believe we are paying enough attention to cyber-security generally. Hear our conversation here. I think you’ll find the conversation — and his article — illuminating.

DorobekINSIDER: On NewsChannel 8 talking government openness and transparency — the liner notes

UPDATE: See the video of me on NewsChannel 8 here.

I will be on DC’s NewsChannel 8’s Federal News Tonight — and we’re going to talk about the Obama administration’s transparency and open government initiative.

Of course, on January 21, 2009, President Obama, in one of his first acts, signed the open government directive. That set out a process that took longer then many people expected, but agencies from February 6 through March 19 are in the process of looking for citizen input on their open government plans.

This is part of a pretty amazing change in mindset for agencies — asking for help.

But there is a broader question about the open government initiative: Does it help agencies accomplish their missions better?

The poster child for transparency is the Recovery.gov Web site — it is the Web site for the Recovery, Transparency and Accountability Board to demonstrate how the $787 billion stimulus bill is being spent. And in many ways, the recovery board has been bludgeoned by transparency — and we all remember the stories about the incorrect congressional districts that were on the Recovery.gov Web site. But many open government advocates suggest these kinds of incorrect data are the reason for transparency — the data was fixed because it was identified and highlighted. It was part of the idea behind transparency and open government –crowdsourcing oversight. And open government advocates suggest that those kinds of data errors are there, but it often will go un-fixed. In the case of Recovery.gov, it has been fixed because of openness and transparency.

Last week on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke to Jake Brewer, director of engagement at the Sunlight Foundation, about his piece, 9 assumptions at the heart of open government. His take was that this is important for government — and you can hear that conversation here.

But if open government is to really take hold, it has to be more than theory — it has to be more then apple pie. It has to actually enable agencies to better accomplish their missions. And there is some early evidence that transparency and open government does have an impact on how people view their government.ForeSee Results, the company that does assessments of how well citizens trust government Web sites, has recently completed the first of its kind survey of how people — citizens — view transparency and open government. They call it the E-Government Transparency Index [registration required]. And Larry Freed, the president and CEO of ForeSee Results, tells Federal News Radio that there is a very real  impact.

If you make your Web site more transparent — if you make government more transparent — not only are you going to have the feel-good things that are so important about how citizens feel and how they trust government, but it’s actually going to lower the cost of delivering information, because more and more people will utilize the Web to get that information.

Hear our conversation with Freed here.

But there is a larger concept at play here — the concept of “we the people.” It is part of the concept behind government 2.0 and, without being too melodramatic, democracy — that is that all of us are smarter then each of us individually. There are now tools out there that enable people to tap into the wisdom of crowds — and that demands openness and transparency.

And tonight on News Channel 8’s Federal News Tonight in the 7:30p ET half-hour.

Meanwhile, some resources on the Obama administration’s open government and transparency initiative.

* The Open Government Tracker — a “dashboard” of the open government initiative tracking ideas, comments and votes from most agency open government forums… created by feds during “snowmagedon.”

* The DorobekINSIDER Reader: Transparency, open government and data.gov [[May 22, 2009]

* The White House Open Government page

* Federal News Radio: ‘Trust framework’ adoption makes federal agencies more open

* Government Executive: Analysis: Transparent leadership starts from within

DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 14-20: Snow, Drabkin, and your TSP

The most read stories from the week of February 14-20, 2010… on the DorobekInsider.com, on the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, for Mike Causey, and for FederalNewsRadio.com…

…from the DorobekInsider.com…

1. DorobekINSIDER poll: Did OPM make the right decision to open DC offices on Friday?
2. DorobekINSIDER: OPM: DC back at work, but… let’s be careful out there
3. DorobekINSIDER: GSA procurement guru Drabkin to retire
4. DorobekINSIDER: Turnbull to be acting Energy CIO; Energy Deputy CIO Staton also retiring
5. DorobekINSIDER: CA CIO Teri Takai to be named DOD CIO
6. DorobekINSIDER poll: What should the federal government’s operating status in DC be for Tuesda
7. DorobekINSIDER: OPM’s Berry: Use flexibilities to deal with snowpoclypse type events
8. DorobekINSIDER: Back to work for feds in DC, OPM defends closure decisions
9. DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Johnson speaks to employees – here is what she said
10. DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 7-13: Snow and the OPM director
11. DorobekINSIDER: Johnson sworn in as GSA administrator — telework style
12. DorobekInsider: OMB hires performance guru Shelley Metzenbaum
13. DorobekInsider: Energy Department CIO to retire after 45 years of public service
14. DorobekINSIDER poll: What should be the federal government’s operating status for FRIDAY?
15. DorobekINSIDER poll: What should be the federal government’s operating status for Thursday?
16. DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Martha Johnson to be sworn in Tuesday, Feb. 9
17. DorobekINSIDER: Welcome to the new GSA administrator, Martha N. Johnson
18. DorobekInsider: USDA gets approval for employee buy outs from OPM as mega-management reorg continues
19. DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: USDA undertakes extensive management reorg – downgrading the CIO, CF
20. DorobekINSIDER: DC snowpocalypse delays swearing in ceremony for GSA’s Johnson
21. DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: NASA scores Gardner as the new Goddard CIO

… from the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…

1. TSP participant behavior was strong, steady during crisis
2. Analysis: Senior Correspondent Mike Causey on snow closings
3. GAO on NASA’s management and program challenges
4. OPM Director Berry doesn’t regret decision to open
5. Why China isn’t the number one cyber threat to the U.S.
6. What’s happening with former NSPS feds?
7. Lessons learned, best practices on telework examined after blizzard
8. Thursday Afternoon Federal Newscast
9. Friday Afternoon Federal Newscast
10. How to bust silos and foster collaboration
11. Analysis: Snow, closings set historic record for federal government
12. Energy CIO Pyke on retirement: ‘It’s been a wonderful career’
13. Government contractors and the living wage
14. Agency transparency on the Web leads to citizen trust
15. Getting more feds to telework might be harder than it sounds
16. Sunlight Foundation wants to take open government to the next level
17. Coordinated ZeuS attack threatens federal agencies
18. OPM: Federal government closed Tuesday
19. Earnings down for many TSP accounts in January
20. OPM makes call on snow closings
21. Amtower: Bloomberg enters B2G market
22. DoD gives vendors new rules to protect data
23. DHS issues new RFP on national cyber attacks
24. Teleworking is not just about working at home
25. Now a good time to review where your money is in the TSP
26. The ’12 Principles of Computer Network Operations’, 8 years later
27. Wednesday Afternoon Federal Newscast
28. Simulated cyberattack coming next week
29. USCG Commandant steps down
30. Congress will debate TSP contributions this session
31. GSA’s Alliant one year later
32. OMB’s Sunstein delivers remarks on regulatory change
33. Suggestions for federal labor-management relations
34. Miranda rights, prosecuting terrorists and homeland security
35. TSP participants can now move money from other accounts
36. On pay raises and what feds really earn
37. How will Martha Johnson do as GSA administrator?
38. A preview of The Causeys
39. OMBWatch wants revised executive order on regulatory process
40. All TSP funds see gains in 2009
41. NASA’s FY 2011 budget: What’s next?
42. Make way for emergency feds, personnel
43. Sunstein delivers remarks on regulatory change
44. Best practices gained from NextGen deployment
45. TSP funds see slow but steady gains in 2009
46. High school students learn about IT at DoD
47. Contractors wonder about Rep. Murtha replacement
48. Operation Jump Start to help troops next week
49. Will the D.C. region become a federal disaster area?

…for Mike Causey’s Federal Report…

1. Snow Shutdown: The Rules of the Road
2. Telecommuting: The Darkside!
3. Snow Daze: Wimps Or Lions?
4. Shutdown Rules: For Many No Work, No Pay!
5. William Henry Harrison Day?
6. Respiraling NSPS Converts

… and from FederalNewsRadio.com …

1. Feds eye federal operating status as more snow approaches
2. Federal govt. open Tuesday under delayed arrival, unscheduled leave
3. New federal cookie policy coming soon?
4. USCG’s Adm. Thad Allen begins long farewell
5. DoD gives vendors new rules to protect data
6. OPM’s decision to open gov’t. questioned after horrific commute
7. OPM to test new employee health services
8. Mikulski asks OPM about retirement system troubles
9. DoD pursues Net Generation for IT workforce
10. Telework centers offer alternative workspace for feds
11. GSA hires IBM to consolidate procurement databases
12. OMB’s Sunstein presents new way to look at regulation
13. ODNI names new CHCO
14. Mass. Comptroller gives Feds thumbs up on stimulus reporting
15. Teleworking becomes top of mind for federal government
16. Federal govt. open on time on Wed., Feb 17, 2010
17. AFFIRMing priorities in federal cybersecurity
18. USPTO battles Snowmageddon with telework
19. GSA’s Alliant contract attracting early supporters
20. DHS to increase the number, diversity of senior leaders
21. Defense industry brings Styles to ethics
22. Federal government open on Friday, Feb. 12
23. OMB’s Zients sets out steps to key productivity boom
24. Another way for feds to telework
25. Federal government closed on Thursday
26. Goals set for first labor-management relations board meeting
27. Fed contracting community waits to see who fills Murtha’s shoes
28. Senate: Con artists are using stimulus scams to fleece citizens
29. Federal government closed on Wednesday
30. DoD partially lifts ban on USB drives
31. Federal News Radio Reports
32. Mobile apps, TechStat lead OMB’s IT evolution
33. GSA releases FY 2010 per diem rates
34. Exec. order breaks new ground in declassification
35. DHS CIO taking on IT governance
36. ONDI has new CHCO
37. VA sets rules for set-aside program
38. OMB to dash(board) to better management
39. 2010 Census chaff will benefit children of feds
40. TSP Snapshot: Look past the thorns of January
41. OMB’s new performance framework to combine the best of the past
42. Air Force sets new date for tanker RFP
43. FTC hires AT&T to secure Internet gateway
44. Government needs to define cyber war
45. Agencies to justify not using cloud computing to OMB
46. Federal government closed Monday
47. DoD makes it official: FCS is cancelled
48. OMB finally details broad management doctrine
49. Salary Council suggests locality pay increase for 2011
50. NMCI to NGEN = 43 months Navy says

DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Johnson speaks to employees – here is what she said

Martha Johnson is finally the GSA Administrator — both technically telework style as a result of snowpoclypse, but then this week more formally at GSA headquarters auditorium. And Johnson spoke to GSAers for the first time.

“Before I begin formal remarks, I want to say that this is not MY day. This is GSA’s day. And to that end, I want us all to know how GSA is represented in this room,” she said.

Martha Johnson sworn in (Photo: GSA)

You can read her full speech here, but… she laid out three big areas:

• The sustainability of our environment.
• Second is transparency.
• Taking our performance to the next level.

In the 1990s, the Clinger Cohen Act gave us a gift. It pushed GSA out of being the mandated company store for the government. At the time, it was a shock. Many of you probably remember that over 5,000 people took the buy-out in the wake of our tremendous realignment. But it has helped us grow up and made it necessary for GSA to play in the competitive arena and the real market. Our challenge now is to WIN in that market. Why should other agencies divert resources from their core missions in order to set up procurement and contracting staffs? I was asked exactly that question in my Senate hearings. Why indeed! We have tremendous skill, this is our core capacity – delivering solutions – and we should be hands down the best.

Some highlights of her speech:

It is a great honor to have been asked to serve GSA as your Administrator by President Barack Obama. Joining his administration gives me great pride. His leadership, tone, and agenda inspire and teach me. As I step into the role, I hope to do the job effectively and from the bottom of my heart. I thank the president for this opportunity.

I would also like to take this moment to thank Paul Prouty, who has served you as the GSA Administrator for the last year. Paul has brought energy and humor to the office. He has been a voice for the regional perspective. He has tried new things and stirred the pot. I salute his courage and his service. Thank you, Paul.

In the early 1990’s a simple notion was floated by two guys, Fred and Mike. Actually, Fred Treacy and Mike Wiersema. They explained that great organizations are great because they excel at one of three things: The first is innovation. Take Google or Apple as archetypes. Both are wildly and consistently innovative. They take risks. They are curious. They like change. And they’ve built their business models and reputations on that.

The second is customer intimacy – being astonishingly in tune with the customer – which brings to mind great service companies like Nordstrom.

And the third is operational excellence, which is all about getting results, getting problems solved, and getting it done. Think Fed Ex. Think Wal-Mart.

Over the last 15 years, their theory has morphed. It is now argued that, frankly, being good at one of these three isn’t quite enough. A great organization must be all three: Innovative. Intimate with customers. Operationally excellent.

So, where does that put GSA?

For six decades we have been a huge operational machine, in the business of supplying to and housing the federal government. There isn’t a corner of the government that we haven’t touched – from serving the war fighter in Afghanistan, equipping the scientists measuring climate change, assuring that judges in courthouses have a venue that enhances justice, supporting our former President, housing the members of Congress in their home districts, and supplying state and local governments in times of disaster. The Executive, the legislative, the judicial, state, and local.

Read her full speech here.

DorobekINSIDER: GSA procurement guru Drabkin to retire

The DorobekINSIDER has confirmed that David Drabkin, GSA’s deputy chief acquisition officer, will retire from government on March 8.

Drabkin confirmed that he will join the private sector, but he didn’t want to name the company just yet.

David Drabkin

Drabkin is one of the most respected people in the government procurement community and has had a distinguished career.

Mr. Drabkin has served GSA for nearly 10 years including a tour on detail to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

He served on the Acquisition Advisory Panel (SARA Panel), Deputy Program Manager, Pentagon Renovation Program, the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition Process and Policies), Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition Reform) (ODUSD(AR)); and the Director, Regulatory Reform and Implementation, ODUSD(AR), where he served as the Project Manager for FASA Implementation.

He is a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y.

DorobekINSIDER: OPM’s Berry: Use flexibilities to deal with snowpoclypse type events

Following up on OPM’s note earlier this week, OPM Director John Berry issued a memo yesterday thanking employees for bearing with the snowpoclypse in recent weeks, but he also lays out the first recommendations for dealing with such events — in DC and elsewhere — in the future.

From his letter:

As the largest employer in the DC area, the Federal Government can play a significant role in minimizing traffic gridlock by continuing to encourage maximum use of telework and adjusting alternative work schedule days off and credit hours (if available). Within the bounds of any applicable union agreements, agencies may want to allow their employees to adjust their start and stop times to further stagger arrival and departure times in order to further ease traffic congestion. Agencies may also accommodate requests by employees who do not currently do so to utilize alternative work schedules…

Temporarily increasing the number of employees operating under these flexible work schedules may also cut down on gridlock. You may want to also remind your employees of the advantages in commuting cost and time they may have by using carpools and DC area mass transit.

I encourage each of you to maximize use of these flexibilities and be creative in helping your employees adapt to these unusual conditions while still doing the work of the United States Government.

Read Berry’s full letter here:

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