IT | The Contracting Education Academy

March 24, 2021 By cs

10 of 15 of DoD’s major IT projects are behind schedule, GAO finds

The Defense Department’s software development approaches are helping to avoid cost increases and schedule delays for many major information technology systems, but uneven implementation of cybersecurity best practices may be introducing risk to these programs, according to a watchdog report.

In the first of a series of annual reviews of major Defense IT systems, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined 15 business and non-business DoD IT programs and found 10 programs had schedule delays, including one 5-year delay. Eleven had decreased cost estimates as of December 2019, according to the audit, which was released to the general public just before the holidays.

While GAO didn’t make any specific recommendations in the audit, DoD in its comments said the audit “highlight[s] opportunities for continued improvement to acquiring IT capabilities.”

The main challenge for DoD’s major IT systems is the agency’s mixed record on incorporating cybersecurity best practices.

While all 15 programs are using cybersecurity strategies, only eight conducted cybersecurity vulnerability assessments, which help determine whether security measures are strong enough. In addition, 11 of the 15 programs conducted operational cybersecurity testing, but only six conducted developmental cybersecurity testing.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2021/01/10-15-dods-major-it-projects-are-behind-schedule-gao-found/171155/

December 1, 2020 By cs

Navy seeing ‘explosion’ in use of OTA for IT, cyber development work

The last several years of Defense spending have a seen a more than seven-fold increase in the amount of money being spent through other transaction agreements for technology development. And although the Navy has been a relative latecomer to OTAs compared to its sister services, the approach is taking off in a big way in the areas of information technology and cybersecurity.

In August, the Navy announced it was increasing the ceiling value for its Information Warfare Research Project OTA to $500 million after having exhausted its initial $100 million ceiling in just a little over a year-and-a-half. Meanwhile, last month, officials announced the project’s first three programs to have moved from prototypes to full-blown production systems.

“It’s been a very large success. We’ve been able to promote this, both internally and with our sponsors to identify requirements that fit our rapid prototyping construct, ultimately with the goal of getting things into the warfighters’ hands quicker than in other contract strategy approaches,” Kevin Charlow, the chairman of the IWRP Executive Steering Group and deputy executive director of Naval Information Warfare Center-Atlantic said in a recent interview for Federal News Network’s On DoD. “As we continue to identify new requirements and as the word gets out, and people get more comfortable using this type of vehicle, the available ceiling has been used up. So we’re pleased about that and we’re looking forward to the future.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/on-dod/2020/11/navy-seeing-explosion-in-use-of-ota-for-it-cyber-development-work/

November 18, 2020 By cs

NIST issues updated cybersecurity companion guide

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its 5th catalog of security and privacy controls for information systems.

***Click on image above to download publication.***

The purpose of NIST’s publication is to protect organizational operations from a diverse set of threats and risks.

The catalog addresses security and privacy from a functionality perspective (i.e., the strength of functions and mechanisms provided by the controls) and from an assurance perspective (i.e., the measure of confidence in the security or privacy capability provided by the controls). Addressing functionality and assurance helps to ensure that information technology products and the systems that rely on those products are sufficiently trustworthy.

The use of these controls is mandatory for federal information systems in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130 and the provisions of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), which requires the implementation of minimum controls to protect federal information and information systems.

The latest publication and supplemental materials can be downloaded from: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-53/rev-5/final.

October 16, 2020 By cs

Former GSA contract specialist sentenced to prison for accepting bribes

A former government contract officer with the General Services Administration (GSA), was sentenced last week to a 21-month prison term on a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he accepted bribes from government contractors during a six-year period.

Ronnie Simpkins of Maryland pled guilty to the charge in December of last year.

According to the government’s evidence, from 1989 until May 2019, Simpkins was employed by GSA as a Contract Specialist in procurement related positions, and between August 2013 and May 2019. From February 2010 to August 2017, Simpkins was assigned to a sub-division of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) which oversees the administration of GSA Schedule 70 contracts. “Schedules” are long-term government-wide contracts with commercial companies that provide access to commercial products and services at fair and reasonable prices to the government. “Schedule 70 contracts” provide IT solutions, services, and software to federal, state, and local customer agencies. GSA pre-negotiates the vendors’ pricing, terms, and conditions, to streamline the acquisition process while at the same time providing the best value to the end user agency.

According to court papers, Company A, a Northern Virginia corporation, held a GSA Schedule contract, which it actively advertised to prospective federal agency customers. To maintain its GSA Schedule contract, Company A was required to have annual sales in excess of $25,000 — a requirement that could be waived by GSA’s administrative contracting officer. Company A was also required to pay an Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) of 0.75% of all its Schedule sales. Dating back to 2006, Company A maintained its GSA Schedule contract despite reporting no sales and not paying any IFFs since 2006. Simpkins oversaw the contract dating back to 2009.

Simpkins admitted that, for approximately six years between 2011 and 2017, he accepted cash, meals, and furniture from two Company A officials to use his position to help Company A maintain its GSA Schedule contract. Simpkins admitted to meeting the Company A officials over a dozen times at various restaurants in Northern Virginia, the Company A officials’ residences, and other places, often outside of normal GSA business hours and on weekends. At these meetings, the Company A officials treated Simpkins to meals and gave him cash totaling “thousands of dollars into the teens.” In July 2016, Simpkins accepted more than $2,000 worth of furniture paid for by the officials. Simpkins admitted to taking more than $12,000 in cash and furniture from the Company A officials.

Simpkins admitted to using his GSA position to help Company A in exchange for these payments. Specifically, Simpkins recommended and signed Company A’s contracts with GSA, even though Company A:

failed to meet program requirements,
deliberately neglected to notify GSA, as he was obligated to do, when Company A’s contract under his supervision no longer met program requirements, and
advised Company A about ways to avoid contract cancellation despite failing to meet GSA’s program requirements.

United States District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who presided over the case, sentenced Simpkins to 21 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. The Court also imposed a $10,000 fine and ordered Simpkins to forfeit $12,108.91.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division and the GSA’s Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/former-federal-government-contract-officer-sentenced-prison-accepting-bribes

October 1, 2020 By cs

GAO issues definitive list of most important federal IT acquisitions

The Government Accountability Office scored more than 100 federal IT projects and offered detailed breakdowns of the most “essential mission-critical IT acquisitions.”

**Click on image above to download GAO report.**

With technology now at the center of every aspect of American life, the Government Accountability Office took a look at the state of federal IT acquisitions and came up with a list of the 16 most important technology buys going on right now.

Every federal agency and program office has at least one major IT project in the works, with many juggling several simultaneously. But a report released on Sept. 8 puts a spotlight on major ongoing IT acquisitions that will have the biggest impact on some of the most critical government services like paying taxes, managing biometrics databases, making sure planes don’t crash and maintaining the health of soldiers and veterans.

“Our specific objective was to identify essential mission-critical IT acquisitions across the federal government and determine their key attributes,” GAO auditors wrote.

To find the most important IT acquisitions in government, GAO began by issuing a questionnaire to the 24 agencies covered under the CFO Act. All but one agency — the Defense Department — responded with their five most critical programs, giving auditors a starting list of 98 acquisitions.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2020/09/gao-reviews-16-most-critical-it-programs-government/168347/

The Defense Department’s software development approaches are helping to avoid cost increases and schedule delays for many major information technology systems, but uneven implementation of cybersecurity best practices may be introducing risk to these programs, according to a watchdog report.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its 5th catalog of security and privacy controls for information systems.

A former government contract officer with the General Services Administration (GSA), was sentenced last week to a 21-month prison term on a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he accepted bribes from government contractors during a six-year period.

The Government Accountability Office scored more than 100 federal IT projects and offered detailed breakdowns of the most “essential mission-critical IT acquisitions.”

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