Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

OPM holding vendor event April 24-26 at Clark Atlanta

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Because the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) wants to make businesses in Georgia and the southeast more aware of federal, state and local government opportunities, they are holding an event entitled Stay Ready: 4th Quarter Readiness at Clark Atlanta University on April 24 – 26, 2018.

This event will build upon the success of a one-day event held in 2017 where more than 220 attendees and 10 exhibitors participated.

Attendees will experience the following:

  • Two receptions, including a Top Golf outing.
  • Opportunity to participate in a Pitch Contest.
  • Over 17 different workshops with impactful contracting and procurement knowledge experts.
  • Access to contracting and procurement personnel bringing actual procurement opportunities.
  • Networking opportunities with other attendees that can offer joint venture, partnering and subcontracting opportunities.
  • Resources to help you finance your business and/or contract opportunities.

To register, attendees should go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-stay-ready-4th-quarter-readiness-small-business-conference-registration-43125763319?aff=eac2.

 

Why OPM is warning against DoD reclaiming the security clearance process

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When a backlog of pending security clearances piles up too high, Congress has one answer: Hand it to someone else.

That’s what lawmakers did in 2004, when the Defense Department had its own immense inventory of background investigations, and lawmakers, frustrated with DoD’s delays in processing them, called on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to serve as the governmentwide security clearance provider.

Now, as the backlog, once again, reaches new extremes, Congress is taking a page out of its own history book and is sending the security clearance process back to the Pentagon.

Lawmakers included a provision in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that would give DoD complete ownership over the security clearance process for its own personnel.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/opm/2017/11/why-opm-is-warning-against-dod-reclaiming-the-security-clearance-process/

Defense contractor billed government for Porsches, million-dollar salaries and secret guns

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A contractor providing intelligence and training services to the Defense Department billed luxury cars to the government, sought reimbursements for the salaries of well-connected secretaries who did little in the way of actual work and exceeded statutory caps for executives’ pay, according to a new audit.

All told, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) questioned $50 million the British company New Century Consulting billed to the Pentagon, according to a report summarized in a letter from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The vehicles, including Porsches, a Bentley and an Aston Martin, were used exclusively by the CEO and other top executives at the company, DCAA found.

New Century operated as a subcontractor for Imperatis Corp., which has an extended history of problematic dealings with the federal government. Last year, Imperatis abruptly quit a cybersecurity contract it had with the Office of Personnel Management and the Homeland Security Department, citing “financial distress.” Defense contracted with Imperatis on its Legacy East project to provide “counterinsurgency intelligence experts” to train Afghani security forces.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2017/08/defense-contractor-billed-government-porches-executives-million-dollar-salaries-and-secret-guns/140131/

OPM holds 4th quarter readiness forum on July 20th

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The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Clark Atlanta University have joined forces to present a “4th Quarter Readiness Forum” at Clark Atlanta University on July 20, 2017.

The session is designed to offer the small business community marketing and contracting tips to consider when marketing to federal agencies during the federal government’s 4th quarter (July, August and September).

Representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), General Services Administration (GSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Education Dept., the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other agencies will be available to discuss how they utilize various contracting tools and vehicles to award contracts in this often challenging 4th quarter time frame in the government’s calendar.

Attendees also will be provided research tips on how to use the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) data base to help you research procurement opportunities.

The session will be held at Clark Atlanta University, Cole Science Research Center at 223 James P. Brawley Dr., SW, Atlanta, GA  30314 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Box lunches will be available for purchase at this event.

Here’s a link to what OPM buys: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/us-office-of-personnel-management-14499326759

Attendees are required to register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-quarter-readiness-forum-tickets-35946174977.

For more information, feel free to contact Ms. Cherina Hughes at cherina.hughes@opm.gov or Art Brown at 770-732-9392 or art@lescot.com.

Contracting dispute delays OPM’s background investigations processing

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision comes shortly after OPM stood up the nascent National Background Investigations Bureau. Two companies filed a protest with GAO after OPM awarded the $117 million contract to Primus Solutions, a division of ARSC Federal. The contract was for at least two years with options of up to five, and was intended to provide OPM employees support in processing background investigations.

In its solicitation, OPM had said it would consider price to a much lesser degree that non-price factors such as technical approach, quality control plan, staffing plan and past performance. Primus came in more than $9 million below one of the companies filing the protest and more than $44 million below the other. GAO confirmed allegations that OPM’s selection authorities ignored initial concerns from its price evaluators that Primus’ cost estimates were “unrealistic.”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2017/06/contracting-dispute-delays-opms-background-investigations-processing/138688/

Counterintelligence chief: Contractors ‘kicking butt’ in combating insider threats

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Though some of the most damaging exposures of classified material have come from companies working for the federal government in recent years, the intelligence community’s 100,000 contractors overall “are kicking butt” in helping agencies head off insider threats, the nation’s top counterintelligence chief said on Monday.

Anticipating threats “is a team sport,” Bill Evanina, the government’s national counterintelligence executive, told a gathering of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, a nonprofit group made up of contractors and former intelligence officials. “The only way to win is a partnership, a whole-of-government, whole-of-country approach” that includes contractors and the news media as well.

“We have to get back to patriotism,” he said.

Despite incidents involving National Security Agency contractors such as Edward Snowden and Howard Martin, “we need to eliminate with urgency the idea that most insider threats are contractors,” Evanina said. “There’s no evidence” either for that, he said, or for the common notion that “millennials want to be leakers.”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/defense/2017/04/counterterrorism-chief-contractors-kicking-butt-combating-insider-threats/136904

New background check agency will affect contractors

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Contractors often complaint that the background check process is slow, while contractors and their employee alike worry about information security in the wake of a sensitive OPM data breach that leaked the personal information of millions of government workers and contractors. Now, a change to the background check process is coming.

White House sealThe White House announced last week that a new government agency would be taking charge of conducting background checks on all federal employees, Armed Services members, and civilian contractors. The government hopes the change will speed up background checks on contractors, many of whom have to wait months before a background check is completed, while also maintaining security over personal information. Of course, as with any government roll-out of a new initiative, it remains to be seen whether the new agency will live up to expectations.

Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/statutes-and-regulations/new-background-check-agency-will-affect-contractors/

White House preps new cyber policy dealing federal contractors

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The Obama administration is preparing to release a new policy to homogenize the way vendors secure agency data.

Federal RegisterThe proposal, which could be published as early as today, follows hacks at two background checkers and the Office of Personnel Management that potentially compromised the security of personnel who handle U.S. secrets.

“The increase in threats facing federal information systems demand that certain issues regarding security of information on these systems is clearly, effectively, and consistently addressed in federal contracts,” states a notice posted Thursday, July 30, 2015 in the Federal Register.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2015/07/white-house-preps-new-cyber-policy-dealing-federal-contractors/118706/

Contractors want guidance from Feds on OPM hack

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Like federal employees, federal contractors are waiting for agencies to explain exactly what the OPM data breach affecting 4 million employees means for them.

OPM“Everyone’s on standby to find out if they are impacted,” said Pam Walker, senior director for homeland security at the information industry’s IT Alliance for Public Sector. “I know companies are working with OPM” and the Office of Management and Budget, which is preparing governmentwide cybersecurity guidance. Much of the governmentwide work, Walker notes, was in progress before the OPM breach.

Contractor representatives say they’re monitoring the National Archives and Records Administration, whose Information Security Oversight Office posted a proposed rule in the Federal Register last month to update policy detailing how agencies should designate, safeguard, disseminate and dispose of information that by law or regulation is sensitive but not formally classified.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2015/06/contractors-await-guidance-feds-opm-hack/115120

Will the Government shred your contract after a hack?

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Contractors are concerned they might lose government business for coming forward about suspected internal data breaches, after the unprecedented decision by two departments to halt contracts with a hacked background investigation firm.

It is believed the personal information of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees likely was compromised when a suspected nation state penetrated a USIS corporate network.  USIS conducts personnel investigations on behalf of many agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).  DHS and OPM temporarily ceased some jobs with USIS after the incident.

OPM did not pause work as a punishment, but rather as a way to protect federal employees until more details about the intrusion are known, agency officials told Nextgov on Friday, August 8, 2014.  But officials said they do not host information with USIS on the same system DHS uses.

DHS has issued stop work orders to temporarily halt activities that involve personal information, until the department can assess the full scope of the potential intrusion and repairs, Homeland Security officials told Nextgov.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2014/08/will-government-shred-your-contract-after-hack/91049

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