See where Trump is looking to make staffing cuts next year and where he wants to grow
The White House wants to stabilize the size of the federal workforce overall in FY27, though some agencies would still experience large reductions. After shedding more than 300,000 federal employees in his first year in office and pushing for additional cuts this year, the Trump administration is seeking to hold the overall workforce steady in fiscal […]
DCSA launches $495M background check support solicitation
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency moves ahead on the next iteration of a contract that supports continuous vetting efforts. The Defense Department agency responsible for conducting background investigations on people seeking security clearances has unveiled the final solicitation for a new contract supporting intake and other functions in those processes. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security […]
Budget pressure is simplifying federal procurement, and separating winners from losers
LPTA, HTRO and controlled competition are rewriting the rules of federal contracting, writes Katie Helwig, president of Mild Red LLC. Across GSA eBuy solicitations for professional and IT services—particularly under the multiple-award schedule and the emerging OASIS+ ecosystem—an observable pattern is taking shape. Agencies are not just adjusting how they evaluate proposals—they are redefining how value […]
The war against fraud should be a war for tech modernization
COMMENTARY | Combating fraud is a noble exercise, but combating longstanding systemic barriers to innovation and performance is often harder. In her March 18 article (“Trump’s anti-fraud task force poised to scrutinize benefits programs”), Nextgov/FCW Senior Correspondent Natalie Alms reported on a new executive order formally establishing a task force to combat fraud in America’s public […]
GAO details why KBR lost $1.8B NASA spaceflight contract
A rival joint venture’s cost advantage and KBR’s declining performance scores doomed the incumbent’s challenge. A newly-released protest decision offers new details on why KBR lost a $1.8 billion incumbent NASA contract to support several space vehicles. NASA uses the COSMOS contract to support the command-and-control systems for programs such as Orion, Space Launch System, the International […]
New cyber strategy shifts attention to cloud and supply chain security
The strategy’s six pillars include shaping adversary behavior and securing critical infrastructure through enhanced supply chain requirements, writes Gina Scinta, deputy chief technology officer of Thales Trusted Cyber Technologies. In a recent commentary, I outlined five IT security trends that are top of mind for federal cybersecurity experts. That commentary captured the mood at the time—a […]
Too little, too late: GAO dismisses Z SofTech’s SEWP VI protest
The company missed deadlines and filed bare-bone objections in its bid to challenge elimination from the IT competition. The Government Accountability Office found that protests filed by one small business offered objections that were both too little and too late to challenge NASA’s decision to remove them from the SEWP VI competition. Z SofTech Solutions first […]
DOD prioritizes prototyping in $1.4B research contract recompete
Defense Department seeks industry expertise in AI, hypersonics and electronic warfare for emerging technology efforts. The Defense Department is giving industry more detail on what it is looking for through an upcoming recompete of a contract to work with DOD’s lead research and engineering office on emerging tech efforts. Prototyping and experimentation is a priority area […]
Trump’s FY27 budget proposes boosts and cuts to tech operations
Agencies like CISA, NIST and the IRS would see notable reductions in their budgets for next year, while programs at Energy and the VA would get additional financial support. President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget is out. The proposal reflects the Trump administration’s priorities, but will likely change significantly in becoming the eventual federal budget […]
Budget would cut Pentagon research by one-third. Can industry compensate?
Tech firms are more willing to spend their own money on R&D. Pentagon R&D spending would drop by about one-third under the White House’s 2027 defense-spending proposal—but the impact of that $4.5 billion reduction might be cushioned by the tech industry’s willingness to fund its own research. The proposed drop, which echoes a similar cut in […]