In this edition of “This Week in Government Tech Media,” we look at how changes to federal technology acquisition are being implemented and how those changes are being felt by those at federal agencies, government contractors and state/local governments:
Acquisition Transition
Following the recent executive order (EO) on acquisition reform, agencies across government are moving to change how they acquire IT products and services. We saw articles in multiple outlets this week reporting on some of the repercussions resulting from the administration’s new focus:
- In MeriTalk, Lisbeth Perez published an article on the Pentagon’s launch of a sweeping review of its major defense acquisition programs in response to the White House EO earlier this month. Brandi Vincent covered the news for DefenseScoop, noting that the review will encompass “all 72 active major defense acquisitions programs.”
- In related MeriTalk coverage, Perez also quoted a speech by Defense official Katie Arrington (often awkwardly described as “performing the duties of the Department of Defense (DOD) chief information officer”) in which Arrington announced a new program to overhaul how the DOD buys software.
- Several publications covered the Pentagon’s overhaul of the way the DOD purchases IT services and software. Carley Welch wrote in Breaking Defense that observers are raising questions about how the Pentagon will “in-source” the IT consulting work it is pulling away from contractors.
- Turning to the world federal civilian agency acquisition, analysts estimate that one in five Department of Education contractors have their entire Education business at risk, according to an interview conducted by Tom Temin of Federal News Network.
- Ross Wilkers of Washington Technology has been busy covering the various responses to the government’s acquisition reforms by contractors, including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and IBM. Notably these companies’ woes are also hitting global media outlets such as Reuters.
- Rumors of the demise of the National Institutes of Health’s IT Acquisition and Assessment Center appear to be unfounded, Jason Miller noted in Federal News Network. “Its employees are still accepting and processing task orders, and making contract awards,” Miller wrote.
- Also in Federal News Network, Temin reported on a new General Services Administration (GSA) multiple-award contract program called Second Generation IT, or 2GIT, which the agency hopes will pull in government buyers away from similar programs offered by other agencies.
State/Local Governments Feel the Impact
What happens in the federal government most definitely doesn’t stay in the federal government. Government tech publications covering state and local government reported on impacts of federal technology regulations:
- Many state governments are unprepared to handle the cybersecurity responsibilities shifted to them by a recent presidential EO, according to sources quoted in a recent piece in Government Technology by Madyson Fitzgerald. In a similar report, Chris Teale of Route Fifty reported on anxiety around cuts to federal programs that share cyber threat data with state and local governments.
- In Oklahoma, state cybersecurity officials are turning to agentic artificial intelligence to stay ahead of growing cyber threats, Colin Wood reported in StateScoop.
- In California, state and local government leaders are becoming more creative in applying technology as a way to address cuts in federal funding in areas such as transportation and emergency response, according to an article by Skip Descant in Government Technology.
- The State of Texas appears to be taking a page from the federal government’s book and is implementing an efficiency program of its own, using the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a model, Wood wrote in StateScoop. Chandler Treon reported in Government Technology that the state will establish a new office to cut regulations and reduce department spending.
Farewell (of Sorts) to Tom Temin
Finally, this week we tip our hat to Tom Temin, a government media veteran who wrote his final column for Federal News Network this week. His experience and institutional knowledge will definitely be missed by everyone in the government tech space. Fortunately, Temin noted he’ll still be doing some part-time “projects on the revenue side” for the outlet in the future.
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. Come back again next week for another roundup of trending news in the government tech media. Also, check out the W2 Communications “Gov & Beyond” podcast to hear candid conversations with leading government tech media figures. Our next episode will run next Thursday, May 1!