Page 10 - FCW, July/August 2018

Trending
Software group
backs curbs
on LPTA
A trade association led by Microsoft, IBM and other industry powerhouses has expressed support for proposed limits on lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) standards in federal governmentwide acquisition efforts.
In a July 18 letter, BSA/The Software Alliance told leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees that it supports limits on the use of LPTA for governmentwide IT and technology efforts now under consideration as part of the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
“These provisions would greatly strengthen the cybersecurity of U.S. government information systems in the face of growing cyberthreats, and we urge conferees to retain them in the final version of the legislation,” wrote Craig Albright, vice president of legislative strategy at the trade association, in the letter to lawmakers.
Microsoft formed the organization in 1988 as the Software Alliance. Members also include Adobe, Box, Oracle, Salesforce and Symantec.
The letter states that LPTA “prevents the workforce from investing in cybersecurity” and notes that the NDAA provisions, backed by Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), would remove the restrictions.
“When it comes to more complex acquisitions involving multiple technical variables or functions, such as innovative information technology or cybersecurity services, LPTA’s priority of price over value leads to acquisition outcomes that actually prevent the government from getting the most for its money,” Albright wrote.
— Mark Rockwell
37 of 52 tasks outlined in the Federal IT Modernization Report have been
completed, says U.S. CIO Suzette Kent
IT oversight expert David Powner is leaving GAO
David Powner, a 16-year veteran at the Government Accountability Office, is leaving to take a job at MITRE.
As director of IT management issues at GAO, Powner has frequently participated on congressional witness panels during IT oversight hearings. He has also worked behind the scenes with members of Congress and staffers on issues related to a range
of troubled technology systems.
Many people in the federal IT community view Powner as more than an auditor or compliance officer.
Powner also played a key role in holding agencies accountable for meeting the requirements of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act. He produced a series of report cards that ranked agencies on their implementation of FITARA’s enhanced CIO authorities, data center consolidation, software licensing inventories and more.
“Dave Powner was instrumental in driving
the next wave of IT modernization,” said Rich
Beutel, a consultant and lobbyist who worked with Powner as a senior staffer on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Former U.S. CIO Tony Scott told FCW that “I found Dave to be the consistent voice for advocating for good IT practices across multiple administrations. His voice and his deep knowledge of how things really work will be sorely missed.”
“Dave Powner has been a force of nature for government accountability in the IT space,” FITARA co-sponsor Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said. “We are losing someone Congress trusted and relied upon for unvarnished analysis on where the federal government was getting it right and where it was falling short.”
David Powner
Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), chairman of the oversight committee’s IT Subcommittee, called Powner irreplaceable. “People might not remember [his name], but they should because of all the work he’s done to make sure that we’re efficient, that we’re protecting people’s information and that we’re offering citizen-facing
services for people,” Hurd said.
— Adam Mazmanian and Derek B. Johnson
Daniel J Chenok
@Jdchenok
Great to see progress in use of agile procurement at @USDHS — also see @KelmanSteve piece on agile procurement at https://fcw. com/blogs/lectern/2016/04/kelman-agile-contracting.aspx?m=1 ... following discussion with @BusOfGovernment via @FCWnow — @ dfenhagen @MichaelPinMD
4:17 AM - 5 Jul 2018 Reply Retweet Favorite
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10 July/August 2018 FCW.COM