Weekly Roundup: April 9-13, 2018

Reorg Update: USAID. According to Federal News Radio: “After getting the go-ahead from the State Department to proceed on their own hiring strategy, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) released details Thursday on its proposal to reorganize the agency. . . . It’s unclear whether the reorganization would result in a net reduction in USAID’s workforce, but the agency will have to adapt to some budget cuts.”

MEGO Section 846. Federal News Radio reports: “the Coalition for Government Procurement hosted a forum entitled, “The $50 Billion e-Commerce Question: Section 846 Implementation Plan — Next Steps.” The forum kicked-off with remarks by Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Alan Thomas followed by General Services Administration and Office of Management and Budget senior leaders discussing the implementation plan issued in March and next steps in the process. The government panel was followed by a panel of industry experts discussing the legal, compliance and policy issues highlighted in the implementation plan.”

Test Early & Often. Federal News Radio reports: “Modernizing a federal agency’s technology requires input from many voices in different fields. The U.S. Digital Service (USDS) works to recruit the country’s top technology talent to improve how the government operates in the digital era.”

How GREAT Thou Art? Federal News Radio reports: “Members of the grants management community see an opportunity to take a new piece of legislation designed to improve the grants management process from good to “great.” The Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act legislation would help agencies better track hundreds of billions of dollars a year in federal grants, in an effort to free up more time to measure and manage those programs and their performance . . . The legislation tasks the Office of Management and Budget to create standard data elements for the information that federal grants recipients must report back to agencies.”

Rethinking HR Functions. Steve Goodrich, in a commentary for Government Executive, writes: “There is technology being designed that, if executed with forethought and planning, appropriate investment, unencumbered bureaucracy and effective user-centric tools, could provide a foundation for dramatic change in the way government manages HR. It would also give employees more control over their own careers.”

Michael Keegan

After botched acquisition, Coast Guard joins Pentagon electronic health record system. After sinking nearly $60 million into an electronic health record system procurement with nothing to show for it other than a few painful oversight reports, the Coast Guard now plans to adopt the same commercial EHR system as the Department of Defense. Coast Guard and DOD officials announced plans April 9 to move to the MHS Genesis system,

IRS chief may be overselling tax IT modernization. Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter told a House panel that the agency has made significant progress on legacy system CADE2, but that conflicts with recent statements from the CIO.

ODNI looks to separate CIO, CDO shops. The intelligence director's office is mulling a new approach to CIO and chief data officer roles that stresses more efficient acquisition.

Grants managers see promise in the GREAT Act, but say it could be even ‘greater’. Members of the grants management community see an opportunity to take a new piece of legislation designed to improve the grants management process from good to “great.”  The Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act legislation would help agencies better track hundreds of billions of dollars a year in federal grants, in an effort to free up more time to measure and manage those programs and their performance.

The legislation tasks the Office of Management and Budget to create standard data elements for the information that federal grants recipients must report back to agencies. The grants management community seems to be on board with the GREAT Act, but many say they see opportunities to take the legislation even further.

How to be Decisive. All leaders must make courageous decisions. It goes with the job. You understand that in certain situations, some difficult and timely decisions must be made in the best interests of the entire organization. Such decisions require a firmness, authority, and finality that will not please everyone.

New Week on The Business of Government Radio Show: Trevor Brown, Executive Director, State of Ohio Leadership Institute and Dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University. How can we hone political leadership? What is the mission of the State of Ohio Leadership Institute? How is it developing the next generation of Ohio’s elected state and local leaders? Join host Michael Keegan next week as he explores these questions and more with Trevor Brown, Executive Director, State of Ohio Leadership Institute and Dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org.