According to a report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, there was a record amount of 16,906 recommendations made in various inspectors’ general reports that have not been implemented. These recommendations could potentially save taxpayers $67 billion if they were put into action. Committee staff noted that this amount is likely much higher. This report states, “If evidence continues to mount that the administration is dismissive of the work of the IG community, Congress should aggressively incorporate unimplemented recommendations into legislative actions.” There is evidence supporting the correlation between the absence of a permanent inspector general in agencies and a high number of open and unimplemented recommendations. Collectively, The State Department, Homeland Security Department and Agency for International Development, combined with the Interior, Labor and Defense departments have not had a permanent inspector for the past 15 years. These agencies are among the highest in the number of open and unimplemented recommendations.

Yesterday, March 28th, the draft RFP’s for OASIS were released for public review and comment. Furthermore, on the OASIS Industry Community board it was stated that the General Services Administration (GSA) is tentatively planning an industry day on May 13th.

A recent article by Camille Tuutti examines the use of unencrypted communications networks used to transfer sensitive information by the Veterans Affairs Department. The use of these unsecured networks creates the potential for hackers and other pernicious internet users to identify router information in Veterans Affairs and therefore target the agency’s crucial mission systems. A review by the department’s Office of the Inspector General in May of 2012 discovered third parties had conducted unencrypted transfers of information. Although the companies involved signed waivers accepting the security risks associated with a transfer of sensitive information such as IP addresses and health records, this practice undoubtedly puts the entire Veterans Affairs system in jeopardy of a cyber attack.

In recent years, government agencies have been required to reduce costs and cut back on spending. There are many ways to accomplish this, such as increasing employee efficiency which saves both time and tax dollars. Increasing collaboration and communication among employees is imperative for all agencies in the US to enhance employee satisfaction and improve efficiency. This not only leads to long-term benefits of the employees, but also increases transparency for citizens and supports their mission of serving the public.

Since the launch of the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) during the end of July 2012, the General Service Administration has received widespread complaints concerning the system. Users have criticized SAM.gov for its frequent system errors, inefficient functions, untimeliness of registrations and most recently – breach in security. The system, which replaced the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), was created with the intention of making the registration process easier to track and maintain for both Federal contractors and agencies. However, instead the system has perpetuated the feelings of frustration among not only its users, but also its creators.

As we dive deeper into the year 2013, we see now more than ever the workforce’s reliance on mobile devices. It has reached a scale so great that according to multiple technology research firms, before the end of this year, mobile devices will overtake personal computers as the most common tool to access the web.