Civilian Agencies Council Spotlight - March 2022
Published 03/08/2022
Click here to access a PDF version of this spotlight.
In this edition: GSA Seeking Input on Impacts of Inflation and Supply Chain | PSC Seeking Input on NIST’s RFI on Cybersecurity Resources | Cabinet Agencies Publish Critical U.S. Supply Chain Reports | HHS Task Force / Vision Team Joint Session | PSC FedHealth Conference | DHS CIO Collaborative Roundtables | DHS Reverse Industry Day | PSC Federal Law Enforcement Conference – Virtual Access Available | DHS PIL Boot Camp Appendix | February DHS Industry Association Notes | Upcoming PSC Events
GSA Seeking Input on Impacts of Inflation and Supply Chain – Responses Due March 14
GSA is seeking input on the impacts of inflation on the supply chain so it can create a business case to justify future changes of the Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) process. Your responses to any or all of GSA’s questions will assist in their understanding of the challenges industry is experiencing with the current clause, the impact on businesses, and the potential consequences for GSA’s customers. Please provide responses to gsaombudsman@gsa.gov by COB Monday, March 14, 2022. If you would prefer to provide PSC with feedback that we can aggregate and anonymize, please send your input to Policy@pscouncil.org by COB Friday, March 11, 2022.
PSC Seeking Input on NIST’s RFI on Cybersecurity Resources
On February 22, 2022, NIST published a request for information (RFI) entitled “Evaluating and Improving NIST Cybersecurity Resources: The Cybersecurity Framework and Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management.” Responses to this RFI will inform a possible revision of the Cybersecurity Framework as well as the NIICS initiative.” The deadline for public comments is April 25, 2022. If you have questions or inputs you would like PSC to consider, please share with Stephanie Kostro at Kostro@pscouncil.org or Christian Larsen at Larsen@pscouncil.org.
Cabinet Agencies Publish Critical U.S. Supply Chain Reports
On February 24, 2022, seven cabinet agencies published reports in response to President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14017 with assessments of and recommendations for strengthening certain critical U.S. supply chains. The White House published a capstone report providing an overview of the agency reports and also reviewing the actions the Biden Administration has taken over the past year to reduce the vulnerability of U.S. supply chains. Click here to see summaries and links to each agency report from the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and Health and Human Services.
HHS Task Force / Vision Team Joint Session – March 30
Please register here to attend the joint HHS Task Force and Vision Team session on March 30 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The leadership of the PSC Vision Team will present a more in-depth version of key HHS Operating Divisions and HHS officials will provide feedback and commentary on what to expect for 2022. Members will have an opportunity for Q&A with HHS.
PSC FedHealth Conference – Registration Open
Registration is open for the 2022 PSC FedHealth Conference, scheduled for May 24 at the North Bethesda Marriot (and virtual). The agenda will include sessions on acquisitions and market trends, post pandemic civilian and military mental health, and leveraging AI/ML in federal health agencies. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this conference and range from $500 - $8000. If you would like to get involved in planning or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Andrea Ostrander at ostrander@pscouncil.org.
DHS CIO Collaborative Roundtables
The DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will host the first in a series of collaborative roundtable discussions with industry on Wednesday, March 16 to discuss major issues and strategic priorities with DHS Technology Leadership. The first roundtable will focus on customer experience (CX), resource management, quality assurance, client engagement, technology, and the outlook on the future. PSC was offered four spots and selected a representative from IBM, Maximus Federal, World Wide Technology, and SNA International to participate in the first discussion based on the nominations received. We will notify members when new opportunities to participate become available.
DHS Reverse Industry Day – March 23
PSC will host a virtual Reverse Industry Day for the DHS acquisition workforce on March 23, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This event will include two industry-led sessions on the “Dynamics of Industry Teaming Agreements” and “Effective Government-Industry Engagement in a Hybrid Work Environment.” DHS will offer a limited number of spaces for industry observers to listen to the discussion. If you are interested in attending, please contact Krista Sweet at ksweet@pscouncil.org to determine availability of spots.
PSC Federal Law Enforcement Conference – Virtual Access Available
More than 200 attendees joined in-person and virtually around the country to hear updates from more than eight federal law enforcement agencies at PSC’s Federal Law Enforcement Conference on February 22, 2022. The conference included keynote addresses from Paul Abbate, the Deputy Director of the FBI, and Ron Davis, the Director of the US Marshals Service. Panel sessions discussed acquisition trends and forecasts, how data is operationalized, and interagency approaches to ransomware. It’s not too late to access the event on-demand and get all the content here.
DHS PIL Boot Camp Appendix
On February 16, 2022, more than 20 PSC members participated in the DHS Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) Boot Camp for Industry. The OCPO has released an appendix that provides a summary briefing to executives with a high-level view of the ten procurement innovation techniques taught at the PIL Boot Camp and the nine new techniques that will be taught at the PIL Boot Camp Next Level later this summer. Please reach out to PIL@hq.dhs.gov for any questions.
February DHS Industry Association Meeting Notes
The DHS OCPO held its monthly industry association meeting on February 17, 2022. The notes from this meeting are available here. During this meeting, the CPO and team answered pre-submitted questions sent in from industry. Topics included the Secretary’s 19 priorities, the Digital IT Acquisition Professional Training Program, how DHS is implementing DEIA initiatives, blind TEP evaluation strategy, and the PIL Boot Camp - Next Level procurement innovation techniques. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2022. If you have issues or questions you would like PSC to raise during this meeting, please contact Policy@pscouncil.org.
Upcoming PSC Events
Contract Working Group Meeting
March 10, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Virtual
DCSA Deputy Director Roundtable
March 14, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Virtual
Mid-Size Company Work Group Meeting
March 18, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Virtual
Vision Study Teams Kick Off Meeting
March 24, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Virtual
HHS Task Force / Vision Team Joint Session
March 30, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Virtual
2022 PSC Annual Conference
April 24 – 26, 2022 | The Greenbrier
2022 PSC FedHealth Conference
May 24, 2022 | 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | North Bethesda Marriot