Site Map - Government

11/08/2007 - Are companies wising up about premises liability, or are more meritless claims being filed? Either way, plaintiffs are winning a smaller percentage of suits. In 1992, plaintiffs won in 44.4 percent of cases in which they reached a jury trial in state court in one of the 75 largest U.S. counties.

11/08/2007 - Several U.S. departments are trying to help Russia secure its nuclear materials, but their efforts are not unified.

11/07/2007 - It's government IT security grade time again, and as always, the news is not good. Seven agencies received a grade of F, including two-Commerce and Veterans Affairs-that respectively had a C- and a C in 2003. But there were improvements. The Agency for International Development received an A+, and the Department of Justice jumped from an F to a B-. @ The scorecard is available through SM Online.

11/07/2007 - It's government IT security grade time again, and as always, the news is not good. Seven agencies received a grade of F, including two-Commerce and Veterans Affairs-that respectively had a C- and a C in 2003. But there were improvements. The Agency for International Development received an A+, and the Department of Justice jumped from an F to a B-. @ The scorecard is available through SM Online.

11/07/2007 - In any tabletop exercise involving multiple authorities and jurisdictions, it’s virtually certain that some of the lessons learned involve the need for better coordination, clear lines of authority, and improved information sharing. And so it has been with Coast Guard exercises on port security, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). According to GAO auditors, 59 percent of the 82 exercises studied raised communication issues, including problems with interoperable radio communications, failure to share information with other agencies, and difficulties in accessing necessary classified information. Almost as many exercises were plagued with resource problems, including poor facilities or equipment. Forty-one percent of the exercises raised concerns about the participants’ ability to coordinate a command and control system, for example. Part of the problem, acknowledges the GAO, is that the National Response Plan, launched in January, wasn’t in place during the exercises. That plan supercedes all existing federal interagency emergency response plans. SM Online takes you to the report.

11/07/2007 - The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Green lanes. FAST (Free and Secure Trade) lanes. The Container Security Initiative. Smart containers. Automated Commercial Environment. These various cargo security programs and elements launched by the federal government may seem like a morass of overlapping parts. A new document by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) clears up much of the confusion as far as C-TPAT is concerned.

11/07/2007 - How well has the FBI aligned itself with post 9-11 priorities? The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) says that the FBI “is making substantial progress in transforming itself into a strong domestic intelligence agency and has the will and many of the competencies required to accomplish it.” But the report makes 37 recommendations for change. Read the  report.

11/07/2007 - In 601 pages of exposition, the Commission on Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction laid bare the serious problems in the U.S. intelligence community. The commission’s report is packed with recommendations on topics such as management, collection, analysis, covert action, and counterinelligence. Read the report.

11/06/2007 - NAICS and FSC codes

11/06/2007 - Contract requirements.

11/06/2007 - Links to contract information

11/06/2007 - One card that works across the government as an ID and for access is a step closer to reality. In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a standard specifying the architecture and technical requirements for a common identification standard for federal employees and contractors, such as a smart card with embedded biometric data. The first part of the standard gives minimum requirements for a personal identity verification (PIV) system that meets the control and security objectives of HSPD 12, while the second part provides the technical requirements, such as card elements and system interfaces, to support the control and security objectives as well as to maintain interoperability. PIV-I mandates, for example, that a detailed background investigation be completed before ID credentials are issued. It also requires that the applicant appear in person at least once during the process and that he or she present two forms of identification in original form.The Federal Information Processing Standard 201, Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors, is available at SM Online.

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