GAO suspends contractor from filing bid protests for the second time

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• A contractor is suspended from filing bid protests for the second time. The Government Accountability Office announced it has decided to suspend Latvian Connection from filing new protests, just three months after its first suspension ended. GAO said the company has continued the same pattern of abusive litigation practices which led to the first suspension. The prior suspension lasted one year. GAO is recommending a two-year penalty this time around. (Government Accountability Office)

• The House has paved the way for an extension of the probationary period for most federal employees and senior executives — from one year to two. The House passed the Ensuring a Qualified Civil Service, or EQUALS Act. Proponents of the legislation said it would give federal employees more time to finish specialized training, and give supervisors the time to evaluate their performance. Some Democrats attempted to block the legislation. But the House passed it with a 213-204 vote. (Federal News Radio)

• What’s new is old, as Congress attempts to increase data transparency. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) hopes the fifth time is a charm for his Transparency in Government Act. While senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-S.D.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) push for more accountability for agencies on open audit recommendations. These lawmakers introduced bills yesterday to mandate more transparency across the government. Among the areas Quigley’s legislation would address is requiring agencies to put all completed FOIA requests online in a searchable format. Heitkamp and Ernst’s bill would require all open IG recommendations that have remained unimplemented for more than a year to be posted to a single, searchable website.

• The head of the Office of Government Ethics has urged senior executives to set a good example. In a new video posted to OGE’s website, Director David Apol said the federal workforce will look to the senior executive level for inspiration and support to the staff they oversee. (Office of Government’s Ethics)

• President Donald Trump has named who he would like to oversee NASA’s finances. Jeffery DeWit has been tapped to become the space agency’s chief financial officer. He currently serves as Arizona’s state treasurer, and last year was the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the president’s campaign. (White House)

• The Pentagon has named the next director of the Defense Information Systems Agency. The Defense Department said the president has nominated Rear Adm. Nancy Norton — both for promotion to vice admiral, and to become director of its top IT agency. Like the past two DISA directors, she would wear a second hat as the commander of DoD’s Joint Force Headquarters-Information Networks. Norton is already the second-in-command at DISA, a job she’s held since just August. Before that, she was the Navy’s director of warfare integration for information warfare. (Department of Defense)

• Mobile devices may be showing up at your next secure meeting. A new policy lets Defense Department officials decide if they will allow smartphones and other devices into secure areas. The decision must be based on mission needs and officials making the decision must submit a report determining the risk of allowing them in. (Federal News Radio)

• Ten technology experts have joined the government as Presidential Innovation Fellows. The General Services Administration announced the new class of PIFs, who will work on IT modernization projects. Additionally, seven fellows from the previous PIF class are staying on to work in government. The Obama administration launched the PIF program in 2012 and more than 120 technology experts have worked with 25 agencies. (General Services Administration)

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have blasted San Francisco following the verdict in a jury trial of an undocumented immigrant. ICE deputy director Tom Homan called city officials unconscionable for not honoring a federal detainer request for Garcia Zarate. Zarate, previously deported five times and free on drug charges, fired a bullet that ricocheted and killed a bystander on a San Francisco pier. He was convicted of illegal gun possession, but acquitted of murder. Now he faces deportation a sixth time. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

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