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By Stephanie Kanowitz Jan 29, 2021 When the National Defense Authorization Act required the IRS procurement office to insert telecommunications security language into all its contracts, staff used a bot to accomplish in three days what would have taken a year. “As we looked at the number of contracts that had that criteria, it was 1,466 active contracts,” IRS Chief Procurement Officer Shanna Webbers said. “It would have taken us almost up to a year to modify all of those contracts.” Called the DATA Act Bot, the tool focuses on improving transparency and accuracy of data in the Federal Procurement Data System and on improving compliance with its namesake, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014. The bot, which incorporates artificial intelligence, natural language processing, optical character recognition and robotic process automation, is one of three that the office uses to streamline operations. ....
By Natalie Alms Jan 28, 2021 The General Services Administration is digging into hiring data to find out why agencies struggle to fill positions. According to GSA’s Hiring Assessment and Selection Outcome Dashboard, 90% of federal hiring decisions are based on an applicant’s resume and self-assessment, and only 53% of those candidates were offered a job. Even when another type of assessment, like a multiple choice exam, is part of the review, the percentage ending in a job offer being made still sits at 53%. Self-assessments are exactly what they sound like: asking applicants if they think they re qualified for the job they re applying for. The use of these self-evaluations and long resumes can sometimes result in qualified job-seekers being eliminated from the process and a less diverse final pool of new hires, said Amy Paris, a product manager and digital service expert at United States Digital Service (USDS) who helped collect the data for the new interact ....
By understanding their own traffic and how it is tied to their employees’ and end users’ needs, agencies can use TIC 3.0 to strengthen network security while improving the speed, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the organization. ....
Jan 27, 2021 Asheville, N.C., is powering up its Office of Data and Performance, a new initiative to increase transparency and provide data-driven accountability. The city established the office in December to support a results-based, data-driven approach to city programs and to deliver clear communication about program goals, processes and performance. The office will be organized as a cross-departmental team, consisting of staff working in budgeting, community engagement, equity, GIS and law enforcement. The initiative will be managed by the IT Services Department and staffed by three IT open data employees. The office’s initial goals are to help understand the impacts of city services and projects, establish baselines and benchmarks for improvement and to monitor performance and identify issues and respond proactively. ....