Author Archive

Mark Rockwell

Mark Rockwell is a senior staff writer at FCW, whose beat focuses on acquisition, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy.

Before joining FCW, Rockwell was Washington correspondent for Government Security News, where he covered all aspects of homeland security from IT to detection dogs and border security. Over the last 25 years in Washington as a reporter, editor and correspondent, he has covered an increasingly wide array of high-tech issues for publications like Communications Week, Internet Week, Fiber Optics News, tele.com magazine and Wireless Week.

Rockwell received a Jesse H. Neal Award for his work covering telecommunications issues, and is a graduate of James Madison University.

Click here for previous articles by Rockwell. Contact him at mrockwell@fcw.com or follow him on Twitter at @MRockwell4.

GSA begins work on OASIS replacement

GSA plans a program of customer and industry events and interactions in the early part of 2021 to help shape its OASIS replacement strategy.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Pandemic speeds modernization across federal agencies

The necessary wave of IT adaptation because of the pandemic has shown many federal CIOs and agencies they can move quickly and efficiently to modernize their IT.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Category management needs a push from the top, GAO finds

Although the governmentwide category management initiative is saving agencies billions, it could be even more effective with some higher-level guidance, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

  • By Mark Rockwell

NOAA picks AT&T for $311M modernization task

NOAA has picked AT&T to bring future 5G capabilities and critical sensor bandwidth to the weather agency through a $311M Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions task order.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Biden's GSA transition team brings deep agency ties

The six volunteers tasked with General Services Administration transition planning bring with them experience at GSA, the White House or both.

  • By Mark Rockwell

More solicitations coming for DOD 5G test sites

The Defense Department plans to award the first three of seven new 5G test bed contracts in the spring.

  • By Mark Rockwell

GSA's Polaris vehicle to have CMMC requirements

Polaris, the contract that will replace Alliant 2 Small Business, will be one of the early vehicles to include CMMC clauses.

  • By Mark Rockwell

MetTel takes $711M State Department telecom task order

The State Department awarded MetTel a task order for data services worth over $700 million under the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

  • By Mark Rockwell

December release expected for CIO-SP4 solicitation

Despite the pandemic, the next iteration of the NIH CIO-SP vehicle is steadily progressing with an RFP expected in December.

  • By Mark Rockwell

GSA floats civilian version of CMMC

The General Services Administration will add more supply chain and cybersecurity protection language, including DOD's CMMC requirements for vendors, to its new contracts as risks grow, according to one of the agency's top acquisition managers.

  • By Mark Rockwell

HHS looks to AI as tool for speeding the systems authorization process

Software to automate the system authorization process at agencies could work along the same lines as tax filing tools, according to one senior IT advisor at HHS.

  • By Mark Rockwell
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OFPP focusing on removing procurement barriers

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy wants agencies to use the procurement flexibility they have to remove barriers that slow down procurements, says OFPP leader.

  • By Mark Rockwell

New small biz GWAC dubbed Polaris

A draft request for proposals for a new small business contract vehicle is expected from the General Services Administration in the coming months.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Core Technologies takes $482M EIS task order

Core Technologies has won a $482 million EIS task order with the Interior Department to provide telephony and conferencing services.

  • By Mark Rockwell

IG says GSA made small biz mistakes

Large businesses were misidentified as small businesses in General Services Administration's procurement data system, according to the agency's watchdog.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Contract modifications on the upswing as 'Huawei ban' takes effect

More contractors are asking GSA for contract modifications as they work to comply with acquisition rules banning certain communications equipment from China.

  • By Mark Rockwell

MetTel names new leader for federal business

MetTel has named Robert Dapkiewicz as the new leader of its federal business, replacing the late Diana Gowen.

  • By Mark Rockwell

Verizon takes $2.5B HHS telecom contract

Verizon has won a $2.5 billion EIS task order to provide telecommunications services for the Health and Human Services Department.

  • By Mark Rockwell

GSA stands by decision to shorten STARS II

Despite pressure from industry, the threat of litigation and questions from Capitol Hill, GSA isn't moving away from a new, shorter period of performance for the STARTS II 8(a) contract.

  • By Mark Rockwell

EIS and software-defined networks to play key role as operations bounce back from COVID

In the post-pandemic environment, the software-defined network capabilities of GSA's EIS contract might hold the key for more dynamically managed networks.

  • By Mark Rockwell