Acquisition

New York state sends out subpoenas for Monroe County’s privatized communications system

INPUT Analyst Evan Halperin reports. The New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued subpoenas to a number of individuals who are part of local development corporation (LDC) Monroe Security and Safety Systems (M3SLDC). M3SLDC was established in 2009 by Monroe County to provide public safety technology and services to county citizens. With millionsRead… Read more »

“Psst…Wanna buy a TriMet pass?”

Portland-area thieves have found a new way to make a quick buck. According to columnist Joseph Rose, scofflaws are using stolen credit cards to purchase TriMet (OR) passes (typically the $88 all-zone pass) and then selling the tickets at a discount. “TriMet passes and tickets have become like cash on the streets,” said Portland policeRead… Read more »

AFFIRM Luncheon: GSA, a Government Rockstar

I had the pleasure of attending yesterday’s AFFIRM luncheon which featured a panel of incredible government rockstars from GSA. The discussion took a look at GSA’s integrated technology services and what the future looks like. Government Rockstar, Marie Davie, GSA’s Assistant Commissioner for Integrated Technology Services and Federal Acquisition Services led a panel which consistedRead… Read more »

Political law morning report for Friday, May 20, 2011

FEC MEETING. The agenda for next Thursday’s meeting of the Federal Election Commission is available here. SUPER PAC TEST. Roll Call reports that a new advisory opinion request has been filed. “Less than a week after Republicans said they would use federal lawmakers, candidates and party officials to raise unlimited money for an election advertisementRead… Read more »

Washington state E911 office to reimburse computer aided dispatch purchases

INPUT Sr. Analyst Jeff Webster reports. If you are a computer aided dispatch (CAD) vendor, now is the time to begin working with counties in Washington state. Effective June 1, 2011, the Washington Military Department, Emergency Management Division’s E911 Office will be reimbursing eligible counties for the purchase or lease of new CAD systems, whichRead… Read more »

Sale of fake passes cost MBTA millions

An employee of Cubic Transportation Systems was arrested for creating and selling fake Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority passes. According to Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley, the man allegedly made 20,000 “ghost passes” since 2007 and sold them for a discount in person or on Craigslist. Because the passes were made on the same equipment asRead… Read more »

ABA’s Sixth Annual State and Local Procurement Symposium recap

INPUT Principal Analyst Jason Sajko reports. The American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Public Contract Law held its 6th Annual State and Local Procurement Symposium on May 13, 2011. The event was hosted in Sacramento, Calif. in partnership with the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) andRead… Read more »

Social media and free speech

While it is not unheard of for public agencies to ban use of social media at the workplace, officials in Kent County (DE) took their policy one step further. The county already prohibits employees from using social media at work. But a recent proposal tried to stop workers from using social media to criticize colleaguesRead… Read more »

Open Grantmaking – Enabling high performance social enterprise

OpenRFP.net will function as a “Social Innovation Marketplace”. This means it will also help to incubate, launch and fast-track Social Enterprise organizations, achieving two key goals: Enabling Social Impact investing Pioneering Open Government Grantmaking best practices Enabling Social Impact investing As well as the Canadian Government RFPs from MERX, our other growth areas will includeRead… Read more »

What the White House Really Wants In Cyber

With 50 bills in Congress having to do with cybersecurity, and none of them showing any imminent signs of movement, the White House at last weighed in with its own legislative proposal. In an online statement, the president’s staff said it was outlining its cyber legislative goals in response to a request from Senate MajorityRead… Read more »