GSA ready to hire new contract specialists

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  • Despite reducing its workforce by thousands of employees, the General Services Administration is ready to hire new employees once again. The Federal Acquisition Service put out job postings for contract specialists and supervisory contract specialists. The contract specialists would be at the GS-12 and -13 pay scales, while the supervisory positions would be at the GS-14 and -15 levels. All positions are available in several locations,
    including Washington, D.C., San Francisco and 10 other locations around the country. GSA didn’t say how many people it was looking to hire. Some estimate it could be up to a thousand new employees as the Trump administration aims to centralize contracting for common goods and services at GSA.
  • The Department of the Air Force has reversed its ban on using personal pronouns in official communications, such as email signatures, letters, papers, social media and official websites. The service walked back the policy on the use of pronouns in line with the 2023 Defense policy bill, which prohibits the Pentagon from requiring or banning the use of personal pronouns in official communications. The ban stems from President Trump’s executive order that asserts that the Defense Department’s “high standards for troop readiness” are incompatible “with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria and shifting pronoun usage.”
  • The National Treasury Employees Union is seeking a preliminary injunction on its latest lawsuit, until it can be heard in court. If a federal judge grants the union’s request, an executive order from President Trump would be paused while the litigation continues. The recent order from Trump tells most agencies to terminate their union contracts, citing national security concerns. NTEU sued Trump last week, alleging that the White House’s actions violated federal law. The union called Trump’s order “absurdly broad.”
    (Motion for a preliminary injunction – National Treasury Employees Union)
  • The Trump administration is facing further legal action on its move to end collective bargaining. A coalition of federal unions is now suing the administration over an order to broadly cancel collective bargaining at federal agencies. They argue that President Trump’s executive order violates the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. Trump’s order last week, citing “national security” authorities, impacts over 1 million federal employees, across a majority of agencies. The unions’ new lawsuit comes just a few days after the National Treasury Employees Union separately sued the administration over the same action.
    (Lawsuit on collective bargaining executive order – American Federal of Government Employees)
  • The Department of Homeland Security is planning major cuts to its headquarters workforce. DHS is aiming to reduce its management directorate staff by roughly 50%. The directorate includes DHS’ chief financial officer, chief information officer and chief procurement officer. Sources familiar with the plan say the cuts will target 47 people who joined the DHS AI Corps over the last year. And DHS is also targeting the Customer Experience Directorate for cuts. The CX team includes about 40 feds and 30 contractors who have been working to improve DHS’ public-facing services.
  • More than 500 law firms have signed on to a court brief opposing President Trump’s recent executive orders targeting parts of the legal community. The document was filed Friday. It’s part of a lawsuit by Perkins Coie, one of the law firms Trump targeted. Like some of his other orders, the EO demands that security clearances of its lawyers be suspended, that federal contracts be terminated and that employee access to federal buildings be restricted.
  • The Department of the Air Force has released additional guidance on its deferred resignation program for civilian employees. Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Gwendolyn DeFilippi said the Air Force supports a large portion of the workforce participating in the Deferred Resignation Program and the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and that it will launch a broad outreach campaign to maximize participation in these programs. Non-Appropriated Fund employees, foreign local national employees, dual-status military technicians, childcare and youth program employees, and flight instructors are not eligible to participate in these programs. Once the application window for these programs closes, the Air Force might implement additional exemptions.
  • Over the next six months, agencies will be getting some help to improve how they can buy technologies with artificial intelligence capabilities. The Office of Management and Budget’s new AI and acquisition memo charges the General Services Administration in leading an effort to develop two new tools to assist agencies with the acquisition of AI. One will be a guide to provide the acquisition workforce by addressing potential acquisition authorities, approaches and contract vehicles. The second tool will be an online repository for agencies to share information, knowledge and resources about acquiring AI capabilities.
    (GSA to develop tools to help agencies buy AI capabilities – Office of Management and Budget)
  • The Energy Department has identified 16 federal sites that could house powerful data centers to advance U.S. artificial intelligence technologies. The goal is to begin construction on new AI sites by the end of 2027. DOE is seeking feedback from data center developers, energy firms and the public as part of a request for information released last week. The RFI is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to advance AI and boost energy production. Feedback to DOE is due by April 20.
  • Agencies have 10 new deadlines around artificial intelligence, including developing a new generative AI policy and a new strategy to remove barriers to using these capabilities. A new 25-page memo from the Office of Management and Budget lays out a series of new requirements and updates existing ones as part of the Trump administration’s promotion of AI. One of the new requirements is agencies have until early December to develop the generative AI policy that sets the terms for acceptable use and establishes adequate safeguards and oversight mechanisms. Another new requirement is to develop a strategy by early October that removes bureaucratic requirements that inhibit innovation and responsible adoption of AI.
    (OMB lays out 10 goals to promote AI adoption – Office of Management and Budget)

The post GSA ready to hire new contract specialists first appeared on Federal News Network.

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