Weekly Roundup: June 13-17, 2016

Why Care About Blockchain? Federal Computer News writes: “Blockchain, the public ledger system underpinning Bitcoin, provides a cryptographically secured record of transactions.” It goes on to note that it could be used to secure voting, identity management, and health records, but that no one really knows what its other potential uses in government could be.

Evidence-Based Policy Proposals  According to Patrick Lester, writing in Government Executive: “House Republicans staked their claim to a share of the evidence-based policy movement last week. The proposals were embedded in a larger Republican framework for addressing poverty, the first in a series of such reports that are expected to be released over the next few weeks.”

Downsized Ambitions for Agency Digital Services Teams?  NextGov reports: “For some agencies, an ambitious Obama administration plan to embed in-house teams of digital talent across government has hit a familiar wall: lack of funding. . . . Of the 25 largest federal agencies slated for the effort, just three currently have officially chartered digital service teams.”

Identity Management on the Move. According to Federal News Radio: “The Office of Management and Budget quietly put some policy muscle behind the latest initiative to create an identity management and access control solution for citizen-to-government interaction.

Procurement Official Rank Category Management.  Federal News Radio reports: “The Office of Federal Procurement Policy — over the last two years — has insisted that category management will change the way the government buys goods and services. . . . A new exclusive survey of federal CAOs and SPEs by Federal News Radio found respondents ranked category management and taking advantage of the tools that come with the initiative as one of their top priorities for 2016.” But . . . .

Transition Watch.  McClatchy News Service reports: “The White House Transition Coordinating Council met for the first time this week  The committee includes senior officials from across the executive branch tasked with helping to ease the shift from one administration to the next.  White House chief of staff Denis McDonough leads the group. . . The group will eventually include representatives from the major-party campaigns” after the candidates are officially nominated by the conventions in July. 

* * * * *

The Business of Government Radio Show.  What is the U.S. Coast Guard strategic direction? How is the U.S. Coast Guard modernizing to be ready for today and prepared for tomorrow? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Admiral Paul Zukunft, Commandant, United States Coast Guard.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED.

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org.