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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: July 4, 2025
House leaders aim to replace rather than fix DoD acquisition system
(Federal News Network) After a few years’ lull on Capitol Hill, it’s time again for Defense acquisition reform. And this time around, reform might not be a strong enough word. The backers, the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee say they’re aiming for a wholesale replacement of the DoD acquisition system. The goal is mainly speed, but also a more empowered acquisition workforce, a willingness to fail fast, and a more diversified defense industrial base. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Adam Smith (D-Calif.), the committee’s chairman and ranking Democrat, say the SPEED Act is meant to be the first of several upcoming overhauls to the Defense acquisition system. Read More
Office of Personnel Management to Upgrade FedScope for Better Data Access
(ExecutiveGov) The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, plans to upgrade FedScope, a platform that provides statistics of federal employment. The agency announced in a press release on Tuesday that the move of the site is part of a broader effort to modernize its data and digital platforms. Changes to the FedScope website have already started, including publishing updated data on employment, accessions and separations through March. OPM plans to further enhance the platform in the coming months by adding interactive visuals, thorough datasets and response mechanisms to answer common queries about federal employment. Read More
NASA to live-stream launches, spacewalks on Netflix
(Space Daily) NASA plans to launch its live-streamed programming on Netflix — featuring rocket liftoffs, astronaut spacewalks and live views of Earth from the International Space Station — to the “broadest possible audience,” starting this summer, the space agency announced Monday. Through Netflix, NASA+ could expand the space agency’s reach to a global audience of more than 700 million viewers. NASA+ will continue to be available for free through the space agency’s website and through the NASA app. Read More
Investing in the manufacturing workforce to accelerate productivity
(McKinsey & Company) Advanced industrial manufacturers around the globe continue to be challenged by workforce and labor woes1 that are uprooting the industry’s long-relied-upon norms of consistent labor supply and certain skill level expectations. Despite advances in technology (such as gen AI and new approaches to crew scheduling), manufacturers are still struggling to increase productivity, a challenge driven in large part by a younger, less experienced labor force. The critical solution may be reducing time to proficiency—that is, the time it takes for an employee to reach the specific level of skill required for their specific role and contribute effectively. Read More
ICEAA’s NewsBrief is a collection of articles relevant to the cost estimating and analysis community that is delivered weekly to current ICEAA members. To advertise in NewsBrief, contact iceaa@iceaaonline.org.