DSFederal Updates

Recently, DSFederal was given the green light to provide leading-edge technical assistance to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Systems (ESGR). Through these projects, DSFederal will continue providing system development and website redesign and enhancement. Specifically, for the FDA, DSFederal will oversee project management and modern

For our HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Building Futures Technical Assistance Toolkit, DSFederal won a National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award, which was presented at the June 27 NAGC annual awards luncheon. The NAGC Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards recognize the best in government communications projects, either government- or contractor-produced. Project Manager Echo Wang and Art Director Alex Emmerman attended the event, and accepted the Award

DSFederal is pleased to announce the recent award of the CLARITY Services and Licenses task order supporting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Under this five-year task order, DSFederal will provide maintenance, enhancement, and special projects support for the Clarity Project and Portfolio Management system. Our work will encompass systems analysis, design, database maintenance support, programming, unit, system/string, regression testing, data analysis,

Photo: Christine Swan In Montgomery County neighborhoods and throughout the DMV, Memorial Day marks the beginning of swim season, with young swimmers jumping in to begin a summer of training, competition, and fun. Summer swim teams are a long-standing local tradition, offering tens of thousands of children and teenagers the opportunity to participate in an inclusive sport that welcomes boys and girls of every ability level, ages 4 to 18, from beginner to Olympic-level. The St

Following a recent ISO audit, DSFederal attained a three-year recertification, renewing its ISO 9001:2015 designation until 2022. As described by the International Standards Organization, the ISO 9001:2015 standard “is based on a number of quality management principles, including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach, and continual improvement.” ISO certification is widely respected as an indicator of organizational co

Last week, DSFederal received word that our HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Building Futures team will win a National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award, for the Building Futures Technical Assistance Toolkit. The NAGC Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards recognize the best in government communications projects, either government- or contractor-produced, and we are thrilled that our entry was selected from among many creative and innovative communication

DSFederal is pleased to announce the award of the new Scientific and Program Support contract for the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER). With a mission to “support the entire NIH extramural research community by providing policy, guidance, systems, and other support to the recipient community,” OER offers a wide variety of services, helping investigators understand federal policies and procedures governing grant funding, and serving as caretaker for the NIH extramural r

DSFederal is pleased to announce the award of the $100 million FDA Integrated Services Blanket Purchase Agreement (FDA-IS). Under this multi-award BPA, DSFederal will compete for task orders to provide integrated services in functional areas including Training Support Services, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Program and Project Management, Human Capital Management, and Strategic Communications Services. The BPA has a five-year ordering period, beginning February 28, 2019

Yinong Chong has over 20 years of experience dedicated to research, data visualization, and professional training; and she joins DSFederal as our Principal Health Data Scientist. Eager to see how IT technology and data science can change the way we relate to data, she looks forward to working with DSFederal’s wide-ranging IT infrastructure and data architecture and data analytics expertise. She believes that emerging developments in IT and AI technology will change the landsc

Congratulations to the following DSFederal staff members, for their well-earned recent promotions! Annessa Loutan: Project Manager, Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Annessa has been with DSFederal for over eight years and has supported the CSR program for over 14 years. As an Administrative Support Specialist, she provided consistently excellent customer support, and her knowledge and experience with the program make her ideally suited to the role of PM. Frank Van Balen wri

Quality and process designations, and the management and operational frameworks necessary to obtain and maintain these designations, are critical to DSFederal’s continued growth and commitment to outstanding service to our customers. We are pleased to note that DSFederal passed the initial ISO audit on February 14, a first step toward re-certifying our three-year ISO 9001:2015 quality designation. Process owners and managers spent many hours preparing for and participating i

Along with several other prominent Asian-American business leaders, DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker was honored by the Maryland General Assembly during a special February 4 evening session. Following passage of a Senate Lunar New Year resolution, Sophia and her fellow honorees received certificates commending their “exemplary leadership and efforts in assisting small business and promoting economic vitality in Maryland.” Sophia writes “I am very honored to receive this citation f

DSFederal is pleased to announce the pending award of the Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners (CIO-SP3) Small Business (SB) Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). CIO-SP3 has a performance period beginning December 24, 2018, and contracts will extend through June 26, 2022, with a maximum value of $20 billion. The CIO-SP3 program will support the full range of IT services, including health IT, across the federal government. DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker writes

DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker appeared on WJLA-TV last week, commenting on the federal government shutdown and its impact on local contractors and their employees. While federal workers typically receive back pay after shutdowns end, contractors and their employees do not, and lengthy government shutdowns can be devastating to these companies and their workers. With federal employees either furloughed or working without a paycheck, and contractors facing permanent loss of incom

The USDA’s National Agricultural Library (NAL), a national library of the United States, is home to the world’s largest collection of materials and information related to agriculture, agricultural science, and related disciplines. Located in Beltsville, Maryland, the Library serves scientists and researchers by assisting with database searches, literature reviews, and requests for hard-to-find documents and records. NAL’s Information Systems Division (ISD) develops and mainta

DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker returned to her native Taiwan last week to accept the Hua-guan Award honoring the world's top Chinese businesswomen. Winners traveled to Taiwan from the United States, Cambodia, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Thailand, and within Taiwan. The Global Federation of Chinese Business Women, an international organization of ethnic Chinese businesswomen, grants the awards to recognize successful Taiwan-born women for their achievements in business, philanthr

Landing page for the DSFederal developed CDER Library Web Application In a recent White House Office of Management and Budget memorandum, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney outlines plans to further simplify the grant application process and to reduce the reporting burden for grant applicants and grant-making agencies. The memorandum was written as a response to the DATA Act mandate requiring OMB to offer additional guidance based on lessons learned from the DATA Act Section 5 Pilot.

DSFederal founder and CEO Sophia Parker was featured in a recent Maryland Daily Record story, "Success allows DSFederal to focus on improving human lives." As Sophia explains, DSFederal remains committed to our core mission of making the world a better place, and our relatively new status as an 8(a) graduate creates opportunities to strengthen our technical capabilities and expand our data analytics practice. Read more here: https://thedailyrecord.com/2018/09/28/success-allo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mario Bazan DSFederal Chief Growth Officer mario.bazan@dsfederal.com DSFederal wins Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems (DHVECS) On-Site Compliance Reviews contract Rockville, Maryland. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has awarded DSFederal a technical assistance (TA) and site visit support contract. Under this five-year task

In September 2017, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) sought DSFederal’s help with an upgrade of its Regulatory Robot application. The Regulatory Robot is an interactive online tool that provides users, particularly small businesses, with quick, free access to information about testing, labeling, and certification requirements, making it much easier for businesses to comply with those requirements. Using the Robot, product manufacturers and importers can answer a