GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
US Department of Energy (DOE) | August 18, 2022
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston energy community, brought together by ALLY Energy, is convening with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to explore the progress Houston has made since 2017 on climate resiliency and on ensuring a just energy transition. Hurricane Harvey was a significant recent reminder of the critical need for climate resilience and for the transition to net-zero economies to be inclusive and just – so no one is left behind.
“A just and inclusive energy transition doesn’t happen without a strong partnership between the private and public sector. We are proud to host DOE and honor the mayor for creating and adopting a city-wide Climate Action Plan and representing Houston on a national level as the Chair of the Climate Mayors.”
-Katie Mehnert, CEO of ALLY Energy.
Following a series of informative meetings around Houston, the DOE visit will culminate in a luncheon on Friday, August 26 during which Mayor Turner, the DOE, and Houston energy leaders will discuss the lessons learned over the last five years and what a just energy transition means for our community. ALLY Energy will also present Mayor Houston with its first Lifetime Achievement GRIT Award for his work on climate resiliency.
I am honored and humbled to accept the first ALLY Energy Lifetime Achievement GRIT Award, said Mayor Sylvester Turner. Houston has faced seven federally declared disasters in seven years. Yet, our city proves time again that we are strong and resilient as we build toward the future. We are the energy capital of the world while leading on energy transition. We know we can effectively mitigate climate change, implement resilient strategies, and address the needs of our most under-resourced communities - without leaving anyone behind.
We applaud Mayor Sylvester Turner and our fellow energy leaders for the important work our city is doing to ensure Houston is leading the charge in accelerating a just energy transition, said William J. (John) Berger, Chief Executive Officer of Sunnova Energy International. If the current global energy crisis has taught us anything, it’s that our country, and our home state of Texas, must come together to support a resilient energy transition by ensuring we address energy affordability, safeguard energy security, and mitigate climate change in the face of growing economic hardship and extreme weather events.
Also at the lunch, the audience will get to experience a film premier from the Rational Middle, a documentary that highlights experts in environmental justice and aims to clarify how we can take advantage of the opportunities of a just transition.
“We believe for the U.S. to make progress and to achieve its net zero goals, everybody has to feel they are part of the energy transformation, As we all build a cleaner energy future together, Shell USA will continue to focus on how we create economic, social, and environmental value in our communities and nationwide. We are very proud to partner with Shell USA’s hometown, Houston, on its path toward climate resiliency.”
-Gretchen Watkins, President Shell USA, Inc.
INFORMATION ON THE LUNCHEON
Houston has long been known as the oil and gas capital of the world. As it transitions itself to the energy capital of the world, how can it ensure a just transition? Attend the limited-seating event by registering here. We are grateful to our sponsors, Shell USA, Inc. and Sunnova Energy, for helping to make this important event a reality.
ABOUT ALLY ENERGY & THE GRIT AWARDS:
ALLY Energy is the leading energy workforce platform that builds culture, careers, and skills for an equitable transition. ALLY connects the energy industry and public to resources and best practices and serves as a neutral platform for dialogue and actions to address the energy transition. The community includes professionals and startups in 120 countries in nearly 1,000 companies across energy in oil and natural gas, utilities, renewables, and climate technology. The annual GRIT Awards℠ & Best Energy Workplaces℠ were created to honor industry leaders, professionals, academia, students, and public servants for their achievements in driving a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive energy transition.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY,GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
iOffice + SpaceIQ | August 17, 2022
iOffice + SpaceIQ, the global workplace technology company, today announced its intent to seek authorization from the U.S. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for its Integrated Workplace Management System Archibus.
FedRAMP facilitates adoption of secure technologies across U.S. government agencies by standardizing assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring of cloud-based products and services.
The federal government owns and leases 130,000 properties — approximately 885 million square feet and $21B in annual operational expenditures — representing the largest real estate portfolio in the United States. With nearly 7% of government-owned properties underutilized or unused, iOffice + SpaceIQ's solutions address the critical need for space optimization, cost reduction, and enhanced decision-making capabilities for federal facilities.
"There's been a major push to modernize operations and ramp up digital transformation efforts within the federal government, FedRAMP authorization will accelerate our ability to supply much-needed solutions to highly regulated government agencies and continue serving our existing federal customers."
-Chief Dan DeRosa, Product Officer, iOffice + SpaceIQ.
iOffice + SpaceIQ is already authorized to operate on secure high-side networks for several government agencies. The company has a robust federal distribution, reseller, and service provider network, meeting demand for centralized management of facility operations, maintenance, and occupancy while ensuring data security.
iOffice + SpaceIQ's infrastructure is purpose-built to increase customers' resiliency against existing and future cybersecurity challenges. The business meets the highest standards for service and accessibility, including compliance with SOC 2 and a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template for Archibus.
About iOffice + SpaceIQ:
iOffice + SpaceIQ empowers how tomorrow will work, helping employees and companies adapt and thrive to produce better outcomes for the world. Our smart workplace technology enables over 10,000 organizations in 85 countries to improve business performance through intuitive, people-first space planning and operations. More than 2M end users rely on iOffice + SpaceIQ platforms to optimize more than 2B square feet of space valued at more than $64B, maintain mission-critical assets, and enhance how people interact with the workplace.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY,GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Bidscale | August 17, 2022
Bidscale is announcing the public launch and refresh of their flagship software, Bidscale Select.
Federal contracting is the backbone of America. From combat helicopters to scientific research, contracts underpin the operational effectiveness of our country. Contracting is big business, with $680B spent annually. Quick and smart government procurement leads to a stronger and more prosperous America.
The current process is burdened by a lack of digitization resulting in a five-to-seven-year timetable from contract conceptualization to award. This stifles the Government's ability to obtain the latest and greatest innovation. For example, if it takes five years to buy a three-year-old combat system, by the time it is purchased and implemented, the technology would be at least eight years old.
Bidscale has proven that the slowdown comes from a lack of tools necessary for Contracting Officers. These officers need to advance away from the usage of pens, highlighters, and post-it notes and move into the digital realm where collaboration, communication, and effective workflow tracking occur all in one place.
Addressing this situation has garnered bipartisan support, illuminated by the AGILE Procurement Act, a reformation that enhances agile technology acquisition across the Federal Government. Bidscale is addressing the situation too, saving time by digitizing the source selection process. Through a secure environment, Bidscale supports the full lifecycle of source selection activities including proposal submission, evaluation, consensus, reporting, and artifact generation.
It can take weeks for a Contracting Officer to compile and export source selection artifacts, but Bidscale does it in under ten seconds, and that is just one of the many features.
"I'm very proud to have seen Bidscale already successfully implemented during several major Federal Government source selection processes, this company is committed to developing even more tools to continuously improve and digitize this contracting process. I believe Bidscale is a Govtech company to watch."
-Tony Kwag, founder of Bidscale.
Bidscale was made for Contracting Officers by Contracting Officers, so it addresses the most pressing needs through the following product modules:
Evaluation – Allows users to virtually conduct proposal evaluations with supporting data on a single screen.
Contracting Artifacts – Allows users to manage contracting artifacts and auto-generate comprehensive reports.
Consensus – Users can run consolidated reviews to ensure quality control and adherence to source selection requirements.
Contracting Workflow – A progress tracker where users can centrally manage and report on the source selection process by managing progress, schedule, risk, submissions, and reporting. This feature is especially useful when team members are not in the same room.
Ultimately, Bidscale creates a source selection process that is repeatable, traceable, defendable, and scalable.
About Bidscale:
Founded in Arlington, Virginia, Bidscale is a software solution that is mission-focused on accelerating innovation across the Federal Government. Bidscale is a Small Disadvantaged Business pending 8(a) certification and has achieved SOC 2 compliance.
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