The Homeland Security Department plans to award small business contracts on its Eagle IT services vehicle by July 31.

The Government Accountability Office has closed a bid protest over the full and open Eagle contract. GAO said the protestor, Indus Corp., never stated a legally valid reason for the protest.

Twenty-five bidders won places on the full and open vehicle. It is worth up to $45 billion over 10 years.

Energy Department employees and contractors will be required to acknowledge in writing that they have no expectation of privacy on the department’s computers.

Energy issued a final rule July 18 requiring computer users to sign a statement saying they are aware that authorized investigators can have access to the machines they use. The department said the rule is an effort to create an agency-wide policy.

It is effective Aug. 18.

The Office of Management and Budget has established a one-stop website for small businesses needing information about federal regulations, taxes and other paperwork.

The site, www.business.gov/sbpra, includes a list of contacts at each agency on small business issues.

“This tool provides small businesses with one-stop shopping – helping them to better navigate federal requirements with the click of a mouse,” said Clay Johnson, OMB deputy director for management.

If you can’t stop the federal government from spending, at least you would be able to see where the money is going under a bipartisan bill that would to create a free public database listing every entity that receives federal funds.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was scheduled to mark up the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act July 27. Its sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL), say the government spends about $1 trillion a year on contracts, grants, loans, insurance and other direct payments. The database would show who is getting the money and how much.

The House passed a similar bill in June.

The same committee was also scheduled to vote July 27 on the nomination of Paul Denett to head OMB’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy.