The Daily Scoop Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode: GSA seeks industry input on improving reseller market value
Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Billy Mitchell

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Billy Mitchell discusses two major topics facing federal leaders: the General Services Administration (GSA) seeking industry feedback on enhancing the value of technology resellers in government procurement, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) advancement in automation and adoption of AI chatbots. The episode spotlights GSA’s market research efforts and ICE’s push to automate business functions, providing insights into ongoing trends of digital transformation and procurement streamlining within government agencies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. GSA Seeks Input on Reseller Market Value (00:23 – 03:10)

GSA’s Request for Information (RFI):
The General Services Administration is actively soliciting feedback from technology resellers to improve the federal procurement process, especially as it relates to Value Added Resellers (VARs).
Objective:
GSA’s RFI aims to gather cost reduction strategies for products sold to the government through VARs as opposed to direct purchases from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Role of Value Added Resellers:
VARs purchase infrastructure or software from OEMs and enhance them with additional features or services prior to reselling to federal agencies.
Findings from Analysis:
There is significant variance in the services offered and the markup percentages added to vendor pricing across different VARs.
Pricing and Controls:
Market research is set to inform whether GSA needs “additional controls to ensure the government receives fair and reasonable pricing when markups exceed a specified percentage threshold.”
Understanding Value Add:
GSA's goal is to develop a “clearer understanding of the value added by resellers and the resulting impact of these services on pricing and the ability to meet the government’s requirements.”
Josh Grunbaum's Comment:
Josh Grunbaum, Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner at GSA, emphasizes the importance of industry feedback:

“The agency wants to hear directly from the VARs about the value they add to the government within the supply chain.” (01:42)
Outcome for Contracting Officers:
The info gathered will “help contracting officers, allowing them to more accurately evaluate proposed pricing and ensure fair and reasonable costs for these types of products.”
Context – OneGov Initiative:
This is part of the “OneGov initiative, which focuses on streamlining the federal procurement process by working directly with vendors to reduce costs and avoid duplicative actions.”
- Despite the push for direct vendor deals, resellers remain involved in many agreements, albeit potentially in new capacities.

2. ICE’s Push for Automation and AI Chatbots (03:11 – 06:00)

Automation Expansion:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) IT department is accelerating the automation of business functions.
Dustin Goetz Remarks:
Dustin Goetz, CIO at ICE, at a Homeland Security and Defense forum event:

“We’re already tapping our automation tool set for compliance checks on applications, code review, and identification of issues in infrastructure…” (03:30)
Prime Areas for Automation:
Lower-level cybersecurity tasks, service desk operations, and administrative duties identified as “prime areas for automation.”
Training AI Models:
Goetz highlights the need to “train models to help a process that’s already underway” using existing agency data.
Adoption of Internal AI Chatbot:
ICE has launched an internal AI chatbot named Stella, led by the DHS division’s Chief Innovation and AI Officer.
- Openness to industry partnerships: “The agency is open to bringing on industry partners to sharpen the tool and help ICE reach its automation goals.” (04:22)
Maintaining Human Oversight:
Despite automation, “human review will remain a vital part of the adoption process, even as tasks are automated.”
Legacy Technology Identification:
ICE is pushing to “identify legacy tech and shadow it,” consistent with a broader federal trend toward IT efficiency.
Policy Context:
This aligns with the Trump administration’s continued emphasis on “efficiency and eliminating waste.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Josh Grunbaum, GSA Commissioner:

“The agency wants to hear directly from the VARs about the value they add to the government within the supply chain.” (01:42)
Dustin Goetz, ICE CIO:

“We’re already tapping our automation tool set for compliance checks on applications, code review, and identification of issues in infrastructure…” (03:30)
On Human Review:

“Human review will remain a vital part of the adoption process, even as tasks are automated.” (04:33)
On Value Assessment:

“The information received in the RFI will also help contracting officers, allowing them to more accurately evaluate proposed pricing and ensure fair and reasonable costs…” (02:36)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:23 – GSA seeks industry input on reseller value
01:42 – Josh Grunbaum on VAR value in supply chain
02:36 – RFI’s impact on fair pricing and contracting
03:11 – ICE’s drive for automation and new AI chatbot
03:30 – Dustin Goetz on current automation use
04:22 – Openness to industry partners for ICE’s Stella chatbot
04:33 – Importance of human review in automation
05:10 – ICE’s push to identify and shadow legacy tech

Conclusion

This episode delivers useful updates on how GSA is reevaluating the value proposition and oversight of technology resellers, and how ICE is making bold advances in federal IT automation, including deployment of an internal AI chatbot. Federal agencies continue to balance efficiency, technological integration, and oversight in an era of increasing digital transformation.

For more details, visit FedScoop.com.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Today on the Daily Scoop Podcast from the Scoop News Group, GSA seeks industry input on improving reseller market value and ICE's IT shop eyes more automation and embraces a new AI chatbot. It's Friday, January 23, 2026. Welcome to the Daily Scoop Podcast, where you'll hear the latest news and trends facing government leaders. I'm the host of the Daily Scoop Podcast, Billy Mitchell. Thanks so much for joining me. And now let's dive into the day's top headlines. The General Services Administration is seeking input from the technology reseller community on how the agency can improve the federal procurement process, particularly regarding value added resellers. GSA issued a request for information Thursday stating that it hopes to receive cost reduction strategies for products resold to the government rather than those purchased directly from vendors. Value added resellers, a type of government reseller, purchase infrastructure or software from original equipment manufacturers or OEMs, and enhance them with certain features or services before reselling them to the government. An analysis of major VARs found significant differences in the services offered and markup percentages applied to the vendor pricing, according to the rfi. The market research will help determine whether the agency needs additional controls to ensure the government receives fair and reasonable pricing when markups exceed a specified percentage threshold, per the document, gsa wrote in a press release on Thursday. The RFI seeks to gain a clearer understanding of the value added by resellers and the resulting impact of these services on pricing and the ability to meet the government's requirements. Josh Grunbaum, the federal Acquisition Service commissioner at gsa, said the agency wants to hear directly from the ARS about the value they add to the government within the supply chain. The information received in the RFI will also help contracting officers, allowing them to more accurately evaluate proposed pricing and ensure fair and reasonable costs for these types of products, GSA said. The effort comes amid the agency's OneGov initiative, which focuses on streamlining the federal procurement process by working directly with vendors to reduce costs and avoid duplicative actions. Still, many of the one Gov deals to date involve a reseller in some capacity, and GSA officials indicated in recent months that resellers will likely still play a role just in a different capacity. Now, moving on to other news, U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to automate as many of its business functions as possible, the Department of Homeland security components top IT official said at an event Thursday in Washington, D.C. dustin Goetz, ISIS chief information officer, said on stage during a Homeland Security and Defense forum event that the agency is already tapping its automation tool set for compliance checks on applications, code review, and identification of issues in infrastructure, but it's now looking to beef up those capabilities. GATS pointed to lower level roles in cybersecurity, the service desk, and administrative functions as prime areas for automation, saying those things can be automated with the data the agency currently has and that it just needs to train models to help a process that's already underway. Additionally, ISIS started using an internal AI chatbot called Stella, a project led by the DHS division's chief innovation and AI officer. The agency is open to bringing on industry partners to sharpen the tool and help ICE reach its automation goals. On that journey, human review will remain a vital part of the adoption process, even as tasks are automated. Amid those ambitious automation goals, ICE is also embarking on a major push to identify legacy tech and shadow it. According to Getz, that push is prevalent across federal agencies currently as the Trump administration's focus on efficiency and eliminating waste persists. For more news at the intersection of the federal government and technology, make sure to visit fedscoop.com thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of the Daily Scoop Podcast, available on all podcast platforms. If you've already rated the podcast on your platform of choice, thanks so much. High ratings and good reviews of the show help more people to find it. The Daily Scoop Podcast is a production of the Scoop News Group in Washington, DC. Adam Butler and Carlin Fisher help put the show together, and the entire Scoop News Group team contributes. We'll be back next week with more top headlines. Until then, I'm your host Billy Mitchell. Thanks so much for listening.