Digital Government
Vendors upgrade pacts with range of IT wares
Information technology vendors used the occasion of the recent FOSE conference in Washington D.C. to unveil new product additions to federal contracts. Vendors promoted a range of wares from highend PCs equipped with Pentium Pro chips to PC Cards designed for specialized security applications. I
Digital Government
Five vendors seize 7-year SISTIR pact
The Food and Drug Administration this month awarded a $200 million contract to five vendors that will provide the agency with nearly all its information technology needs into the next century. The sevenyear Strategic Information Systems Technical Integration Resources (SISTIR) contract was awarded
Digital Government
HP, Microsoft ally for NT
HewlettPackard Co. and Microsoft Corp. earlier this month announced a sweeping strategy for jointly delivering products and services that could further boost the role of Windows NT and other Microsoft products in the enterprise environment. The strategy covers everything from Windows NT servers an
Digital Government
USPS delivers $3 billion MNS contract to MCI
The U.S. Postal Service last week awarded the largest telecommunications contract in its history to MCI. Called Managed Network Services the contract may be worth as much as $3 billion over 11 years as MCI builds manages and owns the telecommunications infrastructure that will support retail termin
Digital Government
Demand declines for midlevel multimedia products
Midlevel multimedia software packages marketed strictly for use in creating jazzedup presentations complete with sound animation and video have experienced a downturn in sales in recent months. The decline is due in part to an explosion at the high end of the multimedia arena where Internet a
Digital Government
Government debates new encryption standard
The federal government will likely ignite a firestorm of technical and political debate as it begins a search to replace the Data Encryption Standard a staple among government users and industry alike. The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced in early January that it was seeking
Digital Government
Companies unite to head off DOD
In an effort to head off oversight of private networks by the Defense Department a group of bluechip companies is reviewing the security of the networks that form the nation's critical telecommunications backbone. The Information Technology Industry (ITI) council is leading the push to determine w
Digital Government
ROSTER
Claude Garmon this month accepted the job of director of the national Federal Acquisition Services for Technology Program Office at the General Services Administration. The program procures information technology products and services for agencies through various contracts awarded by GSA and other
Digital Government
NARA records executive tackles archiving in the Digital Age
Michael Miller the new director of records management programs with the National Archives and Records Administration has spent his career looking for technology that can keep pace with history. For years Miller has grappled with the numerous historical and legal records created through federal agen
Digital Government
Pentagon drops super funds on 5 centers
The Defense Department last week announced plans to purchase three new supercomputers and upgrade several other systems under a $43 million effort that will support cuttingedge warfighteroriented research. The DOD HighPerformance Computing Modernization Office tapped five military centers to rec
Digital Government
New industry estimates push Y2K costs skyward
Fixing the Year 2000 date change in the federal government's computer systems will cost more than twice what the Clinton administration has predicted according to a new industry study disclosed to Federal Computer Week last week. Federal Sources Inc. a McLean Va. market research firm predicts the g
Digital Government
OPM issues unfair rules on conduct
The Office of Personnel Management last year issued interim rules designed to ensure that its employees do not use their official positions and their access to nonpublic information to obtain any advantages for themselves or others when taking exams relating to federal service. Unfortunately the ag
Digital Government
EPA rolls out $200M RFP for telecommunications, support
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a procurement for telecommunications and computer support that could be worth more than $200 million over five years. The National Telecommunications and Computing Support contract (National TACS) will replace a contract that is currently held by Loc
Digital Government
Desktop V: First-rate or frustrating?
I read with interest Mr. Frye's OpEd piece on Desktop V [FCW March 17]. In general I am very happy with the Desktop contracts particularly because of the great warranty coverage and software upgrades. However Desktop V has some aggravating flaws. First my major bargaining tool payment to the vendo
Digital Government
The Navy scales back BPA plans
Concerned with an increasing number of broadly scoped procurement vehicles the Navy recently scaled back what industry vendors had viewed as a large and strategic systems and services buy. The Tactical Advanced ComputerEnterprise Solutions program will establish blanket purchase agreements with as
Digital Government
California, Ohio Add Intermec Corp. Products to Schedules
California, Ohio Add Intermec Corp. Products to Schedules
Digital Government
Intergraph launches 3-D PC with aggressive pricing
Intergraph Computer Systems today announced a line of 3D PCs featuring Pentium and Pentium Pro chips graphics accelerator technology and commercial pricing that starts at $1 185. The new lowcost system will be available as part of a set of three new models Intergraph added to its TD PC line of Pe
Digital Government
Census counts on Lockheed to build $49M imaging system
The Census Bureau this month awarded to Lockheed Martin Federal Systems a $49 million contract to build the system that will digitally capture data from the tens of millions of census forms sent in for the 2000 census. Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors Electronic Data Systems Corp. and CACI In
Digital Government
IT spending remains flat
Total federal spending on information technology systems and services will hit $24.8 billion in fiscal 1998 up slightly from $24.7 billion in the current fiscal year according to Bruce McConnell director of the information policy branch of the Office of Management and Budget. McConnell said that wh
Digital Government