Digital Government
Federal Bytes
Let's get Mikey Some of the nation's leaders aren't too excited about flying into the new millennium. At last week's House Year 2000 hearing Rep. Steve Horn (RCalif.) asked Michael Huerta the Transportation Department's acting chief information officer if he would be on the first flight leaving on
Digital Government
Move beyond talk on Year 2000
It was good news and bad news for agencies at last week's hearing on the Year 2000 held by the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Government Management Information and Technology. The panel's leadership was pleased with the increased visibility the codefix problem has achieved b
Digital Government
Air Force to expand software reuse project
The Air Force awarded late last month contracts to Hughes Aircraft Co. Raytheon Co. and TRW Inc. under a $500 million program that could dramatically reduce the cost and development time of major command and control software programs. The fouryear Command and Control Product Line (CCPL) program ru
Digital Government
What are the rules for oral proposals?
A government contracting official raised the following question: It seems that many agencies have begun to require offerors to give oral presentations in addition to their written proposals on new procurements. In some cases oral presentations are about the only things on which the sourceselection
Digital Government
Rejections sometimes are justified
Although federal employees are often on the receiving end of unjust treatment sometimes they get exactly what they deserve. In such a case the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently reviewed a decision by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) concerning the government's denial o
Digital Government
Agencies battle to meet IT rules
Two federal laws that required agencies to show how the billions of dollars spent on information technology were helping programs run better played at best a minimal role in the formation of fiscal 1998 budgets. The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and the ClingerCohen Act demand fede
Digital Government
Round Two
The World Wide Web address for the Government Information Technology Services Board published in the Feb. 17 special report, "Virtual Government: The Puzzle of Intergovernmental Networks," changed after the report went to press. The new address is www.gits.fed.gov.
Digital Government
INDUSTRY WATCH
Lucent sells switching gear on HITS L ucent Technologies Inc. said it sold $16 million worth of digital network switching gear for the Defense Information Systems Agency's Hawaii Information Transfer System (HITS) through an agreement with Wheat International hardware supplier to AT&T Government Ma
Digital Government
HUD faces fight to exit `high-risk' list
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a lot more work to do to clean up information technology deficiencies that leave the agency open to waste and fraud the General Accounting Office reported last month. The sharply worded report issued as part of GAO's renowned 'HighRisk Series ' c
Digital Government
Sterling unveils Web-ready software
Sterling Commerce Inc. introduced today a suite of software products that will allow agencies to conduct electronic commerce over the World Wide Web. Called GENTRAN Web Suite the product family consists of two products designed to work with the company's GENTRAN:Server which has been shipping for a
Digital Government
Critics blast GSA's revised strategy
General Services Administration officials were roundly criticized last week by members of Congress industry and users of its telecommunications services for their revised acquisition strategy for purchasing telecom services after the current FTS 2000 contract expires. GSA issued last month a propos
Digital Government
DOD crafts rules for electronic records
The Defense Department has released a final draft version of functional requirements for recordsmanagement software that within months could become official DOD policy and a governmentwide standard requiring federal agencies to store official electronic files and electronic mail. The Feb. 14 draft
Digital Government
Web shows IT specs, reinvention ventures
The country's largest network of government and industrial standards went live last week providing online access to more than 70 000 development and manufacturing standards including a large chunk devoted to information technology standards for government and privatesector users. Don't expect
Digital Government
AT&T grabs third DISN award
The Defense Information Systems Agency last week completed the last in its initial series of acquisitions for the nextgeneration Defense Information Systems Network with the award of a $125 million video teleconferencing contract to AT&T Government Markets. The Defense Video ServicesGlobal (DVSG
Digital Government
DOD director revels `in the fray'
Over the last year or so Cynthia Rand has seen her life overrun by the Year 2000 problem the ClingerCohen Act and outsourcing issues. And she could not be happier. In her role as principal director for information management at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command Control C
Digital Government
ASC loses staff, gains power
FORT HUACHUCA Ariz. The Army's worldwide communications supplier will have lost more than half its peak strength of 40 000 civilian and military personnel by the end of fiscal 1998 but its commanding officer Maj. Gen. Charles Sutten believes this amounts to 'a move for the better.' The Army Signa
Digital Government
GTSI reports FY '96 loss
Government Technology Services Inc. reported a loss of $17.6 million for its 1996 fiscal year that company executives said was caused by onetime writeoffs. Chief executive officer Dendy Young said the writeoffs will allow the company to straighten up its balance sheet going into the new fiscal y
Digital Government
Sysorex fires first salvo in potential price war
Sysorex Information Systems Inc. last month priced its entrylevel PC system offered on an Army contract at about half what competitors are charging for similar equipment on other governmentwide contracts. Analysts said this figure would set a new price floor for PCs in the federal market. On the A
Digital Government