Digital Government
ROSTER
Allen Church security and privacy representative in the General Services Administration's Strategic Information Technology Analysis Division last month became cochairman of the Policy and Legal Working Group of the Government IT Services Board's Public Key Infrastructure Steering Committee. The in
Digital Government
GSA pushes small firms to compete
The General Services Administration's Federal Telecommunications Service has adopted a new approach advocated by the Small Business Administration to allow small and disadvantaged businesses to compete among themselves for federal contracts. FTS intended to use the approach in its solicitation for
Digital Government
OMB directive seeks more bang for IT bucks
In what some observers called a shot across the bow the Office of Management and Budget last week put agencies on notice that information systems must meet strict new criteria to receive continued funding. In a memo dated Oct. 25 OMB director Franklin D. Raines called for agency and department head
Digital Government
Report backs joint personnel system
The Defense Science Board has strongly recommended development of a joint commercially based personnel and pay system for the Defense Department rather than the Navy system ardently backed for the past two years by Rep. Bob Livingston (DLa.) the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Commit
Digital Government
FEDERAL BYTES
What a tangled Web we weave A gripe we've been hearing recently from Web browsers in the government concerns 'renegade" Webmasters who coopt the domain names of agencies (or domain names that sound like agencies) and then post offensive or embarrassing information. For example try browsing www.wh
Digital Government
Life after the Brooks Act
As we move into the brave new world of life after the Brooks Act we hear from many companies about how buying and selling computer gear has become easier. Still no one expected this new world to be perfect and we have not been disappointed in that prediction. It is a lot easier to award a contract
Digital Government
Unisys wins $200 million network job on SEWP
Unisys Corp. is the sole winner of the $200 million networking portion of NASA's Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement II awarded late last month. Under SEWP II Unisys will provide Asynchronous Transfer Mode switches routers hubs telemetry systems network management software network in
Digital Government
Intermetrics lands $33M IV&V pact
NASA awarded last month a $33 million pact to Intermetrics Inc. to conduct independent assessments of space program software. The contract requires Intermetrics Warminster Pa. to conduct independent validation and verification (IV&V) analyses of critical inflight and ground control software to ens
Digital Government
ARS seen as answer for `reasonable' program goals
The Federal Aviation Administration hopes it has solved a decadeold problem with defining modernization requirements by creating the Air Traffic System Requirements Service abbreviated ARS and putting at its head a former air traffic controller. Neil Planzer director of ARS believes the new organi
Digital Government
NAS moving toward all-digital technology
The Federal Aviation Administration anticipating more crowded skies in the years ahead is considering how it may make a wholesale move to more efficient digitalbased communications throughout the National Airspace System. For several years the FAA has been exploring the use of data link technology
Digital Government
Cygnet adds CD-ROM products
Cygnet Storage Solutions Inc. the company formed when DynaTek Automation Systems Inc. purchased ATG Cygnet Inc. earlier this fall is adding CDROM technology from its parent company to its storage product line. Mike Griswold vice president of Cygnet said the company would continue its existing line
Digital Government
Intercepts
* Paige to stay? Despite an announcement earlier this year that he planned to pull the pin after the election ASD/C3I Emmett Paige Jr. appears to have no immediate plans to hit the road. In a recent allcaps email (fondly referred to around here as Emmettgrams) Paige wrote 'I HAVE NO SET SCHEDULE
Digital Government
LETTERS
FCW's Tech Briefing on RAID [Sept. 9] was technically informative. Although we enjoyed the article we would like to note that Distributed Processing Technology was conspicuously omitted from the story though we provided FCW with extensive information on the subject of RAID and on DPT products. As a
Digital Government
Competing network computers debut
The market for network computers and other lowcost hardware platforms heated up last week with announcements involving companies such as Sun Microsystems Inc. Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. Some of the products unveiled could arrive on federal contracts late this year. Sun announced JavaStation
Digital Government
GAO finds Net is hot for vendors showing wares
The Internet is emerging as an important market research tool for federal agencies buying information technology according to a new report by the General Accounting Office. Government and industry officials participating in the GAO review of agency market research activities said the Internet is 'b
Digital Government
Compaq, Unisys to offer Windows NT on SEWP II pact
The followon to NASA's popular Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement (SEWP) will offer government buyers more choices and could pit traditional Unix workstation offerings against Microsoft Corp. Windows NTbased workstations. Of the three vendors NASA selected in early October to prov
Digital Government
GSA unveils RFP for $3B support services program
The General Services Administration last Friday issued a request for proposals for a series of telecommunications support services contracts worth up to $3 billion over five years. GSA's Technical and Management Support (TMS) contracts a companion program to the PostFTS 2000 services contracts wil
Digital Government
Good news for workers on leave without pay
Late this summer the Office of Personnel Management issued a regulation pertaining to employees who go on leave without pay (LWOP) or whose pay is insufficient to cover their Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) premium payments. This regulation was designed to ensure that affected federal employ
Digital Government
Federal telecom game: Players, rules in constant motion
Things change quickly in the federal telecommunications marketplace. The players the rules the entire game have transformed into a new sport. Those who master the new competitive environment will be tomorrow's winners. In today's federal telecommunications market even the most entrenched incumb
Digital Government