Digital Government
IT vendors pursue GIS standards; users to benefit
Some major information technology companies have begun to develop products that will push the geospatial processing industry toward the establishment of standards and make geographic information systems (GIS) less expensive and more accessible for government and public users. Oracle Corp. and GTE C
Digital Government
Legislation would expand slow child-support effort
When President Clinton signs welfare reform legislation this month a controversial program to develop state computer systems for tracking deadbeat parents that is already years behind schedule will be expanded. Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act the Department
Digital Government
SAIC taps Virtual Prototypes for PC-based tools
Science Applications International Corp. last week added another piece to its product suite for interactive visual simulation by signing an agreement with Virtual Prototypes Inc. to resell VPI's software for generating tactical scenarios for Defenserelated projects. Under the deal SAIC will bundle
Digital Government
FEDERAL BYTES
The new IRS? As if the Internal Revenue Service were not having enough trouble explaining to the politicos just what it wants to do with Tax Systems Modernization Bob Dole's vision of a more userfriendly tax agency might change the plan some more. Ending filing for millions of taxpayers as the Rep
Digital Government
What is the Trade Secrets Act?
This question was asked by a company official: What is the Trade Secrets Act? What is the relationship between the Trade Secrets Act and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? The Trade Secrets Act is part of the U.S. Criminal Code. It prohibits government employees from releasing certain confident
Digital Government
Rules are major shift for agencies
New acquisition rules proposed this month by the Clinton administration mark a major shift in federal procurement policy from a focus on detailed work specifications to an emphasis on results. Five years in the making the proposed rules document a central tenet of acquisition reform: that agencies
Digital Government
New Life for Old Machines
Representatives from the Office of the Vice President and various agencies joined parents teachers and students at Baltimore's Dunbar High School earlier this month to celebrate the transfer of nearly 400 excess federal computers to public schools and educational nonprofits. Six agencies the Army
Digital Government
White House to unveil Web policy
The White House has drafted privacy and security guidelines for agencies maintaining World Wide Web sites that the Office of Management and Budget plans to circulate this fall.At that time OMB will also release guidelines detailing how the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and the Information Technolog
Digital Government
Treasury on new tack with TMAC follow-on
General Services Administration multipleaward schedule vendors competing for the upcoming Treasury Distributed Processing Infrastructure (TDPI) procurement have until the end of this month to pitch their wares to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS plans to award up to eight contracts to supply
Digital Government
Web is conduit for Flight 800 data
When The Washington Post wanted to do a story on the hightechnology gear used by the Navy to search for wreckage of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, it tapped into the Navy Public Affairs Library World Wide Web page at http://www.navy.mil/navpalib/.www/welcome/html. Cable News Network, the newly la
Digital Government
MCI wins $8M Army satcom pact for Kuwait
MCI Government Markets won an $8 million contract to provide advanced satellite communications services to the Army Central Command (ARCENT)Kuwait. The system will provide ARCENT with secure voice, data, videoconferencing and facsimile services through highspeed satellite links. MCI has installed
Digital Government
PRC, Wisconsin-Madison joint venture offers image-oriented weather system
PRC and the University of WisconsinMadison Space Science and Engineering Center (UW SSEC) have teamed up to develop and sell an imageoriented weather system to government and commercial users. The system, called Advanced McIDAS (Man Computer Interactive Data Access System), is based upon PRC syst
Digital Government
Braun to head PRC Systems Intetration unit
Dick Braun has been promoted to senior vice president for PRC and head of the Systems Integration (SI) business unit. Braun will have full profit and loss and operational responsibility for the unit and will report directly to PRC president Len Pomata. Braun has been vice president for Government I
Digital Government
Caere eases publishing of forms on the Internet
Caere Corp. last month introduced OmniForm Internet Publisher, which aims to ease the process of converting paper forms to electronic forms accessible via the Internet. OmniForm Internet Publisher scans paper forms and translates them into electronic forms that can be viewed, printed, filled out an
Digital Government
Deadbeats
Perhaps the most lengthy notice we've ever seen published in the Commerce Business Daily appeared on July 23. The notice listed dozens of contracting offices that will not be allowed to publish notices in CBD until they pay their overdue bills for April's CBD printing fees. Although CBD provided fr
Digital Government
Layoffs ahead for TSM workers
The Internal Revenue Service last week confirmed that it would lay off 2,000 or more employees who are working on Tax Systems Modernization to comply with budget legislation pending in Congress. The decision, which was not publicly announced, has been expected because both House and Senate versions
Digital Government
GITS Board to take over predecessor's activities
The newly created Government Information Technology Services Board would continue the work of its predecessor, the GITS Working Group, as a facilitator of IT programs that aim to make government more efficient and accessible to the public, according to a recent status report issued by the working g
Digital Government
AWARDS
Sherikon Inc. A $25 million contract for advisory and assistance services. Army Medical Command, Attn: MCAA CA, Building 2015, 1105 Beebe Loop, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234. Computer Sciences Corp. A $9.03 million face value increase to a fixedprice incentive contract to provide software for the
Digital Government
Post-FTS 2000 to be delayed
The $20 billion PostFTS 2000 telecommunications services solicitation will not be released next week as planned, and program officials are scrambling to quiet the fears of Congress that the procurement will not take advantage of the changing telecom marketplace. Members of committees on both sides
Digital Government