Digital Government
CIOs' most daunting task: performance measurement
Developing proper ways to measure the performance of information technology projects will be the most difficult task that chief information officers will face when agencies fill these new management positions in the coming months, according to the Industry Advisory Council (IAC). Developing perform
Digital Government
Disputed CIOSP style earns Kelman's support
The Clinton administration has thrown its support behind the process under which the National Institutes of Health is preparing its controversial Chief Information Officers Solutions & Partners (CIOSP) governmentwide contract. The administration's support, which is not an endorsement or approval of
Digital Government
GATEC system orphaned again
With only six months left to comply with the president's electronic commerce mandate, the Energy Department is banking on an EC solution developed and now abandoned by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. As its agencywide solution for EC, DOE has chosen the Government Acquisition Through El
Digital Government
House proceeds with TSM overhaul
The House last week approved an appropriations bill that reduces funding for the Internal Revenue Service's Tax Systems Modernization by $776 million and fences off all funding pending a move by the agency to "restructure" the contract. The bill would reduce the Clinton administration's funding r
Digital Government
Raptor and Milkyway add security features
Aiming to help managers secure networks that are adding more Internet users all the time, two leading network security companies are releasing product upgrades to make security management easier. With the latest announcements, Raptor Systems Inc., Waltham, Mass., and Milkyway Networks Corp., Ottawa
Digital Government
NARA draft report calls for more fed involvement up front
A draft strategic plan issued by the National Archives and Records Administration calls for increased involvement in the 'frontend' design of federal agencies' recordkeeping systems. 'We see ourselves in the future providing more attention to the life cycle's front end, where record systems are d
Digital Government
DOD loses bid to expand exemptions
In a sly move that ultimately was foiled by congressional leaders, the Defense Department quietly had an amendment attached to the House fiscal 1997 authorization bill that effectively would have exempted nearly all military and some civilian information technology systems from federal oversight. T
Digital Government
Compaq revamps products, prices
For the first time in company history, Compaq Computer Corp. today revamped its entire commercial PC product line in one fell swoop. The more cohesive product set featuring fewer models and a new, easiertoassemble design will offer prices up to 15 percent lower than previous Compaq models. Th
Digital Government
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Another look at SBSAs The article "How does a company challenge smallbusiness setasides?" [FCW, July 1] provided an enlightening and informative discussion. The legal advice given appeared to represent the best deliberative approach that a large company could possibly take to challenge a small
Digital Government
JWID '96 will spotlight switching, transmission
The Defense Department plans to use this year's Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID '96) to harvest information technology "golden nuggets" that it can insert quickly into the battlefield, with advanced, highspeed switch and transmission technology topping the list. This is not a
Digital Government
CIOs lacking; OMB oversight questioned
With only three weeks to go before the Information Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA) goes into effect, agencies have appointed too few qualified chief information officers and the Office of Management Budget appears illprepared to oversee implementation of the law, according to the General
Digital Government
Science agencies rally behind GPRA
Representatives from civilian science agencies that have begun implementing the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) said they believe the act will strengthen their research efforts, although they face hurdles integrating the act into the budget process. The civilian officials appeared ear
Digital Government
Contractors automate to manage DEIS II
Faced with managing mammoth teams and multiple task orders, Defense Enterprise Integration Services II contractors are taking a dose of their own medicine. Many of the contractors working on the $3 billion Defense Information Systems Agency program have developed systems to help manage task orders,
Digital Government
Visionary marries tech with AF mission
William C. James, director of architecture and technology for the Air Force and the designated technology visionary for his service, still identifies with Dilbert, the popular comic strip character generally seen as the epitome of nerdish software engineers. This stems from James' deep roots in the
Digital Government
AWARDS
CTA Inc. A $30.6 million award for ADP services. General Services Administration, Federal Supply Service, Room 507, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va. SRA International Inc. A $21.9 million task order to provide localarea network/widearea network maintenance and systems engineering supp
Digital Government
Image compression eases storage, transmission issues
Electronic distribution of still images and video is becoming easier, and there is no doubt it will be a vital part of future agency communications and computing systems. But technical and cost barriers have to be overcome first, and key to this is the continuing advance in compression technology.
Digital Government
I-NET lands $42.6M support services pact at USPS
The U.S. Postal Service has awarded a $42.6 million outsourcing contract to INET Inc. to provide information support services for the agency's headquarters. The sevenyear, fixedprice Computer Facilities Management pact is a consolidation of several contracts and task orders held by numerous vend
Digital Government
Agencies, Congress prepare for ITMRA
President Clinton signed an executive order last week outlining in broad strokes the responsibilities for chief information officers and rules for setting up 'interagency support structures' so that agencies can coordinate, exchange ideas on and set standards for information technology projects gov
Digital Government
Editorial
The whole issue of encryption policy and software export licenses is fraught with controversy. The software industry, convinced that the current policy puts it at a competitive disadvantage, has been lobbying Congress hard to remove the restrictions. The intelligencegathering agencies argue just a
Digital Government