Digital Government
Federal Bytes
At the sound of the beep... The Social Security Administration, typically run by a snappy, professional staff, seems to have forgotten its manners in the afterglow of awarding the agency's longawaited Intelligent Workstation/Local Area Network contract. Unisys Corp. won the contract, which will pl
Digital Government
Librarians: Various platforms needed to give public access
The government should prepare to offer the public access to electronic documents through a variety of platforms and formats including printed materials for the foreseeable future because not everyone will be able to obtain or read federal information provided through the Internet, technology ex
Digital Government
Positioning critical to CIO success
Agency chief information officers will need seats at the table where policy and strategy are formulated, as well as the power to carry through on decisions made, if the push to create effective CIOs governmentwide is to succeed, according to a new report. The most critical factor to the CIOs' event
Digital Government
AWARDS
Miltope Corp. A $4.6 million award for Super Bobcat computers. Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Indianapolis, Ind. Hughes STX Corp. A $4.4 million award for systems engineering and acquisition support services for the AWIPS acquisition office. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra
Digital Government
DOD overspends on phone bills
The Defense Department could save more than $3.5 million a month on longdistance phone bills by switching voice traffic from an AT&T DODspecific contract to the company's FTS 2000 network, according to the General Accounting Office. The GAO study was ordered by Sen. Bob Kerrey (DNeb.), ranking m
Digital Government
Desktop V ready to go
The Air Force's Desktop V contract got back on track last week after Government Technology Services Inc. and Sysorex Inc. withdrew their protests, which had delayed the program for nearly a month. As part of an outofcourt settlement, GTSI and Sysorex will receive cash settlements from winning ven
Digital Government
AWARDS
CRS Inc. An $8.4 million award for technical assistance and support to the National Institute of Justice. Office of Justice Programs, Contracts Branch, Room 542, 633 Indiana Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20531. Vector Research Company Inc. A $992,946 award for technical computer services to perform s
Digital Government
AFN gets $20M channel upgrade
U.S. troops got a real morale boost earlier this month when the American Forces Information Service (AFIS) awarded a $20 million contract to Scientific Atlanta to upgrade the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) Satellite Network. AFIS, which provides radio and TV programming to U.S. p
Digital Government
Sybase creates partnerships with Netscape, Verity
Sybase Inc. last week extended its push into Internet and object relational technologies as part of a slew of product announcements. Amid the product moves, however, the company reiterated its commitment to stay competitive by maintaining an open architecture. Rather than introducing new products o
Digital Government
DOJ opinion may rewrite GPO charter
A recent Justice Department opinion undermines the Government Printing Office's traditional charter to handle printing for the executive branch and appears to open the door for federal agencies to buy printing on their own. Walter Dellinger, assistant attorney general, wrote in a May 31 memorandum
Digital Government
Threat of new TSM prime puts contractors in a tizzy
As House appropriators prepare a new budget for the Tax Systems Modernization (TSM), some Internal Revenue Service contractors are wrangling over the wisdom of creating a new prime contract as they try to head off expected funding cuts and possible changes to the contracting strategy for the beleag
Digital Government
GSA, Hill at odds over Post-FTS 2000 contract
With just two months to go before a planned August solicitation, an escalating dispute between congressional lawmakers and the General Services Administration has thrown into doubt the future of the followon contract to the governmentwide FTS 2000 longdistance network. GSA's Federal Telecommunica
Digital Government
U.S., Mexico to build border database
The United States and the government of Mexico signed a groundbreaking agreement last month that clears the way for the two countries to create a standardized and comprehensive electronic database of maps of the neighboring countries' shared border. The U.S./Mexico Border Aerial Photography Initia
Digital Government
Vendors announce 200 MHz Pentiums
Intel Corp. cranked its Pentium processor one more notch to 200 MHz last week, and several PC vendors immediately announced new models using the chip. The speed boost is expected to be the chip's last as the Pentium Pro gains popularity. Advanced Logic Research Inc., Dell Computer Corp., Gateway 20
Digital Government
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
DOD's security track record In the past 15 years, I've worked 12 years in fulltime computer security positions and the remainder doing computer security as a major part of other duties as a civilian Defense Department employee. In response to David K. Wall [Letters, "On DOD security spending," F
Digital Government
ROSTER
Robert Neal, head of the General Services Administration's Minority Enterprise Development Office, has been named director of the Defense Department's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. Before joining GSA, Neal served as the associate deputy administrator for government contrac
Digital Government
INTERCEPTS
The Interceptor has taken his redacted version of the Desktop V protests, the DISN strategy paper and Spies Without Cloaks and left town for some R&R. In his absence, a team of Interceptor wannabes donned antennas, moved into his territory and filed the following report. Kendall sightings. Cynthia
Digital Government
BDM broadens IT push
BDM International Inc. is broadening its pursuit of federal information technology opportunities and is eyeing an expansion into valueadded product sales. The McLean, Va.based integrator has made growth in the commercial, state and local government, and international markets a strategic thrust. B
Digital Government
GPO's longstanding federal printing monopoly may be history
For federal printing, the stuff hit the fan May 31. That's the day Walter Dellinger, assistant attorney general and head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, issued a memorandum to the General Services Administration titled "Government Printing Office Involvement in Executive Branc
Digital Government