Digital Government
IDP refreshes Justice Notebook, Army Portable-1
International Data Products Corp. has replaced its venerable 486 notebook computer offerings on the Justice Department's Notebook and the Army's Portable1 contracts with allnew Pentium PCI bus multimedia systems. The company's strategy has been to stick with the same basic unit for as long as pos
Digital Government
New plastic design makes Dell machines Earth-friendly
With its eye on future needs, Dell Computer Corp. has announced a new plastic cabinet design for its PCs that is easily recyclable. It can be opened without tools and takes little effort to break apart for recycling. So far the government has not issued purchasing requirements based on recyclabilit
Digital Government
Editorial
The latest delay in awarding the Air Force's massive Desktop V contract drove home the fact that streamlined, fasttrack procurements still have a long way to go. Delays in large requirements purchases are not specific to the Air Force or the Desktop program. IWS/LAN, the Social Security Administra
Digital Government
Funding impasse resolved
With just five months left to the 1996 fiscal year, Congress and President Clinton late Thursday ended their stalemate over federal spending and agreed to a $163 billion appropriations bill that would fund more than two dozen departments and agencies until Sept. 30. The deal could free some agencie
Digital Government
Concept Automation, Cordant win NTOPS
Concept Automation Inc. and Cordant Inc. last week won a longawaited Navy contract for 60,000plus PCs that will provide users with Pentium PCs on their desks and 486based laptops. The Naval Information Systems Management Center (NISMC) valued the award of the New Technology for Office and Portab
Digital Government
Intercepts
Downsizing in the desert. A massive Army reorganization due for announcement in the next two weeks calls for the transfer of the HQ of the Army Information Systems Command, headed by Maj. Gen. Charles Sutten, from Fort Huachuca, Ariz., to Fort McPherson, Ga. The "Force XXI Reorganization" plan al
Digital Government
AWARDS
Chrysler Technologies. An $11.4 million award for a Global Positioning System. WrAlc/Pkxoa, 235 Byron St., Robins Air Force Base, Ga. 310981611. ECS Technologies Inc. A $3.5 million award for computerintegrated systems design. Navy, NAWCAD Contracts Competency Division, MS32, 22541 Millstone Rd.
Digital Government
Army Fields Advanced Telemedicine Network
LANDSTUHL, Germany The Army is fielding the most advanced telemedicine system in history to provide medical care to U.S. forces deployed in Bosnia and Hungary for Operation Joint Endeavor. According to Lt. Col. Tom Semarge, biomedical information systems officer for Landstuhl Regional Medical Ce
Digital Government
Bosnian Mission Demands Most Complex Network Ever
Top U.S. and NATO command and control chiefs for Operation Joint Endeavor did not set out to build the most complex communications network ever fielded, but they ended up doing just that. Tactical, geographic and political factors all contributed to the building of this complicated pipeline that li
Digital Government
Notes From the Field
Although technology takes center stage in the drama of keeping peace in Bosnia, the real heroes are frequently unsung regular folks who find themselves in irregular times. If there is a common thread, it is ingenuity and determination. The following excerpts from a reporter's notebook provide so
Digital Government
Troops at Home With COTS Hardware, Software
Visit practically any U.S. unit in Bosnia, Croatia or Hungary whether it's doing business out of a tent, a trailer or a shotup office building and in one quick glance you'll see anything from a handful to a roomful of commercial offtheshelf computers and workstations. From the NATO Combine
Digital Government
Standards to ease product deployment
Leading vendors of workflow management software are developing products that will conform to new and proposed interoperability standards, which aim to make it easier for federal users to deploy the technology. Workflow companies said they hope standards will expand the market for their wares. Vendo
Digital Government
Four to share $20M NOAA pact
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected four minorityowned firms to receive awards under a $20 million program for scientific workstations. NOAA's scientific workstation contract (SCIWOC II) is modeled after NASA's successful Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurem
Digital Government
Bell Atlantic eases fed concerns in wake of Nynex merger
The president of Bell Atlantic's Federal Systems Division last week contacted the organization's top customers to answer questions about the proposed merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and Nynex Corp. and to assure customers the deal would have no negative impact on their operations. Division president
Digital Government
Bosnia Special Report
Mines. Mud. Mountains. In the former Yugoslavia, the shooting has stopped at least temporarily but there are still many ways for NATO peacekeepers to fall into harm's way. As they crossed a makeshift bridge over the Sava River into Bosnia, U.S. commanders in Operation Joint Endeavor turned to
Digital Government
GSA threatens to yank Sprint's FTS 2000 traffic
General Services Administration officials last week informally notified Sprint of plans to move all agencies to AT&T's portion of the FTS 2000 network if Sprint does not decrease its prices to a level comparable with AT&T's. John Okay, deputy commissioner of GSA's Federal Telecommunications Servic
Digital Government
POP Goes the Internet
The Army overcame significant technical challenges to provide Internet service over the narrowbandwidth tactical command and control networks supporting the Bosnian peacekeeping mission. The digital field switches and tactical satellites used by the Army's Tactical Packet Network (TPN) were desig
Digital Government
Linking Logistics
In addition to the "big picture" systems such as the Joint Total Asset Visibility system and Intransit, the military services have deployed numerous asset visibility databases and logistics systems. To make it easier for military users to navigate these logistics systems, the Defense Logistics Ag
Digital Government
What is the doctrine of substantial performance?
The following topic was raised by a government official: When a government contractor fails to perform completely as required by the contract, in many cases the government is still required to pay for work that was performed under the "substantial performance" rules. Is this consistent with comme
Digital Government