Digital Government
Inaccurate IT systems waste billions at HUD
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is wasting billions of dollars because of poor procurement management and an inaccurate financial management system, according to a General Accounting Office report released last month.
Digital Government
Y2K threatens Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service faces a major challenge in upgrading its computer systems to avoid the Year 2000 problem, according to a report released last month by the General Accounting Office.
Digital Government
For creative ideas, ask front-line IT workers
Any time an organization is not performing as well as it should or old approaches no longer solve new problems situations that apply in spades to most government agencies the organization needs creativity to come up with ways to do a better job. Creative ideas involving the use of information
Digital Government
CEO dies in plane crash
Ed Fernandez, president and chief executive officer of Sherikon Inc., Chantilly, Va., was killed last week when the private plane he was piloting crashed in Shannon County, Mo., during a crosscountry trip. Fernandez founded Sherikon in 1984 as a consulting company specializing in engineering, info
Digital Government
GSA rethinks IT personal use
A governmentwide policy under development at the General Services Administration would loosen a hodgepodge of existing policies governing federal employees' personal use of government office equipment, including computers. According to the draft policy, federal employees could use electronic equipm
Digital Government
IRS still lacks skills to modernize systems
Despite some progress, the Internal Revenue Service still lacks the ability to effectively modernize its tax systems, according to a report released last month by the General Accounting Office.
Digital Government
Clinton budget links IT, results
President Clinton's fiscal 2000 budget, released last week, asks Congress to fund large information technology projects that are the cornerstone of the effort to make government work better, as required by a 1993 law. Clinton has requested billions to fund projects that automate critical agency ope
Digital Government
Y2K puts USAID computers at risk of failure
New computer systems worth at least $92 million at the U.S. Agency for International Development have not yet been equipped to handle the Year 2000 problem, according to a General Accounting Office report released last month.
Digital Government
CSC on USPS payroll
The U.S. Postal Service late last month awarded Computer Sciences Corp. an ordering agreement potentially worth $198 million to provide payroll and benefits solutions to support more than 850,000 employees. Under the Preferred Portfolio Partnering Agreement, CSC will develop its largest payroll sys
Digital Government
DOD maintains stake in key IT programs
Marking its first increase in spending since the end of the Cold War, the Defense Department made a concerted effort in its fiscal 2000 budget proposal to strike a balance between immediate personnel and readiness concerns and the need for investment in future information technologies.
Digital Government
Videoconferencing gets its day in court
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City recently became the first courthouse in the 2nd Judicial Circuit to install a buildingwide videoconferencing capability that will save judges, lawyers and litigants time and money by reducing the need for traveling to court. 'In terms of the co
Digital Government
NASA lacks IT for procurement oversight
The General Accounting Office will continue to classify NASA's overall contract management efforts as high risk until the agency launches its new integrated financial management system, which is behind schedule, GAO officials said in a report released last month.
Digital Government
IBM upgrades SP server
IBM Corp. last week unleashed a more powerful version of its RS/6000 SP server system, which brings supercomputer power to bear on data mining, scientific modeling and simulation, and online transaction processing. The new RS/6000 SP is a faster version of the system that powered the IBMdesigned s
Digital Government
Letters to the Editor
Defending EFT After reading the editorial 'Little angst over missed deadline' [FCW, Jan. 11], I felt compelled to respond to some of its assertions. The editorial states that there has been a 'casual attitude' about the electronic funds transfer initiative. From Day One of our efforts to implement
Digital Government
VA needs more data
A lack of data on how well its services are working remains a top management challenge at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the General Accounting Office reported last month.
Digital Government
Lack of counsel hurts employees
Anyone who has ever seen 'Dragnet' on TV knows that even the lowliest criminal is entitled to a courtappointed attorney. Unfortunately, federal employees who cannot afford attorneys are on their own when it comes to fighting for their rights. The results can be rough on a federal worker who doesn'
Digital Government
SGI fashions plan for Intel-based servers
Just two weeks after the inauguration of its first line of Windows NTbased workstations, Silicon Graphics Inc. last week laid out a broad new product strategy that calls for a new server line supporting Windows NT and Linux. Known for its dominance in the highend Unix workstation and server marke
Digital Government
Weather Service modernization lagging
The General Accounting Office reported last month that the National Weather Service's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System is not scheduled for deployment until June, and then with less than full functionality.
Digital Government
MCI rings up $1B+ telecom pact
MCI WorldCom has captured a potential billiondollarplus contract to supply telecommunications products and services to U.S. troops worldwide, according to a source familiar with the program. Under the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Pay Phone program, MCI will provide pay phones, call
Digital Government