Digital Government
Bill to require posting CRS reports online
Sen. John McCain (RAriz.) is expected this month to introduce a bill that would require Congress to post on the World Wide Web hundreds of repo rts that its members use for studying a range of issues including abortion foreign policy public contracting and telecom munications. But leaders of the
Digital Government
Plans axed for central federal role
In a longawaited report the Department of Health and Human Services has backed off its intention to recommend to Congress a federally managed computer system to track welfare recipients. Over the holidays and with little fanfare HHS delivered to the House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommitte
Digital Government
Taking advantage of the hidden gold in the new FAR 15
The new Federal Acquisition Regulation Part l5 which deals with large fullandopen competition procurements went into effect New Year's Day. A number of changes included in the FAR 15 rewrite already have received considerable attention such as the more aggressive standard for eliminating proposal
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
Adjusting to automation Getting used to a new boss is never easy. But Sandy Bates second in command at the General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service has found the management style of her new boss almost completely different from that of her former boss. For one thing Dennis Fisch
Digital Government
MCI presents Navy with high-bandwidth option
SAN DIEGO MCI Government Markets believes it has developed a turnkey commercial solution that exceeds the Navy's requirements for sending highbandwidth voice video and data to ships at sea. The requirements are part of the Navy's highprofile Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT21) p
Digital Government
Whistle-blowers: Beware of ruling in recent case
A court decision last November strikes a serious blow at the protection afforded federal employees by the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). The case involved Mel Gores director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Medical Center in Bath N.Y. Gores supervised David Goblet the chief personnel off
Digital Government
Eastman Software nabs imaging workflow pact
The Social Security Administration has awarded Eastman Software a $5.1 million contract for imaging workflow and computeroutputtolaserdisc (COLD) software that ranks the buy among the largest federal or commercial installations of the technology. SSA plans to deploy the software to 11 000 users
Digital Government
HCFA warns noncompliant contractors
In a move to make computer systems that support the Medicare program Year 2000-compliant, the Health Care Financing Administration has threatened to deny new information technology contracts to vendors if they fail to make the systems Year 2000-compliant.
Digital Government
BTG sells product business to GTSI
In a bid to strengthen their individual positions in the federal market, BTG Inc. and Government Technology Services Inc. last month announced BTG would sell its product reseller business to GTSI in exchange for $8 million in cash and 3 million shares -- or 30.8 percent -- of GTSI's stock.
Digital Government
15 vendors get ready for EIA Omnibus pact
The Energy Information Administration plans to use 11 new information technology contracts awarded last month to update its computer systems and networks as well as to maintain existing equipment and develop new agencywide software applications.
Digital Government
Smaller contracting staffs rely on IT to cope
Buyouts and hiring freezes at federal agencies have reduced the procurement work force by nearly 12 percent during the past five years, forcing the remaining contracting officers to develop strategies for coping with a growing workload.
Digital Government
Lockheed snares $210M telecom pact
Lockheed Martin Technical Services last week captured a five-year, $210.4 million contract to provide telecommunications and computing support services for the Environmental Protection Agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters, adding the win to a $259 million pact it received in October 1997 to support the agency's North Carolina-based National Computer Center and regional offices nationwide.
Digital Government
DOE designs system for secret documents
The Energy Department plans to develop a cutting-edge computer system to speed the declassification of some 280 million pages of information dating from World War II to the present.
Digital Government
SEC paperless push leaves documents out in the cold
As part of its effort to become a truly paperless organization, the Securities and Exchange Commission said this month it will begin returning to companies and individual investors all paper documents that should have been filed electronically.
Digital Government
Network file servers deliver speedy data access
The network file server, a specialized system for users who need fast access to large stores of data, may still be a niche market, but the product itself is evolving rapidly.
Digital Government
What are the rules on unsolicited proposals?
A company official raised the following topic: We believe that our company has some innovative ideas that we'd like to offer the government. What are the rules on submitting unsolicited proposals to government agencies?
Digital Government
Decker makes a career of battling bureaucracy
Ron Decker's career illustrates how the efforts of forward-thinking federal employees often are stymied by bureaucracy and turf issues. But it also shows how persistence can force these new ideas to ultimately take hold and change things for the better.
Digital Government
ESRI introduces new Internet mapping tool
Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. this month will begin a push in the federal market with a new product designed to make it easier to share maps over the Internet.
Digital Government