Digital Government
Intercepts
DTV upgrades. Look for Hughes Data Systems to upgrade its DT V offerings a Pentium 166 at "a good price point." That's the word from Felice Liston director of government sales at Micron Electronics the Hughes DT V PC supplier. Liston expects the change to occur before the end of the fiscal 1996 b
Digital Government
Pentagon relaxes oversight rules
The Defense Department last week issued interim guidelines for the oversight of information technologyrelated acquisitions providing a stopgap while DOD finalizes its strategy for complying with the Information Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA). The guidelines issued by DOD chief informatio
Digital Government
Radical changes ahead for the FAR
The Clinton administration will soon propose sweeping and potentially controversial changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation that would alter substantially the way agencies buy information technology. Under a plan that is expected to be released shortly contracting officers would have more pow
Digital Government
Intelligent control system learns to fly
NASA and the Air Force last week unveiled an experimental aircraft that will test an intelligent flight control system which could play a critical role in the development of highspeed aircraft in the defense civilian and eventually commercial aviation markets. The new flight control system is base
Digital Government
Software Spectrum absorbs Egghead fed biz, aims for larger market
Two months after acquiring Egghead Inc.'s government business Software Spectrum is taking steps to position itself for a major role in the federal reseller market according to company officials and industry vendors. Software Spectrum announced in late March that it would take over Egghead's corpora
Digital Government
Three win JITC contract for engineering, support
The Defense Information Systems Agency last week tapped three vendors to provide an array of engineering and support services for the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) at Fort Huachuca Ariz. Competing over the fiveyear life of the $420 million taskorder contract will be BDM Engineering S
Digital Government
Resellers gird for battle on Treasury's TDA pacts
Government Technology Services Inc. and BTG Inc. are preparing to battle for desktops at the Treasury Department through competing Treasury Department Acquisition (TDA) contracts. GTSI and BTG are two of three vendors that hold indefinitedelivery indefinitequantity (IDIQ) contracts with Treasury
Digital Government
NT 4.0 sales blitz ahead
Microsoft Corp. is putting on a fullcourt press for its new release of Windows NT securing more than 30 contracting vehicles to sell the workstation and server versions of the software during the last few weeks of the federal buying season. Microsoft released its final "gold" beta of NT 4.0 last
Digital Government
Vendors push 150 MHz models
A number of vendors last week announced new notebook models sporting Intel Corp.'s 150 MHz Pentium chip a development that industry executives said further closes the performance gap between notebook and desktop products. Digital Equipment Corp. Gateway 2000 Inc. Micron Electronics Inc. Sharp Elect
Digital Government
Depressing response to sick leave
If you take some sick leave make sure you notify your boss first. Otherwise plan on spending a lot of time fighting back if you want to hold onto your job. That's one practical lesson learned from a recent case brought to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) by a postal worker who racked up 24
Digital Government
Electronic postmark trials focus on date, time stamps
In its first foray into electronic commerce the U.S. Postal Service started market trials this month for an electronic postmarking service that will verify that the date and time electronicmail software places on electronic documents are authentic. During the trial government and privatesector or
Digital Government
Lockheed integrates former Loral units
Lockheed Martin Corp. last week announced a reorganization that seeks to integrate the electronics and information technology businesses of Lockheed Martin and Loral Corp. When Lockheed Martin acquired Loral earlier this year Loral's operations became a business unit of Lockheed Martin. With the re
Digital Government
ROSTER
Rear Adm. Stephen Johnson became commander of the Naval Information Systems Management Center on Aug. 1 succeeding Rear Adm. James Davidson who retired. Johnson a career submariner servedon a number of attack and ballistic missile submarines his most recent command was the USS Corpus Christi. Follo
Digital Government
GSA report ups ante in follow-on debate
Still more heat was introduced into the ongoing battle about the FTS 2000 followon procurement with the General Services Administration's annual report to Congress showing even more telecommunications savings for users compared with commercial rates. Rates for FTS 2000 business averaged 17.8 perce
Digital Government
AWARDS
INET Inc. A $2 million award for ADP management and support. Navy Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk Detachment Washington 901 M St. S.E. Washington Navy Yard Building 200 Fourth Floor Washington D.C. Science Applications International Corp. A $330 746 award for the Strategic Command Contr
Digital Government
GSBCA grants Sun protest
The Army Workstation1 procurement was derailed further last week when the General Services Administration's Board of Contract Appeals granted in part a protest by losing bidder Sun Microsystems Inc. Army Workstation1 is a $590 million program for Unix optional Windows NT workstations and associat
Digital Government
A first-hand look at the value of oral proposals
Two years ago Steven Kelman raised one of his offthewall ideas for improving the acquisition process. He suggested to me that oral proposals would be a major part of future procurements and that I should get ready for it. I responded by explaining to him why that couldn't work in the indefinited
Digital Government
Defense puts out CD-ROM deskbook
The Defense Department last week published the first official edition of its CDROMbased Defense Acquisition Deskbook a compendium of DOD and government acquisition policies and a store house for more discretionary guidelines that may assist program offices. DOD originally announced the deskbook i
Digital Government
Army tests terminals, awaits award
FORT HUACHUCA Ariz. With the Army expecting to award a $300 million contract for a new generation of mobile satellite terminals this month soldiers here are giving rave reviews to the six prototype systems the Army has already received. The prototypes were built by GTE Corp. under a $10.2 million
Digital Government