Digital Government
Intercepts
Internet brownouts. The explosive growth of the World Wide Web and all those cutsie graphics has already started to choke the Internet, according to Mark Kosters at Network Solutions Inc., which runs the InterNic. Kosters, quoted in a startling story on the MEME list, said the combination of wideb
Digital Government
Development plan, furloughs, snow delay Post-FTS 2000 RFP
The General Services Administration is delaying the release of the PostFTS 2000 request for proposals to further develop the implementation plan and because of time lost due to furloughs and snowstorms. Bob Woods, commissioner of GSA's Federal Telecommunications Service, said he did not know how l
Digital Government
Part 15 rewrite sparks old debate
The upcoming rewrite of Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is likely to rekindle debate over how much flexibility contracting officers should have when negotiating with vendors in competitive procurements. Many contracting officials contend that Part 15, which sets the rules for co
Digital Government
Hewlett-Packard ranks first in past-performance study
HewlettPackard Co. has emerged as the toprated federal product supplier in terms of past performance, according to a recently released International Data Corp. report. The report, undertaken by IDC's Government Market Services unit in Falls Church, Va., provides pastperformance ratings for 26 ha
Digital Government
AWARDS
ESystems Inc. A $16.2 million award for an option quantity of the Joint Tactical Terminal. Army CommunicationsElectronics Command, C4IEW Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J. 077035008. Universal Tax Systems Inc. A $2.7 million award for electronic filing software packages. Treasury Department
Digital Government
DTIC chief heads DOD Web effort
Last month when officials in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (OSDPA) wanted to set up a World Wide Web site containing information about Bosnia, they turned to the Defense Technical Information Center for help. Kurt Molholm, DTIC's administrator, said it took the
Digital Government
Boole enhances multiplatform management
Boole & Babbage Inc. last week enhanced its systems management offering for the multiplatform distributed environment by adding support for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT and Novell Inc.'s NetWare and offering a host of new functions and applications. Ensign Release 3 (R3) gives Boole & Babbage a str
Digital Government
PMO gets help to develop ESnet interface
The federal Electronic Messaging Group (EMG) is trying to make sure that specialized areas are included in the governmentwide electronicmail initiative and is pulling together the Energy Science Network (ESnet) and Federal Networking Council (FNC) to develop a "functional interface" for the ESne
Digital Government
Civil service continually gets the shaft
According to the General Accounting Office, the civil service is a work in progress, with an emphasis on progress. In fact, in recent congressional testimony, GAO boldly asserted that "the civil service has never stood still." I suspect that there are some folks who might take issue with that com
Digital Government
WITS follow-on put on hold
The General Services Administration has put a hold on a followon procurement for the Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) program, the local phone service contract for federal agencies in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Wayne Brady, director of telecommunications planning in G
Digital Government
Replacement bill promotes IT, creates `new model' for gov't.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development would be transformed into a much smaller agency that is heavily dependent on information technology under the terms of legislation expected to be introduced this month. The goal of the bill is to get the federal government out of the public housing bu
Digital Government
Cutting Loose: Infrared Eliminates the Need for Cables
A growing number of notebook computers, PCs and printers come with builtin infrared ports. With solid standards in place, infrared technology is poised to ease the lives of government workers who travel or work from home. Infrared (IR) technology may break the last ties that bind today's mobile wo
Digital Government
GTSI's CEO mixes business, tech
Industry oddsmakers say Dendy Young looks like the perfect man to put Government Technology Services Inc., the largest federal computer reseller, back on track. (In December, Young was named GTSI's president and chief executive officer.) The only question in anyone's mind is why he would want this
Digital Government
Two buys kick off year
The National Institutes of Health is moving on two of four procurements that will replace a controversial computer system and eventually take NIH into distributed computing by fiscal 1997. NIH last month released a request for proposals for a support services contract for the estimated $415 million
Digital Government
The Government Performance and Results Act: Why wait?
Arguably the most important piece of legislation enacted by Congress during the 20th century, the Government Performance and Results Act hopes to revolutionize federal management by requiring agencies to track accomplishments. In short, GPRA shifts the focus of budgets and appropriations from input
Digital Government
GTSI, IBM top fiscal '95 sales charts
Government Technology Services Inc. and IBM Corp. climbed to the top of the General Services Administration's multipleaward schedule program in fiscal 1995. GTSI, which led the PCoriented Schedule B/C, and IBM, which led the large systemscentered Schedule A program, were lifted by a rising tide
Digital Government
Following break-in, security of exportable Navigator questioned
The security of the exportable Netscape Navigator has drawn new scrutiny with the announcement that an MIT undergraduate used a single graphics computer to crack the Navigator's 40bit encryption code. Student Andrew Twyman used a $83,000 graphics computer for fewer than eight days to break the enc
Digital Government
Mustang seeks to expand fed business
Mustang Software Inc., creator of the Wildcat! bulletin board system, plans to establish a federal sales force in 1996 and expand its federal sales up to about $10 million. Jim Harrer, Mustang's president and chief executive officer, said the new sales force will work with resellers and directly wi
Digital Government
What warranties are included in a federal contract?
The following question was asked by a contractor: Our company sells primarily to commercial buyers. Is there a difference in our potential warranty obligations when we sell to the government as compared to commercial buyers? What is our potential liability for defects in the equipment we sell to th
Digital Government