People
Army trims field to four
The Army cut at least four bidders from the competition for its Portable2 contract including industry leader Compaq Computer Corp. industry sources said last week. The downselect leaves a field of four companies vying for the $150 millionplus prize: Comax Technologies Inc. Government Technology
Acquisition
Blizzard of awards in 30-day forecast
Although the holiday season traditionally is a quiet one in the nation's capital the next month could be busy for information technology procurement offices with agencies scheduled to award more than a dozen large IT contracts with a combined value approaching $10 billion.
People
Military to consolidate print shops
The Defense Automated Printing Service plans to absorb 190 military printing facilities in a consolidation the Pentagon launched last month. DAPS which was the Defense Printing Service until it was renamed in October is the military's printer.
People
Navy to move $850M in services to BPAs
The Naval Information Systems Management Center has recast an $850 million indefinitedelivery indefinitequantity services procurement into what may be the government's largest servicesoriented blanket purchase agreement. NISMC is close to issuing a request for quotation for multiple BPAs accordi
Acquisition
Overhaul of blue pages to help users
The General Services Administration is moving closer to updating government listings in all local telephone books around the country in an effort that should make populating the X.500 governmentwide directory blue pages faster and easier. The goal of the blue pages project is to provide a more user
Acquisition
CIOs mull plan to rein inmaverick agency buys
In what may be the first pullback from largescale procurement reform the Office of Management and Budget is considering regulations that will prohibit agencies from embarking on a procurement if the purchase would threaten other agencies from obtaining low prices through volumediscounted buys.
Acquisition
FBI buy may be bid to influence market
The FBI is negotiating with AT&T to purchase a security product that soon will have keyrecovery abilities sources said. Some observers consider the move an attempt to boost the market for encryption products that would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to access suspects' protected data.
Acquisition
It's official: GTE wins wireless pact
Capping off a 27month effort the General Services Administration this month awarded a $300 million nationwide contract for cellular telecommunications services a move designed to cut most federal users' cellular bills by up to 60 percent. The award is the first in a series of PostFTS 2000 contrac
Acquisition
EPA plans $8.5M Notes purchase
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to spend $8.5 million on Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes groupware product during the next five years. As part of the deal which Lotus announced two weeks ago EPA expects to buy licenses for more than 18 000 Notes clients. EPA is expanding its use of Notes
Acquisition
Network buy pared in favor of governmentwide pacts
The National Institutes of Health has scaled back a network procurement thought to be worth about $70 million and instead plans to purchase much of the equipment software and services it needs from other contracts. 'It would be silly to duplicate something that's already been done " said John Dick
Acquisition
GTSI retools for changing market
Government Technology Services Inc. in the midst of a major makeover under the watch of chief executive officer Dendy Young this winter will expand its business beyond the namebrand PC market and reposition itself for new opportunities in the federal market. During the next several months GTSI pla
People
DOD proposes new regulations
Senior Defense Department officials proposed this month new rules for modular contracting that would encourage agencies to consider problems they may encounter when building large information systems piece by piece according to a memo sent to the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council. Emmett Paige
Acquisition
Industry faults rule on pricing, audits
Industry groups last week attacked the General Services Administration's proposed final rule for governing the multipleaward schedule program charging that GSA's language is not in keeping with the spirit of acquisition reform. GSA late last month issued the proposed final MAS rule as well as a se
Acquisition
Booz, Allen snares $620M telecom services pact
The General Services Administration last week awarded a contract to Booz Allen & Hamilton Inc. for up to $620 million worth of telecommunications support services that will complement the PostFTS 2000 contract. ~~The Telecommunications Support Contract 2 services available to agencies throughout t
Acquisition
Leasing fare added to IT schedule menu
HERSHEY Pa. The General Services Administration will award next month three or four schedule contracts to vendors who will lease laptops and other information technology products to federal users. Bill Gormley assistant commissioner of acquisition at GSA's Federal Supply Service said last week at
Acquisition
HQ, regional offices set to kick off FAST
Contracting personnel at General Services Administration headquarters hope to issue a solicitation this month for a $1 billion program to channel agencies' information technology requirements to small disadvantaged 8(a) vendors as well as contractors holding schedule and governmentwide contracts. O
Acquisition
Shifting landscape requires training
Forget everything you know about federal procurement. Years worth of knowledge and insights have little relevancy due to the wholesale overhaul of procurement regulations over the last two years. To compete in the new world order government and industry executives are finding the need to refresh th
Modernization
More GIG-BE contracts awarded
The Defense Information Systems Agency did not name the three winning vendors.
Modernization
USPS orders 300,000 scanners
The Postal Service wants Motorola handheld devices for reading signatures and bar codes.
Modernization