Raytheon to combine IT units

Raytheon Co. has combined four information technology units into a single division, called Raytheon Information Solutions (RIS), within the company.

The new division will enable agencies to conduct all their business with Raytheon through a single point of contact, said Thomas Anderson, RIS' vice president and chief operating officer.

Raytheon is calling the division a "mission integrator," delivering solutions that enable agencies to fulfill their missions, rather than focus on the technology infrastructure, Anderson said.

That's the philosophy that all systems integrators should be taking in the current procurement climate, one procurement expert said. "I'm not hearing anything new here," he said.

Anderson, however, said Raytheon is "raising the bar" for contractors. "We're taking an approach where we listen very carefully to our customers and then we apply technology," Anderson said. "We're not trying to be a provider of products in mass quantities."

The organization will draw on Raytheon's resources while establishing a stronger presence for the company in the IT world. Although Raytheon has been a successful contractor for decades, it is not widely known as an IT force, he said. The new division "allows us to be recognized in the government marketplace as a player," Anderson said.

RIS will have about 2,000 dedicated employees and is expected to earn about $700 million in its first year, he said.