PlanetGov relaunches as Apptis

Technology reseller PlanetGov Inc. is now Apptis Inc., as officials try to build a new brand identity after acquiring two other firms to add new skills to the company's offerings.

Apptis officials will offer software engineering and management services, drawing on the personnel from General Data Systems and Technology and Management Associates Inc., the two acquired firms, said Apptis chief executive officer Steve Baldwin. GDS had a longstanding relationship with the State Department, while TMA worked on contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration. Both of those relationships are part of the Apptis umbrella, he said.

Officials decided to buy the firms and rebrand the company because of the way the industry is changing, Baldwin said.

"We felt a need as a company to get bigger faster, and what we wanted to be able to do was to compete for bigger contracts," he said. "We knew from a business development capability that we have the talent to win large contracts as a prime contractor, but we felt we might need better past performance and more depth."

Apptis has about 700 employees, Baldwin said. Other key government customers include the Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury and Justice departments, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"We think that Apptis is the next great company in the federal information technology industry," he said. "You're going to see us grow both internally as well as with acquisitions."