Service pipes in federal contract help

epipeline Inc. home page

Federal contractors of all sizes have a new online tool to help them research,

track and try to win government contracts with Wednesday's launch of epipeline

Inc.

Epipeline is the developer of a Web-based sales management tool for

government contractors that streamlines the process of pursuing and winning

contracts with the federal government, said Scott Fletcher, the company's

president and chief operating officer.

Fletcher said epipeline is targeting the 70,000 companies that held

prime contracts last year and the more than 280,000 subcontractors also

involved in the $240 billion federal procurement market, as well as businesses

that have yet to break into that space.

The epipeline solution is Internet-based and does not require any additional

hardware or software.

According to Fletcher, epipeline's features include:

* Long-lead contract opportunities.

* The ability to connect teaming partners.

* Tools for intra-company and inter-company collaboration.

* Research resources, including market news, contract history and federal

regulation information.

* Templates and tools to assist in the bidding process.

"It's targeted at the entire federal contracting market, from the top

50 to mid-sized firms to small businesses," Fletecher said, adding that

major players including Lockheed Martin Corp., Litton/PRC Inc., Booz-Allen

& Hamilton Inc., and Electronic Data Systems Corp. are already using

the subscription-based services.

In addition to its headquarters in Atlanta,

epipeline also maintains an office in Chantilly, Va., to take advantage

of the Washington, D.C., area's booming technology community, Fletcher said.

Epipeline costs $3,600 per user annually, and enterprise license agreements

are available for larger orders.

The company's plans include expansion into the state and local government

arenas. "By the [first quarter] of next year we plan to have our state initiatives

going," Fletcher said.