AT&T tapped to host FDA portal

Food and Drug Administration Web site

The Food and Drug Administration has awarded AT&T Government Solutions a $3.5 million contract to manage the FDA Web portal.

Under the contract, which can last up to four years, AT&T Government Solutions will provide managed Web hosting, custom integration and a professional services team to oversee the project.

The FDA Web site receives more than 80 million hits per month. AT&T Government Solutions plans to prepare the FDA portal for future upgrades by integrating hardware and software, Web hosting and security services.

The company will host the site and provide ongoing monitoring and management from its Internet data center in Northern Virginia.

"This integration project for the FDA will allow us to show off our full set of IT integration skills in designing, developing and managing the hosting of government Web portals," Chris Rooney, AT&T Government Solutions president, said in a statement.

An AT&T Government Solutions spokesman said the company likely was chosen for the project because it is known for managing the FirstGov portal.