Digital Government

AT&T adds ATM and Internet services

ORLANDO, Fla. AT&T and the General Services Administration announced several modifications to the company's portion of the FTS 2000 contract, including the addition of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Internet connectivity services. Sandy Bates, assistant commissioner for service delivery at

Digital Government

FGIPC, IAC groups maneuver for new leadership, policies

In the aftermath of the public squabble between the leadership of the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC) and the Industry Advisory Council (IAC), factions within both organizations are pushing for change. Six of the 10 members of the FGIPC board of directors last week

Digital Government

Late deal dodges FGIPC/IAC split

An 11thhour agreement between leaders of two prominent governmentrelated information technology professional organizations resolved a damaging dispute that threatened the future of the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC) and the Industry Advisory Council (IAC), its ch

Digital Government

VA CIOs explore new focus for programs

Newly appointed chief information officers at the Department of Veterans Affairs are looking to change the focus and direction of major automation programs for benefits delivery and health care. Newell Quinton, CIO at the Veterans Benefits Administration, said his organization has begun to focus on

Digital Government

DOD seeks wide range of hardware and software

The Defense Department this month issued a solicitation for $595 million worth of new hardware and software destined for department hospitals, clinics and field medical facilities. The request for proposals for Support Hardware and Automation Related Products (Generic), known as SHARP(G), calls for

Digital Government

GSA threatens to yank Sprint's FTS 2000 traffic

General Services Administration officials last week informally notified Sprint of plans to move all agencies to AT&T's portion of the FTS 2000 network if Sprint does not decrease its prices to a level comparable with AT&T's. John Okay, deputy commissioner of GSA's Federal Telecommunications Servic

Digital Government

Bell Atlantic eases fed concerns in wake of Nynex merger

The president of Bell Atlantic's Federal Systems Division last week contacted the organization's top customers to answer questions about the proposed merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and Nynex Corp. and to assure customers the deal would have no negative impact on their operations. Division president

Digital Government

Army Fields Advanced Telemedicine Network

LANDSTUHL, Germany The Army is fielding the most advanced telemedicine system in history to provide medical care to U.S. forces deployed in Bosnia and Hungary for Operation Joint Endeavor. According to Lt. Col. Tom Semarge, biomedical information systems officer for Landstuhl Regional Medical Ce

Digital Government

DOD unveils first RFP for med facilities bridge buy

The Defense Department this month issued a solicitation for a $56 million acquisition that will serve as a bridge between the current Composite Health Care System (CHCS) and the next generation of computers for military medical facilities. The request for proposals (RFP) is the first of three expec

Digital Government

Bucking a trend, GAO report gives a thumbs-up to CHCS

After nearly 10 years of critical diagnoses, the General Accounting Office this month gave the Defense Department's Composite Health Care System a clean bill of health. "I think the management of the whole program at the assistant secretary level and the program management level has been very good

Digital Government

GSA to add systems integration to B/C sked

The General Services Administration's Federal Supply Service is expected to unveil this week plans to extend its 70 B/C multipleaward schedule program to cover systems integration services. The schedule will be broadened to include services such as analysis and design, installation, programming, c

Digital Government

New business line puts GSA on billion-dollar FAST track

The General Services Administration plans to launch next month a new information technology business line that could supply more than $1 billion worth of products and services to federal users within two years. The Federal Acquisition Services for Technology (FAST) program is modeled after a hugely

Digital Government

Treasury's move to AT&T sparks Sprint protest

Sprint last month filed a protest with the General Accounting Office, claiming the government overestimated the savings that would accrue by switching the Treasury Department from Sprint to AT&T telecommunications service. The company accused the General Services Administration of failing to correc

Digital Government

70 B/C renewals move quickly for most firms

The General Services Administration has wrapped up negotiations for its 70 B/C microcomputer schedules earlier than usual, with most vendors having already signed new contracts by late last week. "Normally it can be difficult negotiating, but it wasn't like that at all," said Kim Bradbury, Compaq

Digital Government

D.C. snubs fed help; rings up big bills

The District of Columbia government, mired in debt and unable to pay its contractors, has repeatedly rejected assistance from the federal government to reduce the cost of its telecommunications programs and has engaged in what several executives describe as a pattern of reckless spending. Sources s

Digital Government

House report hits EDGAR's flaws, calls for privatization

Rep. Dan Frisa (RN.Y.) late last month issued a report citing flaws in the Securities and Exchange Commission's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system and urging the agency to "privatize" at least parts of the system. Duncan Wood, a legislative assistant in Frisa's offi

Digital Government

GSA may break local service pacts in quest for lower prices

The General Services Administration's Federal Telecommunications Service (FTS) may pull the plug on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of localservice contracts in instances where other firms can provide the service at better prices. FTS commissioner Bob Woods said GSA now holds contracts with

Digital Government

Nortel disbanding federal unit

Northern Telecom Inc. is dismantling Nortel Federal, the division of the company that had traditionally dealt with federal customers. Nortel Federal employees were notified of the plan last month. A number of Nortel Federal executives have been laid off as a result of the ongoing restructuring, acc

Digital Government

Commerce exec picked to head GSA

David Barram, deputy secretary of the Commerce Department and a former Apple Computer Inc. executive, has been chosen to succeed Roger Johnson as head of the General Services Administration. The appointment represents the second consecutive time President Clinton has selected a business leader to a

Digital Government

Navtip goes for COTS buy

More than a year after issuing its first draft solicitation for a $2.4 billion telecommunications infrastructure buy, the Navy this month plans to release a revised version focusing less on voice and more on data services supporting the Defense Message System. The Naval Telecommunications Infrastru