Digital Government

Cygnet adds CD-ROM products

Cygnet Storage Solutions Inc. the company formed when DynaTek Automation Systems Inc. purchased ATG Cygnet Inc. earlier this fall is adding CDROM technology from its parent company to its storage product line. Mike Griswold vice president of Cygnet said the company would continue its existing line

Digital Government

NIH ousts De Vera from contract helm

The National Institutes of Health has reorganized the management of three highprofile information technology acquisition programs replacing Manny De Vera as director of the office that runs the governmentwide contracts. Leamon Lee associate director for administration at NIH said he will lead the

Digital Government

NIH pacts offer goods via DLA Internet mall

The National Institutes of Health next month will let agencies order products and services over the Internet from its three governmentwide contracts. The Defense Logistics Agency will be the first venue as the agency has agreed to give NIH a 'wing' in its forthcoming 'DLA electronic mall ' accordin

Digital Government

Agencies still in need of better IT management

If a new report by the General Accounting Office is any indication federal agencies have a long way to go before they fully comply with new laws designed to improve management of their information technology investments. The report 'Information Technology Investment: Agencies Can Improve Cost and M

Digital Government

NLM awards $42M in research grants

The National Library of Medicine has injected $42 million into telemedicine research awarding 19 contracts this month to vendors who will demonstrate the possibilities and pitfalls of using highspeed telecommunications networks to transmit medical information in reallifesituations. The awards par

Digital Government

Treasury ponders opening TDA program to other agencies

The Treasury Department may join the growing list of agencies that have opened their technology contracts to the rest of the government if it decides to expand access to three officeautomation contracts early next year. The Internal Revenue Service which runs the Treasury Department Acquisition pr

Digital Government

Inspectors general fault feds' cost accounting, monitoring

Federal agencies are putting their computer systems at risk because they account poorly for the maintenance of their software according to a report by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency a group of government inspectors general. In a study of five agencies PCIE concluded that in gen

Digital Government

IRS to kill $1.3B DPS program

The Internal Revenue Service has decided to cancel its $1.3 billion Document Processing System and is considering outsourcing the handling of paper tax returns in the future. But the agency has not yet terminated its contract with Lockheed Martin Federal Systems pending a decision about whether it

Digital Government

Bellcore: Crypto keys on smart cards at risk

Investigators at network research company Bell Communications Research Inc. (Bellcore) Morristown N.J. have posited that cryptographic keys used to secure data on smart cards could be cracked if a hacker could induce a card's microprocessor to make errors in computation. But some industry executive

Digital Government

ICF, Cadmus win EPA support contracts

ICF Consulting Group and The Cadmus Group are gearing up to start work on companion contracts to help the Environmental Protection Agency expand its programs that promote energy efficiency. The contracts cover the upkeep of the information systems supporting the EPA's programs and the development o

Digital Government

Key IT projects at mercy of omnibus funding bill

The fate of a number of key federal information technology projects hangs on lastminute deals made in an omnibus budget bill for eight Cabinet departments and related agencies that Congress hopes to pass by Friday before adjourning for the year. House and Senate leaders said last week that funding

Digital Government

Vendors express doubts about new regulation

An initial look at a newly proposed regulation that would expand the use of simplified procedures to some acquisitions of commercial products has some vendors questioning the plan.The proposed rule would carry out a provision of the Federal Acquisition Reform Act (FARA) by letting agencies during a

Digital Government

Reports slam Cyberfile award

The Internal Revenue Service admitted last week that it mishandled development of its Cyberfile system agreeing with a General Accounting Office report that said the agency had not properly managed the $22 million project. Meanwhile the Commerce Department's inspector general in a separate report r

Digital Government

NIH advertises with `shock jock'

The National Institutes of Health has taken to heart the philosophy that government should act more like a business purchasing drivetime advertising on three local radio stations last week including during the morning broadcast of 'shock jock' Howard Stern to publicize its ImageWorld and Chief

Digital Government

Proposals for Part 15 released

The Clinton administration last week proposed longanticipated revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation designed to improve communications between agencies and vendors and give government contracting officers more discretion over how they make purchases. The proposed changes to FAR Part 15 w

Digital Government

Analyst teaches old feds new tricks

Tim Shaughnessy a procurement policy analyst with the Internal Revenue Service can attest to the veracity of one of the most common maxims in procurement reform circles: No matter how many laws change improvement in the procurement system depends upon agencies adopting a new "culture."~ ~Shaughne

Digital Government

Five-pact IT deal on the horizon

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to award five information technology services contracts over the next three years to provide computer systems development maintenance planning and telecommunications support. The EPA plans to use the contracts to buy the same types of services it is purchas

Digital Government

Novell adds imaging technology to GroupWise 5

Novell Inc. said last month that it will provide imaging technology with the new version of its GroupWise software package joining other groupware vendors who are adding scanning and imageviewing features to their offerings. The company said GroupWise 5 will incorporate technology from Xerox Deskt

Digital Government

Vendors criticize proposed language in FARA regulations

A group of vendors who last year opposed a law that gives contracting officers more leeway to choose competitors in a procurement is now objecting to regulations designed to carry out the statute. Jody Olmer director of domestic policy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said there are "big problems

Digital Government

TCS to rely on `manager of managers'

With its new Treasury Communications System (TCS) the Treasury Department is for the first time completely automating the management of its 100 000user network becoming part of a government and industry trend. By adopting a socalled 'manager of managers' for the $425 million network Treasury can