Now that the government's efforts in constructing a physical infrastructure in Iraq are under way, it is moving toward erecting a communications and information architecture in the country.
Commercial spending for research and development has increased substantially in recent years. For every federal dollar invested in this area, business now invests about $2. As a result, the private sector now plays an increasingly important role in developing new technologies and influencing acquisitions for some of the most critical federal programs.
Jane Lopez used to spend a lot of money shipping federal grant applications overnight and making multiple paper copies of them. Lopez cut those costs in December when she submitted an application to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and became the first to submit an application through the governmentwide grant application portal, Grants.gov.
	The Federal Identity and Credentialing Committee released guidelines for developing interoperable federal identification systems based on smart cards.
	The Energy Department's national laboratories should tighten security over classified projects, including advanced computer research, according to a recent audit report of activities at the Sandia, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories.
	Rep. Todd Platts plans to introduce legislation this month that will require agencies to evaluate program performance regularly. Platts, R-Pa., is chairman of the Government Reform subcommittee on government efficiency and financial management.
	The U.S. Agency for International Development is planning to issue an RFP for a Bolivian Administration of Justice project that will implement criminal system reform. 		
	The Marine Corps needs contractors with products designed to support certification and recertification of rifle marksmanship coaches through computer-based training tools.
	The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at St. Inigoes, Md., wants a contractor to provide development, systems engineering and integration, software support and life-cycle support for various communications, electronic, IT and command and control systems.
The Windsor Group LLC has launched an investment fund that will provide both cash and expert advice to small and midsized government services companies.
The Share-in-Savings Program Office at the General Services Administration has developed two tools to evaluate projects for use with share-in-savings contracting, said Ken Buck, director of the office.
Share-in-savings contracts are appropriate for several types of IT work, industry and government officials said, including system or infrastructure consolidation and revenue collection.
The issue of "offshoring" ? moving work from the United States to lower-cost locations overseas ? is taking off. Presidential candidates are talking about it; Congress has taken small steps toward banning it on federal contracts; and analysts of all stripes have weighed in with their perspectives.
	The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has chosen the National Provider Identifier as the standard ID for filing and processing health care claims and other transactions.
	Congress has lifted some restrictions on agency purchases of commercial information technology items from foreign companies, even as it seeks more information about such buys.
The Homeland Security Department will tell industry about its technology needs at a conference March 8 and 9 at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel in Washington. DHS staff will discuss technology research and development and requirements for testing, evaluation and DHS funding.
Federal procurement officials are poised to issue new guidelines that could give share-in-savings contracting the boost it needs for wider use in the federal government.
When the administration proposed consolidating numerous agencies into a Department of Homeland Security, proponents of procurement deregulation took advantage of the opportunity to advance their agenda in the name of speedy protection of lives and property from terrorist attack.
