A new unit in the Homeland Security Department's National Cyber Security Division will improve response time to cybersecurity threats, according to officials who announced the formation of the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team.
A top White House official predicts that Congress ultimately will back the administration's new policy for public-private competitions of federal jobs, despite signs of growing opposition among lawmakers.
The Mission Planning System Program Office, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts is developing a long-term system engineering and integration contract for mission planning that supports the military and special operations forces.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, is seeking proposals for engineering and technical support of tactical and nontactical computers, displays and peripherals to support Combat Systems Direction Activity. The award will be a five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee provisions.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to establish university-based photonics research centers to exploit emerging technologies for intelligent microsystems for sensing, communication, processing and storage of information. DARPA seeks proposals for establishing and operating centers that address specific aspects of the broad technical challenges. There are likely to be multiple awards for four-year efforts, made during the first half of 2004. Collaborative efforts and teaming is encouraged. For more information, see FedBizOpps.gov, solicitation no. RA03-37. Responses are due Oct. 24.
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s planned purchase of Titan Corp. for $2.4 billion, the company's second major deal in less than two months, has turned up the heat in an already hot mergers and acquisition market.
<b>Washington Technology presents its Top 25 8(a) companies and Fast 50 rankings</b><br>In 1998, Preferred Systems Solutions Inc., President Robert Hisel Jr. sold all his commercial work to another firm and used the proceeds to focus on the government market. Colleagues questioned his wisdom. Today, he says, "They are asking me, 'How the hell do you get into this government stuff?' "
This issue of Washington Technology focuses on the small-business segment of government IT procurement, so it is useful to see how fairly federal agency customers are treating small business. Unfortunately, the report is not encouraging.
Forensics, consulting, information technology services, engineering. The small businesses showing the fastest growth in the government sector also showcase a variety of services and niches that contractors can thrive in.
Growing concern that government IT contractors are relying too heavily on foreign workers could lead several federal and state lawmakers to severely limit or ban outright offshore outsourcing on government contracts.
California's monumental task of staging a short-notice, special recall election has some experts using the dreaded "F" word: Florida. The effort to recall California Gov. Gray Davis has caught many of the state's 58 counties off balance.
