The Navy is seriously considering a new policy that would limit sharply its ability to use General Services Administration schedules for support services. The policy would explicitly prohibit using non-Navy contracting vehicles unless the head of the contracting agency approves it. A similar policy is reportedly being discussed among Air Force officials.
The General Services Administration's proposed debarment of WorldCom Inc. from future government work has caused a stir in the systems integration and the telecommunications service provider communities. But despite the threat of being ousted, the company remains optimistic about its future in the federal space.
The State Department wants to subscribe to a service that will collect and store international broadcast media in a searchable archive. Broadcast outlets to be covered include BBC World, Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiyah, China's CC-TV-1, Brazil's Rede Globo TV, Columbia's Caracol TV, Japan's Asahi TV, Germany's NTV, Pakistan's TV 1, Russia's ORT and France's 2 TV. Fax proposals by Aug. 26 to Gerald Guilbert, State Department contract specialist, phone (202) 260-5004, fax (202) 205-5466, e-mail GuilbertGL@state.gov.
	The Marine Corps Logistics Base at Barstow, Calif., wants bids for a computer-aided system to dispatch and track emergency equipment. Requirements include, among other things, compatibility with Zetron Systems and related hardware and software and access to local, state and federal law enforcement criminal databases through CAD and mobile units. The contractor must do all installations.
	The regional contracting office at Camp Pendleton Marines Corps base wants a Windows 2000-based, computer-aided dispatch system for fire and emergency services at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz.
The Agriculture Department plans to award a contract for one year and four option years for data conversion services for its rural development program. The contractor will provide labor, equipment, supplies and transportation to pick up and convert source documents to magnetic tapes. This is a small-business contract. Responses are due by Sept. 15. For more information, see fedbiz<BR>
Computer security, intelligent data searching and a personal wireless service were among 16 projects that received funding recently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program.
Agencies must develop performance measures for e-government projects that are citizen- and productivity-related, conduct privacy impact assessments for planned IT investments and establish IT training programs, according to new guidance sent to federal agency heads on fulfilling the administration's e-gov agenda.
The Postal Service should drop its e-commerce initiatives and focus on smart mail delivery, the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service has recommended.
	The General Services Administration issued interim procedures for agency purchases of commodity software while it negotiates governmentwide licenses under the new SmartBuy program.
Over the last two years, Mark Forman got industry and government to buy in to his agenda for better management: simplify and unify information technology across the government by developing cross-agency initiatives and justifying investments with solid business cases.
Next month, Lockheed Martin Corp. will apply to the federal government for protection for its nuclear, biological and radiological attack detection technologies.
Sprint Corp. officials are expressing outrage over a recommendation by the General Services Administration's inspector general that the telecom company be considered for debarment.
WorldCom Inc. remains optimistic about its future in the federal space, regardless of the General Services Administration's proposed debarment of the company from future government work, said an MCI spokeswoman.
As the first phase of the Army's new logistics systems rolls out, both the service and prime contractor Computer Sciences Corp., El Segundo, Calif., are realizing the benefits of using commercial software to get the job done.
The Department of Homeland Security recently awarded a six-year contract worth more than $100 million to Dell Inc. for a Microsoft software enterprise license. The deal will support approximately 144,000 personnel, and promises to produce significant savings for the agency.
