Melissa Chapman became the chief information officer of the Department of Health and Human Services in June 2002. It's been quite a busy year. Beside revamping the agency's Web site and making strides in IT infrastructure and e-government, she hopes to introduce a proposed e-government imitative, called the Federal Health Architecture. She spoke with Washington Technology Managing Editor Evamarie Socha for the "Doing Business With" column of the June 23 issue. Here is the complete interview.
Sprint Corp. and the Justice Department have settled a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the company knowingly overcharged the government under the FTS2001 long-distance contract.
On May 28, the Defense and Civilian Acquisition Counsels published a proposal to rewrite of Part 27 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Part 27, which describes government interests in patents, copyrights and technical data developed or delivered under contracts with civilian or defense agencies, is the source of more legal questions from suppliers of commercial information technology than any other part of the FAR.
For the first time, the House Armed Services Committee has given a single subcommittee jurisdiction over Defense Department information technology policies and spending. This subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., deserves credit for its focus on the department's IT strategies and management.
	Half of federal spending on geospatial systems and geographic information systems may be wasted, according to Mark Forman, administrator of the Office of E-Government and Information Technology in the Office of Management and Budget.
	The Homeland Security Department created a new National Cyber Security Division within the department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate.
	The General Services Administration wants public comment on a pilot project that will put federal contracts on the Web. Comments are due Aug. 5 at Notice.2003-N01@gsa.gov, according to the June 6 <I>Federal Register.</I> Some contract information is available on federal sites, but contracts themselves are not routinely posted. Proprietary information in contracts would be redacted before posting, GSA said.
	A small business set-aside contract is set for release, looking for expert-level network technical analysis and design services, including planning, implementation, integration, oversight, training and management of the local area network of the Real Estate and Facilities Directorate, Washington Headquarters Services. The contractor will provide labor, material, equipment, supervision and transportation.
	The Air Force is conducting a market survey to identify sources that can provide design engineering, systems integration, kit fabrication trial installation, kit proofing, testing and production installation of a forward-looking infrared radar on the UH-1N helicopter.
	Nellis Air Force Base is seeking potential sources to provide engineering and technical support on Predator unmanned aerial vehicle operations at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field in Nevada.
From their offices in Vienna, Va., the four founders of Appian Corp. can look down on the apartment complex where they lived, played basketball and, in August 1999, began their software and professional services firm.
Federal government spending on telecommunications products and services will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 7 percent, according to a new market research report.
A Senate amendment to an FAA reauthorization act that would prohibit conversion of FAA facilities or functions from federal to private-sector performance is under fire.
Two House members have asked the Office of Personnel Management to explain or create provisions the agency has to guard against federal employees embellishing their resumes with degrees from diploma mills.
It's Lucy Caldwell's job to communicate clearly and calmly, especially in a crisis. From 1989 to 2002, she was a Virginia State Police spokeswoman, serving as a liaison with the public on a variety of incidents, ranging from automobile accidents and small plane crashes to drug busts and homicides. During a major incident, she might have fielded 100 calls a day.
