<FONT SIZE=2>The federal government is extending its buying power to state and local governments through a small provision in the E-Government Act of 2002, which Congress passed last month.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Information technology industry executives are hopeful that the Bush administration's move to a new process for competing federal work will give them a better chance to win competitions with public-sector bidders.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Once signed into law, the Electronic Government Act will reinforce the importance of information technology-enabled government services and ensure e-gov programs will continue from year to year, according to government and industry officials.</FONT>
James Flyzik, senior adviser in the federal Office of Homeland Security, says he will join two other former government-IT market veterans to form a consulting firm after he retires next week.<br>
The General Accounting Office is set to release a report on the cross-agency collaboration of the Bush administration's 24 e-government initiatives, according to speakers at an industry sponsored event Nov. 20.
The United States, United Kingdom and Canada have combined political leadership with communications infrastructures to create the best environments for e-commerce in the world, according to a new study from consultant firm Booz Allen Hamilton.<br>
The Bush administration's latest scorecards rating agency performance on five key management initiatives contain mixed results, with eight agencies improving in one or more initiatives, and two faltering in one initiative.<br> The quarterly scorecards measure the status and progress of 26 departments and agencies in achieving the president's goals in five areas:
For a second year, federal government computer systems received an overall failing grade for security as Rep. Steve Horn issued his annual report card.<br>
Something was different at this year's annual meeting of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Not just one, but two heavy hitters from the Bush administration gave keynote speeches.
The House has unanimously passed e-government legislation that would set up a new Office of E-Government within OMB to improve coordination and deployment of information technology.<br>
<FONT SIZE=2>The National Governors Association is preparing a homeland security report to help guide state and local governments on issues ranging from bioterrorism and public health to emergency communications and disaster response.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Replacing paper forms with electronic ones doesn't merely mean mocking up a cyberspace replica of the paper version -- not if an agency wants to truly realize the productivity gains of e-records.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Warfighter Information Network - Tactical</FONT><FONT SIZE=2>Army Communications Electronics Command</FONT><FONT SIZE=2>Value: </FONT><FONT SIZE=2>$6.6 billion</FONT><FONT SIZE=2>Awarded: </FONT><FONT SIZE=2>Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. both won contracts Aug. 9 that will develop the architecture and start initial production of systems for testing. The Army will then pick between the two for full production.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>"Decision makers aren't paid to be data collectors," said Douglas Barton, director of technology for the missions systems division of Lockheed Martin Corp. "If they have 10 minutes to make a decision, they shouldn't spend nine and a half minutes gathering data."</FONT>
The Justice Department has approved a plan for a group of private-sector companies to form a consortium under the direction of the Internal Revenue Service to offer free, online tax preparation and filing services to qualified citizens.
Whatever the White House's new draft cybersecurity plan lacked in specific requirements for the private sector, it more than made up for in proposed spending to improve security at federal agencies.
The government sector is going to be the single largest vertical market for biometric technologies through 2007, when spending is expected to reach $1.2 billion, according to International Biometric Group LLC, a New York-based research and consulting firm. IBG estimated the government market for biometrics in 2002 would be $217 million. The global market for biometrics will hit $4 billion by 2007, according to IBG's annual forecast released last month. The largest biometric market segment will continue to be fingerprint technologies, followed by facial recognition and iris scanning, said Mike Thieme, director of special projects for IBG. IBG's forecast is based on vendor revenue, which it defined as sales of hardware and software that are related to the core biometric technology, with adjustments made based on a variety of economic and political factors, Thieme said.
<font SIZE="2">When Americans next year begin the ritual of completing annual tax forms, the nation'sblind and visually impaired citizens will be able to fill out 50 of the most-used formsonline for the first time. </font>
City governments have made dramatic gains in putting information and services online in the past year, but they tend to rely too heavily on user fees and premium services that ultimately may limit user access, according to a new report.
