As the war in Iraq draws to a close, the U.S. Agency for International Development is ramping up efforts to rebuild and modernize that country's infrastructure with projects that likely will include business for IT integrators.
J. Robert Beyster, the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Science Applications International Corp., is planning to retire in February 2004 and has begun the process of finding a successor. Under the plan, a search committee will be led by Thomas Young, former president and chief operating officer of Martin Marietta.
<FONT SIZE=2>The Bush administration has a new tool for measuring how well agencies and their programs are performing. Administration officials used the new Program Assessment Rating Tool, or PART, during 2004 budget process to review about 234, or 20 percent, of federal programs, according to budget documents. </FONT>
Science Applications International Inc. has acquired VGS Inc., a systems integrator focusing on application engineering, enterprise resource planning, security management and systems engineering.
An American killed Tuesday morning in Kuwait and a second American, who was wounded in the same shooting attack, are employees of a technology contractor there supporting the Army.
The Council for Excellence in Government has formed an advisory group of former federal, state and local CIOs to offer advice to incoming and new government CIOs.
Thirty-four companies won spots on the General Services AdministrationÕs first multiple-award information technology contract for firms in historically underused business zones.
<FONT SIZE=2> Throw out the crystal ball. High-tech executives will have to rely on instinct, experience and up-to-the-minute intelligence to navigate the government IT market in 2003.</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=2>Uncertainty and opportunity. The yin and yang for 2003.</FONT><FONT SIZE=2>The opportunities are huge in the $ 53.3 billion federal information technology market. Whether it is the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, more outsourcing or the increasing emphasis on e-government, IT will play a central role.</FONT>
IBM Corp. is adding new programs and expanding the colleges and universities available through its eArmyU contract to provide e-learning services to the Army.<rb>
Computer Sciences Corp. is planning to create a telecommunications and networking unit after it purchases DynCorp, company officials said Dec. 20. The federal government is changing the way it buys telecommunications and networking services, and that is one of the areas where the DynCorp acquisition bolsters CSC capabilities, said Paul Cofoni, president of CSC federal sector.
Government mergers and acquisition adviser Quarterdeck Investment Partners LLC has been acquired by Jefferies Group Inc., an investment banking firm.<br>
In a move that will expand its work with the federal government, Computer Sciences Corp. is buying DynCorp, an employee-owned information technology and outsourcing company. DynCorp's chief calls it "a perfect match."<br>
IBM Corp. and Crunchy Technologies Inc. formed an alliance to sell and service technologies to make Web sites more accessible to people with disabilities.<br>
<FONT SIZE=2>Although their company boasted nearly $1 billion in annual revenue from commercial customers, executives at Perot Systems Corp. knew it would be difficult to build a government business from scratch. Companies trying to crack the federal market can expend considerable resources developing the right contacts, establishing customer relationships and getting the right clearances and procurement vehicles -- all of which can take a lot of time with no guarantee of success.</FONT>
The increasing pace of acquisitions in the government information technology market is approaching a feeding frenzy, according to investment bankers. Rick Knop of Windsor Group said his investment bank has seven deals in the closing stages among companies in the government IT space. And during 2001, Bill Loomis of Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc., said he tracked 15 mergers and acquisitions. So far in 2002, there have been 30.
