5 ways to kill bad morale

We’re told Aristotle once said, “nature abhors a vacuum.” It’s the principle of horror vacui in physics. And the same is true of human nature. In the absence of information, people fill in the blanks. Often, they fill in a lack of information with negative rumor and speculation.

Why risk increasing misinformation among your employees? Why not fill the vacuum with the truth?

SAIC plans layoffs, cost cutting

Science Applications International Corp. might not have a federal contract renewed, which could result in 150 layoffs in its Falls Church, Va., office as a result, the Washington Business Journal reported Thursday.

Army exploring enterprise-wide content management system

The Army has kicked off the market research phase of a possile contrct to provide enterprise-level content management services.

The Army wants to learn about a number of specific things, including:

• Enterprise-level content management solutions that enable large enterprises like the Army to create a central repository for many different types of data, including e-mail, file sharing, photos, videos, digital meeting records, and others
• How to provide integration points for information and data across applications, collaboration tools, and office products
• How to enable data collection, discovery and information lifecycle management

Raytheon restructures its business units

Raytheon has combined its Intelligence and Information Systems and Technical Services businesses to form a new business called Intelligence, Information and Services. The company also shifted some other pieces of business into its other three business units in a move to streamline its businesses and increase productivity.

SEC reworks Edgar procurement strategy

The Securities and Exchange Commission is updating its strategy for maintaining and modernizing the Edgar system, which is an online database of company financial filings.

At a minimum, the SEC plans to use separate procurements for the operations and maintenance portion and the modernization portion, according to an announcement on FedBizOpps.gov.

Is quantum computing the next big thing?

The New York Times reported last week that Lockheed Martin was investing in quantum computing, and would be the first company to use quantum computers commercially.

The company acquired a quantum computer from D-Wave Systems, a Canadian company, in 2011. The New York Times quoted Ray Johnson, Lockheed's chief technology officer, as saying that Lockheed would use quantum computing to create and test complex radar, space and aircraft systems.

Airtec wins Navy intell contract

Airtec Inc. has won a $12.5 million single-award task order contract with the U.S. Navy to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services in support of the Army’s Southern Command.

Under the firm-fixed-price contract, the company will provide these services using two contractor-owned, contractor-operated aircraft, the Defense Department said in a release.

Work will be performed in Bogota, Columbia, and is expected to be completed by January 2014.

Contract funds in the amount of $917,000 are obligated at the time of the award, and they will expire at the end of fiscal 2013.

Lockheed wins $27.4M to restructure contract options for Navy

Lockheed Martin has won a $27.4 million contract modification to exercise and restructure the fixed-price-incentive options for the Navy’s electronic warfare improvement system to firm-fixed-price options.

The Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 System is an acquisition program to upgrade the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) Electronic Warfare System, the Defense Department said in a release.

Alion taps new SVP and manager of acquisitions programs management group

Alion Science and Technology has named Alex Heidt senior vice president and manager of Alion's Acquisition Programs Management Group, or APMG.

As senior vice president and manager, Heidt will head a business unit focused on delivering program, acquisition and operational services, as well as engineering support to Alion's customers, the company said in a release.

Before Alion, Heidt was senior vice president of business development at Harris Corp.'s information technology services area.

Heidt has also held positions at Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences Corp., and E-Systems Corp.

Other investors join battle to buy Dell

You’d think that if you are the largest stockholder, and the company bears your name, that a move to take your firm private would be fairly easy.

But not so for Michael Dell, who, along with the Silver Lake Partners, a private equity group, are proposing to acquire the company’s outstanding stock for $13.65 a share, or $24.4 billion.