Fed Contractors Among 100 Best

magazine's annual ranking of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" lists 21 technology and consulting companies, including several companies with substantial government business.The Jan. 8 issue includes IT consulting firms American Management Systems Inc. and SRA International Inc., networking solutions provider Cisco Systems Inc., software developers Microsoft Corp. and SAS Institute Inc., and hardware developer Sun Microsystems Inc.No. 2 SAS Institute of Cary, N.C., has made the top 10 on the list for four years running. The company is a pioneer of onsite child care, said. The magazine also noted SAS' fitness and health centers, 15 percent-of-pay contribution to retirement plans and flexible schedules. At No. 44, AMS of Fairfax, Va., was named to the list for the third consecutive year. Fortune noted benefits such as flexible work schedules, job sharing and telecommuting.No. 72 SRA of Fairfax was named to the list for the second consecutive year. cited SRA's onsite medical clinic, visiting nurses and nine paid holidays a year, which employees can take whenever they want.Two-thirds of the magazine's scoring is based on a survey of a random group of at least 250 employees at each company. The rest of the score is determined by a culture audit, in which the company explains its philosophies and practices. More than 230 companies vied for placement on this year's list.