Initial review of GovNet due this month

The General Services Administration will complete by Jan. 31 its initial assessments of industry responses to GovNet, a proposed secure government network, but it's uncertain when or if the project will proceed, according to Sallie McDonald, assistant commissioner of the GSA Federal Technology Service.

At the end of the month, GSA officials will meet with presidential cybersecurity adviser Richard Clarke and other administration officials to discuss their findings and how to proceed, McDonald said.

The General Accounting Office is reviewing GSA's work on GovNet, and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., has requested a hearing on the project, so no schedule has been set for GovNet, McDonald said.

McDonald spoke Jan. 23 at a computer security and information assurance conference in Washington held by McLean, Va., IT market research and consulting firm FSI Inc.

The General Services Administration received more than 160 responses in October and November to its request for information about GovNet, the proposed private government voice and data intranet that would be immune from cyberattack.

In its review of the information submitted, GSA officials are looking for information about costs of such a network and alternatives to it, McDonald said, adding that it could be too expensive or impossible to do.

If the administration does decide to proceed, the acquisition and award process should take about eight months, she said.

Representatives from 16 agencies are evaluating responses to the request for information. The Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is conducting a separate analysis.