Siebel, Lockheed Martin team for fed business

Lockheed Martin Corp. and Siebel Systems Inc. are forming a strategic alliance to pursue business opportunities in the federal information technology market.

The partnership, announced Nov. 20, formalizes ongoing efforts between the two and will provide solutions for federal agencies looking to improve operational effectiveness and productivity. The terms of the agreement allow Lockheed Martin personnel to train and become certified on Siebel e-government and homeland security applications.

"Our customers are demanding reliable, high-performance, highly scalable off-the-shelf products," said Arthur Johnson, Lockheed Martin senior vice president, corporate strategic development. He said that by using a commercial solution that integrates with government systems, "government agencies will realize significant savings and increased effectiveness."

Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md., has been extending its reach in the government IT sector for some time through strategic alliances such as with Siebel, said company spokesman Jeffrey Adams.

"It's a pattern, but it's an industrywide pattern," Adams said. "This is ... like our alliance with Cisco, BEA, other software providers. [They] provide a tremendous amount of product capability, so it makes sense for us."

Lockheed Martin and Siebel have worked together on commercial contracts, Adams said, noting there are "10 or 12 key opportunities we're working on at the moment."

Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and had 2001 revenue of $24 billion. Siebel Systems, of San Mateo, Calif., reported 2001 revenue of $2.05 billion, and employs about 7,400 people.