Report: IT contracts spending surges in 2004

The federal government awarded $155 billion in IT prime contracts in fiscal 2004, a 60 percent increase over IT-related spending in 2003, according to Reston, Va., market research firm Input Inc.

"FY2004: Where Did the Money Go?" reviews more than 1,100 IT-related program awards and reports:

Defense and Homeland Security departments, the Army, Navy and Air Force, together accounted for $118 billion of the total $155 billion in federal contracts.

The Air Force's $9 billion Network Centric Solutions program and the Army's $7 billion Warfighter Information Network-Tactical System account for most of the $19.2 billion in awards.

Professional services more than doubled from $49 billion in 2003 to $108.3 billion in fiscal 2004.

Homeland Security entered Input's top five in fiscal 2004, driven by the $10 billion U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology system award.