Va. outsourcing advances

Virginia is beginning detailed evaluations of proposals from three integrators for its ambitious state IT outsourcing initiative.

The detailed review will take about 90 days and will be followed by another round of proposals, which finalists CGI-AMS, IBM Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. will have 60 days to complete, said Lemuel Stewart, the state's chief information officer.

The IT Transformation Initiative is structured as a public-private partnership where the contractor shares the risk with the state by investing financial resources in the initiative

Although state officials have not yet put a price tag on the project, analysts and industry officials said it could be a multibillion-dollar deal.