Newsbriefs

The wait is over ? Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.will split into two businesses with the sale ofits government unit to the Carlyle Group.The company had said for several monthsthat the move was coming.Its board of directors hasrecommended the split,and the sale is expected toclose by mid to late 2008.Carlyle is buying amajority stake in the governmentbusiness for$2.54 billion.Booz Allen's commercial business, whichwill include its international governmentwork, will form a stand-alone companyowned and operated by the commercial officers.That business will continue its focus onmanagement consulting.Ralph Shrader, chairman and chief executiveofficer, will lead the government businessunit.Booz Allen ranks No. 11 on WashingtonTechnology's 2008 Top 100 list of the largestfederal government prime contractors.IBM Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp.agreed to work together on the $1 billioncontract to develop and maintain the FBI'sNext Generation Identification system forfederal, state and local authorities.Lockheed Martin won the 10-year contractin February, but IBM protested the awardand work was held up. Big Blue's announcementthat it is joining the team as a subcontractordidn't mention the protest.The Homeland Security Department's proposed$294 million cybersecurity initiativemight be overly reliant on contractors andshort on details, said Sens. Joseph Lieberman(I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).DHS' fiscal 2009 proposal for the NationalCyber Security Division inadequately delineatedcontractor roles, responsibilities andlimitations, and it failed to specify how thedivision would monitor performance, thesenators said.The General Services Administration will reevaluatepast-performance reviews for all 62companies that bid on the $50 billion Alliantcontract, and the agency expects to make newawards by December, a GSA official said.The agency has similar plans for its AlliantSmall Business contract awards because itused the same evaluation template as for theAlliant contract.The Air Force Research Laboratory is callingfor white papers on conducting successfuloffensives against cyberspace adversaries.The lab has $11 million in funding for thetwo-year project to develop Dominant CyberOffensive Engagement and SupportingTechnology capabilities. Papers for fiscal2008 are due June 5, and those for fiscal2009 are due March 1, 2009.Verizon Business will do the lion's share ofthe work on the Homeland Security Department's$970 million OneNet telecommunicationscontract.As the primary provider under the GeneralServices Administration's Networx Universalcontract vehicle, Verizon will get $678 million,while backup provider AT&T GovernmentSolutions will get $292 million.The Air Force will discontinue its IntelligenceInformation, Command and Control, Equipmentand Enhancements contract programand transfer the services it provided to a programmanaged by the Defense IntelligenceAgency. The Air Force Materiel Commandadvised vendors vying for the opportunity toconsider DIA's Solution for the InformationTechnology Enterprise contract.The federal government must develop aneffective national biosurveillance system and anational medical intelligence program tocounteract the risk of biological threats duringmass gatherings, a congressional report states.Recommendations include establishing aNational Medical Intelligence Program somedical providers and law enforcementauthorities can share information.The Homeland Security Department's SBInetborder surveillance system is preparing tomove into its next phase, with two permanentsegments to be operational as early asDecember, DHS and Boeing Co. officials said.The new segments span 53 miles of theArizona/Mexico border and are the first permanentoperational installations of the $30 billionSecure Border Initiative virtual fence.The Coast Guard took delivery of the 418-footBertholf, the first National Security Cutterproduced under the $24 billion Deepwaterasset modernization program.During the next two years of field tests, theBertholf will be under special status, so thecutter will do crew training and equipmenttesting rather than regular patrols.House lawmakers are considering a bill thatwould require the Homeland SecurityDepartment to consult with industry executiveson biometric identification for airportsecurity. The bill's goal is to ensure that acomprehensive plan is in place before airportsbegin using biometric ID systems.Competitions between contractors and federalemployees for government work declinedin fiscal 2007 because of legal provisions thatban such competition, Office of Managementand Budget officials said. For example, thefiscal 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Acthas at least eight provisions that deal withcompetitive sourcing, and most of them limitits use, an OMB official said.The proposed Homeland Security NetworkDefense and Accountability Act of 2008, nowbefore the House, would require the HomelandSecurity Department to assess the robustnessof contractors' cybersecurity protectionbefore hiring them. The bill stipulates thatDHS must determine contractors' cybersecurityposture before signing a contract.Computer Sciences Corp. agreed to pay$1.37 million to settle claims that it solicitedand received improper payments andother items of value on technology contractswith government agencies, theJustice Department said.The settlement resolves an action filedagainst CSC by whistle-blowers Norman Rilleand Neal Roberts in September 2004 underthe False Claims Act.U.S. soldiers soon might be suiting up in "IronMan" wearable robotic armor that will letthem move freely while lifting heavy objects.The futuristic Exoskeleton suit RaytheonCo. is developing for the Army combines sensors,controllers and other devices to letwearers easily carry a man on their back ordo 100 reps with a 200-pound weight.One way to improve the General ServicesAdministration's multiple-award schedulecontracts would be to reconsider use of theprice-reduction clause, a new advisory panelsaid.The clause helps ensure that the governmentgets at least as good a deal as a contractor'sprivate-sector clients, but it's cumbersome,often hard to apply to complex procurementsand sometimes unnecessary, onecritic said.