Networx gets ready to rock 'n' roll

It's not just the members of Generation X and Generation Y who want instant gratification.A lot of veterans of the government contracting market share that trait.Six months ago I was hearing that the General Services Administration's hugeNetworx telecommunications contract wasn't taking off.There were whispers that it would fail.You won't hear those whispers today. In fact, accordingto Sami Lais' cover story, more than $1 billion worth ofwork has been awarded through about 30 task orders.On top of that, agencies are starting to feel the heatto get transition plans in place for when FederalTechnology Service 2001, Networx's predecessor,expires in 2010. Sources quoted in Lais' story sayNetworx is about the kick into high gear.Also in this issue, we take a closer look at theFBI's Next Generation Identification contract thatLockheed Martin Corp. won in February. After theaward, IBM Corp. filed a protest, but the companiesworked out an agreement that put IBM onthe Lockheed Martin team so the project couldmove forward.Neither company would tell Associate EditorDavid Hubler the details of how the agreementwas reached. But with the number of protests expected to rise, contractingexperts told Hubler they believe we might see more companies use a similarapproach to resolve disputes.It makes me wonder: If winning contractors are open to giving protesting companiesa piece of the action to resolve the protest, will we see even more protests?It's worth contemplating.