online@washingtontechnology.com

Larry Rosenfeld offers advice on how to avoid thepitfalls of poor communications when making anacquisition.An acquisition presentssignificant risk and createschaos and uncertainty.Rosenfeld's tips includedeveloping a communicationsplan that targets all stakeholders.The right plan can build credibility withemployees and customers. Without it, the promisedvalue of a merger is nothing more than hype.To read the entire column, click .Bill Loomis reviews the ups and downs of the yearto date in his Market Share column.For the publicly traded governmentinformation technologyservices companies, it hasbeen a tough year, but thereare some hopeful signs.Contract backlogs are growing.And Loomis is watching fora spike in contract awards as the fiscal year comesto a close.For the full column, click .The Web version of the 2008 Top 100 rankingsincludes a searchabledatabase that letsusers sort companiesby rank, market, revenueand otherparameters. There also are profiles of eachcompany, including its leadership, major customersand contracts, and lines of business. Go to .Visit us daily for the latest news about the governmentcontracting industry, including contract wins,mergers and acquisitions, and the homelandsecurity and policy fronts.A searchable database of WashingtonTechnology issues dating to 1994 isavailable at our Web site. We areyour first stop for research on customers,competitors and partners.