Letter to the editor | Small-business programs deserve protection

As a long time advocate for legitimate small businesses across the country, I have to disagree with Jerry Grossman's comments on federal small business contracting policy.

Letter to the editor | Yes to the 30 percent small biz goal

Readers Rafael Collado and Sascha Mornell comment on Jerry Grossman's recent Market Watch Column on small business.

Survey: IT industry feeling economic crunch

The survey shows a somewhat gloomy outlook, saying 43 percent of companies contacted have reduced their overall IT budgets this year.

Tech firms hold their own in jobs slump

Technology appears to be one of the least hard-hit sectors in the economy beset by unemployment at a five-year high.

Defense, cybersecurity drive rosy outlook

Federal IT and professional services stocks have rallied over the past couple of months due to good second-quarter earnings reports and investors seeking less economically sensitive investments. And the federal IT group has almost broken even for the year.

Deltek acquires EVM product from Planview

Deltek gave its earned value management credentials a boost today when it acquired the MPM solutions from Planview Inc.

Sheltered from the storm: Government market flourishes despite continuing uncertainties

The government IT industry is not immune from the larger economy or political changes, but it is more isolated than many industry sectors. What does the mergers and acquisitions environment look like for our sector for the rest of 2008?

Lockheed tops executive pay survey

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s chairman and chief executive officer Robert Stevens is the highest paid executive in the Washington region, according to a survey released today by the Washington Post. He received $26 million in total compensation.

Nimble contractors stand to gain in tight times

With the changes in Congress and the presidency, and a tougher budget environment ahead, companies will have to be even more flexible and agile to maintain growth during the coming years.

Globalization arrives at a crossroads

A number of recent significant cross-border transactions, regulatory actions, and domestic and international political developments have put globalization of government and defense into the cross hairs of the 2008 presidential election.

Input: Quest for efficiency drives state, local spending

A tight fiscal environment in state and local governments means contractors looking for work in those sectors need to focus on projects that will produce savings customers can redirect, according to a new study.

Savvy IT firms buck trend, gain share

The stocks of federal information technology and professionalservices companies are performing in line withthe S&P 500 this year. Both are down about 6 percent,while aerospace and defense companies' stocks are havinganother solid year and are up 7 percent.

FAA wants help with cultural transformation

The FAA is conducting a market survey to determine the availability of contractors to assist with the cultural transformation of its Air Traffic Organization.

Input: Federal IT spending growth near historic low

A number of factors are converging to create a federal IT spending environment described by the market research firm Input as tempered momentum.

Organic growth is making a comeback

The small-business recertification rule implementedlast year by the Small Business Administration is havinga profound effect on companies that depend heavily onsmall-business set-aside contracts for growth and midtieracquirers of such companies, forcing both to focus more onorganic growth.

Contracting as an economic engine

Just as in every campaign that has preceded it, the issue ofjobs has been at center stage throughout the 2008 presidentialcampaign. Candidates talk about creating jobs, buildingsustainable domestic industries and so forth. Ironically, onetopic that never comes up in those discussions is one of thenation's most significant sources of high-quality, well-compensatedemployment: government contracting.

Prices hold firm for government M&A deals

Since 2004, the price-to-performance multiples of publiclytraded government technology services companies havetrended downward, while the valuations of mergers andacquisitions have held their ground. Is this rational,sustainable and likely to continue through this year and the next?

Now comes Vangent

Name changes haven't stunted BPO provider's ability to win contracts.

Market disruption presents silver lining

One comment I often hear lately about the financialmarkets is that their volatility has increased. Theincreased volatility is an indicator of uncertainty, causinginvestors to react quickly to each piece of financial,economic or political news.

In-Q-Tel invests in CoreStreet

In-Q-Tel, the intelligence community's investment arm, is putting funds into a company that makes a new type of access control system.