Homeland watch: In brief

The 144-page request for proposals for the Secure Border Initiative-Net surveillance system holds a few surprises.

Homeland watch: In brief

The 144-page request for proposals for the Secure Border Initiative-Net surveillance system holds a few surprises.

Infotech and the Law: New provisions in agency solicitations rankle contractors

Industry and government have tremendous need for cleared employees, but there are significant barriers to hiring them. The backlog in the government's clearance process only exacerbates the problem.

Insight settles small-biz suit

In what is believed to be the first-ever False Claims Act settlement between a company allegedly posed as a small business and the U.S. government, Insight Public Sector Inc. has agreed to pay $1 million for misrepresenting itself as a small business.

Inside track: In brief

The General Accountability Office wants information about off-the-shelf budget formulation software to help legislative branch agencies develop and present their yearly budget requests to Congress with consistent methodologies and formats.

Inside track: In brief

The General Accountability Office wants information about off-the-shelf budget formulation software to help legislative branch agencies develop and present their yearly budget requests to Congress with consistent methodologies and formats.

Senate issues call to vendors for major IT upgrade

The Senate wants interested vendors to detail whether they can provide, install and maintain thousands of computers and servers both on Capitol Hill and throughout the country.

FISMA follies

Bob Lentz wants to emphasize that FISMA is a good thing. The Federal Information Security Management Act requires federal agencies to report to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress on their progress in improving information security. But his department earned an F this year, and has never gotten higher than a D.

Buy Lines: 'Big A' acquisition is here to stay

Policymakers in the acquisition community are using the term "big A" acquisition when discussing the need to improve everything from capability analysis to outcome measures, as opposed to contracting ? the "little a" of acquisition.

Scattered budget forecast

Federal IT spending over the next year will not increase much, but a slight bump-up will bring opportunities in some key areas.

Infotech and the Law: Contingent fees pose ethics challenge

The ethics scandals that have rumbled through the federal procurement world of late have brought increased attention to numerous statutory restrictions, such as the Procurement Integrity Act, bribery and gratuity statutes, and the Anti-Kickback Act.

May the best team win

USFalcon Inc. is one of one of three small companies, together with four large corporations, that will compete for task orders in full and open competitions under the Army's 10-year, $19.3 billion Strategic Services Sourcing program.

Blunt-Davis bill would create grants database

Aiming to bring more transparency to the federal grant-making process, two top lawmakers have introduced legislation that would create a public database to track government-issued grants.

Immigration reform law to spawn new tech programs

A comprehensive immigration bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday would create several major IT programs to register and verify employment status for foreigners seeking to be residents and workers in the United States.

Small Business: In brief

Democrats on the House Small Business Committee, concerned over President Bush's proposed fiscal 2007 budget, released a report detailing the effect of the proposed cuts on small-business development programs.

Inside Track: In brief

The U.S. Postal Service is looking for track-and-trace scanner solutions for mail-processing, barcode-reading technology.

Homeland Watch: In brief

Achieving interoperability by making first-responder radio systems compatible is a top priority for the Homeland Security Department, said George Foresman, undersecretary for preparedness.

Buy Lines: Dubai ports deal may create unneeded restrictions

Predictably, the debacle over the Dubai ports deal is having some disquieting ripple effects. Proponents and detractors went nose to nose around the role that was ? or should have been ? played by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States or other government reviews, and now we're seeing the fallout from the conflict.

Infotech and the Law: Tough to stick this conflict of interest charge

Organizational conflict of interest is a charge often bandied about but infrequently pinned down. Teaming partners frequently are asked to avow that they'll have no OCI if a contract is awarded, and subcontractors must warrant that their previous work for an agency won't create an OCI.

BAE uses team approach to build small-business alliances

Every month, the IT group for BAE Systems North America Inc. invites about three dozen small-business partners to a Homeland Security Department trusted forum. They discuss issues and trends, and identify emerging opportunities as well as share best practices.