Smoke and mirrors at SBA

Assertions by the Small Business Administration's former adminstrator that the government surpassed its congressionally mandated goal of awarding 23 percent of federal prime contracts to small companies have come under sharp attack from congressional leaders, the SBA's inspector general and Government Accountability Office.

Boom times ahead for ID solutions

U.S. government agencies likely will fuel $8 billion in indentity initiatives in the next five years..

CACI wins Air Force environmental information system deal

CACI International Inc. won a $32 million contract to help the Air Force integrate its environmental, safety and occupational health management information systems into one IT system.

ACS blames N.C. officials for Medicaid project debacle

Affiliated Computer Services Inc. accuses state officials of causing crucial delays in a $171 million contract to build a new Medicaid payment system for North Carolina, and is threatening to sue the Tar Heel State for breach of contract.

North Carolina ends $171M Medicaid pact with ACS

The North Carolina Health and Human Services Department has terminated Affiliated Computer Services Inc.'s contract to deliver a new Medicaid payment system to the Tar Heel State.

Florida rolls out law enforcement radio system

A statewide digital radio system built by M/A-Com Inc. will let Florida law enforcement agencies communicate seamlessly.

Merlin's new name reflects global quest

With an eye on establishing a global footprint, Merlin Technical Solutions Inc. has changed its name to Merlin International.

N.H. re-ups EDS for Medicaid fiscal services

New Hampshire will continue to rely on EDS Corp. to serve as its Medicaid fiscal agent under a $16.7 million contract.

Preston named SBA administrator

Steven Preston, a financial management expert, was sworn in Monday as the new administrator of the Small Business Administration.

ICF to lead administration of Louisiana housing plan

ICF International Inc. has won a three-year contract with the state of Louisiana to administer $4.6 billion in federal housing grants aimed at reconstruction from last year's hurricanes.

What a relief

Cities and counties across the country are seeking the latest technology and are looking at IT outsourcing as a way to improve services while reducing operating costs.

Small business | In brief

The Homeland Security Department anticipates announcing in July the winners of FirstSource, a $3 billion small-business IT contract to help the department integrate and standardize its IT systems and tools.

Promise and peril in mentor programs

As the new millennium dawned, Force3 Inc. was on the verge of graduating from the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program. Company officials knew major internal improvements and upgrades to its strategy were needed to compete on the open market.

NGA grants spark state justice info sharing projects

With the help of seed money from the Justice Department, six states are kicking off projects aimed at improving the sharing of justice and public safety information across law enforcement, courts and correction systems.

Survey: True value makes for better sales

State and local government IT executives said that price, service and response time are their most important criteria when making IT purchasing decisions, according to a recent survey.

New York re-ups CSC for Medicaid work

New York state will keep Computer Sciences Corp. for fiscal agent services with a three-year, $276 million contract extension to handle Medicaid benefits for citizens.

Six states sign Viisage for driver's licensing

Viisage Inc. has won contracts with six state driver services agencies to deliver various kinds of driver testing applications.

ChoicePoint buys vital-records specialist

ChoicePoint Inc.'s acquisition of USCerts, a Web-based vital-records system, will help the company meet a growing demand for document verification services to determine a person's age and identity.

State of recovery

When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans last summer, it shut down government and emergency communications, shuttered businesses and left thousands of city residents homeless and reliant on government assistance for everything from food and drinking water to rooftop rescues and financial support.

Special Report | Channel leaders: A Marine in his heart

Eric Olson believes in one way of doing things: full submersion into the culture of the client. For Olson, director of Marine programs with InfoReliance Corp., Fairfax, Va., working with the Marine Corps has made him question why he steered clear of government consulting in favor of commercial work for much of his career.