Northrop Grumman wins Navy deal

A team led by Northrop Grumman Corp. has been selected by the Navy to improve tactical systems interoperability, an essential element in the communications networks of military weapon systems.

Dynamics Research to buy HJ Ford Associates

Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover, Mass., is acquiring privately held HJ Ford Associates Inc., a Washington-based provider of engineering and information technology services to the public sector.

Fortress America

Efforts to bolster information security are gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are considering a host of bills aimed at improving security in the public and private sectors.

Capital Roundup

The National Homeland Security and Combating Terrorism Act of 2002, S. 2452, was recently approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The House's bill, H.R. 4660, has been referred to the Committee on Government Reform.

Covansys wins Wisconsin benefits system deal

Covansys Corp. was awarded a $4.2 million contract to implement a new benefits payments system for the Wisconsin Retirement System.

College students: Science, technology vital after Sept. 11

The new U.S. focus on terrorism has made college students more aware of the roles science and technology play in the military, intelligence and homeland security fields, according to a poll.

Hassell to lead HP's government affairs office

John Hassell will lead Hewlett-Packard Co.'s office in Washington and its federal and state government programs.

Consortium created to improve software reliability

Carnegie Mellon University and a coalition of government agencies and information technology firms May 16 in Washington announced the creation of the Sustainable Computing Consortium, a collaborative effort to protect the United States computing infrastructure and improve the reliability of U.S. IT systems.

Workforce glass half full and half empty

When Pat Dawson read a new information technology workforce study published this month, he noted that at least one major finding didn't apply to his company, Anteon Corp. of Fairfax, Va. Unlike many high-tech companies, Anteon wasn't laying off workers.

Section 508 'not as hard as people thought'

A year ago, many industry and government executives were looking ahead to June 25, 2001, as a "panic day," said Terry Weaver, director of the Center for IT Accommodation at the General Services Administration.

President signs border security bill

President Bush May on 14 signed a bill designed to strengthen U.S. visa controls and border security.

CSC scores $160 million State Department deal

Computer Sciences Corp. has won a contract to provide information technology and professional and technical services at locations worldwide.

Engineered Support Systems finishes Radian buy

The acquisition should be immediately accretive to the earnings of Engineered Support Systems, said Michael Shanahan Sr., chairman and chief executive officer.

SI International files for IPO

SI International Inc. has become the latest in a growing line of government-focused IT companies looking to Wall Street. The company filed May 10 for a $75 million initial public offering of its stock. In its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SI said its shares will trade on NASDAQ under the symbol "SIIT." Ray Oleson is the chief executive officer of SI.

OMB unveils plan for rulemaking portal

Office of Management and Budget officials outlined plans for a new portal on which individuals can comment on proposed federal rules. In a May 3 memo to agency heads, OMB Director Mitch Daniels said the initiative will consolidate fragmented rulemaking efforts.

IT skills gap remains

U.S. companies dropped 500,000 information technology workers off their payrolls last year, cutting the size of the IT work force from 10.4 million in 2000 to 9.9 million in 2001, according to a new survey. But some jobs are still going unfilled.

PwC Consulting files for IPO

PwC Consulting filed for a $1 billion initial public offering of its stock.

Bill provides $315 million to standardize driver's licenses

Two Virginia lawmakers introduced legislation that would make it more difficult to obtain fake licenses.

E-learning becoming e-ssential

Betty James Duke made sure she was one of the first to enroll in e-learning courses at the Human Services Resources Administration, a Department of Health and Human Services agency in Rockville, Md.

CACI wins potential $500M defense networking subcontract with SAIC

CACI International Inc. of Arlington, Va., has won a subcontract worth up to $500 million with Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego to support the communications network of the Defense Information Systems Agency.