Agencies skip FTS, look to GWAC vendors

Agencies take advantage of a rule allowing them to order directly from GSA's governmentwide acquisition contracts instead of going through the Federal Technology Service.

Collins wants answers on missing data about federal charge card holders

Sen. Susan Collins is drafting a letter to the General Services Administration and Bank of America asking how it will protect the personal data of federal credit card holders, following last week's revelation that the company had lost backup tapes containing personal information on 1.2 million federal employees.

GSA to release $5 billion veteran-owned small business IT contract

The General Services Administration this spring will release a $5 billion, 10-year governmentwide acquisition contract for service-disabled veteran-owned IT small businesses.

Davis to bring brighter spotlight to government IT

The elimination of the House subcommittee that focuses solely on IT does not mean that federal agencies and contractors should expect oversight by lawmakers to relax.

Good news, bad news

Don't be fooled by the 7 percent increase in IT spending proposed in President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget request. Although the IT budget request of $65.1 billion boosts spending by more than 20 percent each at the departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Veterans Affairs, most agencies received only modest increases, and six had their IT budgets cut.

Congress: Agency IT security improvement slight

Despite the Office of Management and Budget's emphasis on cybersecurity over the past four years, the federal government is barely secure ? and Congress is frustrated.

CIOs say consolidation and cybersecurity top priority list

CIOs and IT managers will focus on systems consolidation and security through the end of the fiscal year, according to a new ITAA survey.

2006 budget request calls for FTS-FSS merger

The Bush administration's 2006 budget request calls for the collapsing of the Federal Supply and Federal Technology services into a single organization.

White House to request $65.1 billion for 2006 IT budget

The federal IT budget request for fiscal 2006 will increase by 7.1 percent to $65.1 billion, according to industry sources.

DHS sets timeline for enterprise portal initiative

Over the next six weeks, the Homeland Security Department will start evaluating technologies and vendor products in preparation for a March request for proposals for its enterprise portal initiative.

Bush highlights IT health architecture, U.S. Visit in State of Union

President Bush last night gave a nod to two federal IT initiatives in his fifth State of the Union address: the federal health IT architecture and the government's entry-exit system.

IT budget to grow in '06?at least a little

The federal IT budget will grow by single percentage points next year, according to a high ranking OMB official.

IT security problems cause two agencies to slip in PMA scorecard

Systems security concerns caused the Veterans Affairs Department's and the Small Business Administration's e-government initiatives to drop a grade each in the latest ratings on the President's Management Agenda.

Coming report: A-76 continues to produce savings

On the 50th anniversary of OMB Circular A-76, the administration plans to report that the program is stronger than ever.

GSA closing in on SmartBuy deal with Oracle

The General Services Administration is on a roll as it closes in another big target for SmartBuy, its enterprise software license program.

OMB names new manager for g-to-g e-gov projects

The Office of Management and Budget has tapped Stacie Higgins as its new manager of the government-to-government Quicksilver portfolio and Grants Management Lines of Business initiative.

FTS commissioner Bates to retire Feb. 11

Sandra N. Bates, commissioner of the Federal Technology Service, will retire Feb. 11 after a 35-year government career.

OPM director James to step down

Office of Personnel Management director Kay Coles James will leave her job at month's end.

Got procurement data?

The General Services Administration in late December established a one-time fee of $2,500 for vendors and the public to receive a direct, continuous feed from the new Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation via Web services.

Big deals, bigger fuss

Is a protest of your latest big win inevitable? If it's a multiyear enterprise deal worth big bucks and for several years, the chances rise precipitously. And the chances of more such contracts drawing protests in the coming year seem like a safe bet.