Government Contract News

The latest federal, state and local government IT contract news.

Virginia Updates Stimulus.Virginia.Gov - Mar 12

Transparency and accountability core parts of ARRA implementation.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today launched an overhauled Stimulus.Virginia.Gov, transforming the state's original, Web site into a comprehensive online portal for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). With the conclusion of the project solicitation phase of the commonwealth's program to implement the recovery plan, the Web site is transitioning to present a wide range of information related to the ARRA -- including maps, graphs, charts, and downloadable tables that allow citizens to see where proposals have originated, where money is flowing, and what specific projects and geographies are benefiting from recovery plan funding.

"In Virginia -- just as in other states across the country -- we've made transparency and accountability a core part of our program to implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," Kaine said. "As we work to build a stronger economic future for Virginia, the redesigned Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will be a central tool to ensure Virginians can see where funds are being used and how the recovery plan is working in our state."

Virginia will receive approximately $4.8 billion in direct appropriations from the ARRA -- not including tax cuts, which will aid Virginia citizens directly. In addition, a large amount of additional funds will be in the form of competitive grants that have yet to be awarded. These grants may be awarded to a wide range of groups, including state agencies and institutions of higher education, local governments, quasi-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and private companies. White House economists estimate the recovery plan will create or save 93,000 jobs in Virginia over the next two years.

Given the ARRA's unprecedented requirements on disclosure and reporting the use of funding, State Comptroller David Von Moll will be working to ensure Virginia state agencies and institutions of higher education meet all reporting requirements to the federal government. Between February 10 and March 6, Stimulus.Virginia.Gov received more than 9,000 project ideas, totaling $450 billion.

City of Boise Launches Stimulus Tracking Web Site - Mar 10

Includes a "Funded Projects" list which will keep a running total of all projects awarded to the Boise area under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The City of Boise today unveiled "Accountable Boise," a new Web site dedicated to tracking and detailing federal stimulus funding awarded to projects benefiting Boise and its surrounding communities.

"The people of Boise need to know their government is spending their money wisely and efficiently," Mayor David Bieter said. "This site will allow residents to see where stimulus funds are going on a local level to improve our community and put people back to work."

The new site includes a "Funded Projects" list which will keep a running total of all projects awarded to the Boise area under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To date, the Boise area is slated to receive just less than $55 million for transportation projects following recent approval by the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) and the Idaho Department of Transportation Board. Governor Otter must certify all transportation projects. The site also includes a complete list of all projects proposed by the city of Boise for stimulus funding.

Following the passage of the stimulus act on Feb. 17, Mayor Bieter assembled a Boise Stimulus Response Team to ensure all appropriate opportunities within the bill are pursued. The response team includes representatives from every city department and is led by Ross Borden, the city's director of intergovernmental affairs.

"Our resourceful, resilient community is better positioned than most to emerge from this economic downturn stronger, smarter and more agile than before." Bieter said. "The federal stimulus program is just one of many tools we're utilizing to ensure that, even during these challenging times, we continue to make Boise the most livable city in the country."

The state of Idaho is projected to receive a little more than $1 billion dollars in federal stimulus funding.

$1.6 Billion Stimulus Funding Allocation Announced by Virginia Governor - Mar 6

Chief of Staff Wayne Turnage will lead a working group that will evaluate and appropriately route projects submitted on the Stimulus.Virginia.Gov Web site.

"As we begin to allocate Recovery Act funds it is important that citizens are kept informed about how their money is being used." -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (pictured)

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the allocation of $1.6 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to education, public safety and transportation needs in Virginia. He also announced that Chief of Staff Wayne Turnage will lead a working group that, starting today, will evaluate and appropriately route projects submitted on the Stimulus.Virginia.Gov Web site. Once work begins, Virginians will be able to track the spending of recovery funds through a Web site currently being developed by the commonwealth, and expected to launch shortly.

"As we begin to allocate Recovery Act funds it is important that citizens are kept informed about how their money is being used. That's why we launched our Web site last month and why we're making it a priority to continue to be transparent and accountable moving forward," Kaine said. "We all have a stake in our financial future and we will make sure that all Virginians will be able to track how well we're doing."

The $1.6 billion that has been allocated to Virginia so far is targeted at three main areas:

K-12 Education Allocations -- Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Virginia school systems will receive approximately $730.4 million in fiscal stabilization funds which will be distributed to Virginia school divisions by formula based on the federal law. The commonwealth is also receiving $281.4 million in funding for special education. Localities will also receive a total of $165.3 million for K-12 education through Title I. The U.S. Department of Education has provided preliminary tables estimating each locality's share, and these tables are now available on the Governor's Web site. More information about K-12 education funding from the Act can be found online.
Public Safety Grants to Localities -- The Bureau of Justice Assistance has released information for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funding that was made available through the Recovery Act. Virginia and its localities will receive a total of $39.8 million to support local law enforcement in the commonwealth. The funding being distributed to localities will flow through the program's standard allocation procedures. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program allows states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and to improve the criminal justice system. More information about public safety funding from the Act can be found online.
Transportation Infrastructure Funding -- Virginia will receive a total of $694.5 million in highway funding, $118 million of which will be for projects selected by the state's three urban metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in Washington, D.C., Richmond and Hampton Roads. The remaining highway infrastructure investment funding may be used for federally qualifying surface transportation projects selected by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Approximately $116 million will be distributed to transit operators in Virginia. The Act also creates several discretionary grant programs that can help advance transportation projects such as innovative highway projects, intercity and high-speed rail projects, and new transit service expansions. More information about the highway funding from the Act can be found online.

Since the launch of Stimulus.Virginia.Gov on February 10, more than 7,000 proposals have been submitted by citizens, localities and other groups. After the close of business today, suggestions will be sorted by the governor's working group and sent to the appropriate secretariat for evaluation. Secretaries will ensure compliance with applicable federal rules and make recommendations to the governor for which projects to fund. Detailed information on those projects that are chosen will be made available on a Web site that is currently under development.

ARRA Stimulus Package: $20 Billion for Healthcare IT, $4.3 Billion for Smart Grid Technology - Mar 4

"This new government money will flow to both the private sector and directly to federal, state and local government."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recently signed into law by President Obama, provides welcome news to technology suppliers who are facing a 0.1 percent 2009 U.S. growth rate, according to new research from IDC's Industry Insights Companies.

"With all the uncertainty surrounding the specifics of the new economic stimulus package, one thing is certain -- there will be a large amount of government money flowing towards technology spending," said IDC's Meredith Whalen. "This new government money will flow to both the private sector and directly to federal, state and local government."

Intelligent Grid Technologies

ARRA includes over $4.3 billion of funding specifically for "smart grid" technology investment. According to research from Energy Insights, the energy subsidies contained in the economic stimulus package will dramatically accelerate intelligent grid technology investment during the next four years; with the possibility of spending levels reaching $70 billion by 2013. This spending would span a wide range of technologies, including:

IT and communications hardware
Smart meters and other intelligent devices
Applications software used to operate the grid and enable active energy management by consumers
Software to manage huge amounts of meter and grid data
Advanced energy storage systems and grid-connected distributed generation resources and
A variety of services required to plan, integrate, deploy and maintain the technologies.

"Although the mechanisms for getting the subsidies to the utilities and other technology buyers are as yet unclear, we believe that spending will not start to accelerate until 2010," said Energy Insights' Rick Nicholson. "Once spending does start to accelerate, it is likely that it will be focused initially on smart metering projects. Broader deployments using technologies beyond smart metering will come later."

Digital Patient Information

Included in the $787 billion ARRA is approximately $20 billion in funding for healthcare IT, including incentive payments to physicians who implement and use eligible electronic medical records systems under the conditions laid out in the law.

"The approximately $20 billion in ARRA funding allocated to healthcare IT investment will have a positive impact and will begin the transformational process the U.S. healthcare industry so desperately needs to remain viable and competitive," said Health Industry Insights' Lynne A. Dunbrack and Marc Holland. "That said, even if implementation proceeds as intended, a number of issues still loom."

Health Industry Insights believes the combination of near-term stimulus funding for patient care, coupled with significant long term incentives and investments in new core health IT infrastructure will accelerate the move toward digital patient information. New Medicare and Medicaid stimulus money will ease cost pressures for many providers, while direct incentives to physicians and hospitals should ensure aggressive implementation of new patient information systems starting in 2011. Between now and 2011, the companies expect significant new spending on standards development and core federal infrastructure.

Defining Strategies Will Be Key

Industry Insights analysts believe it will be imperative for the vendor community to be both aggressive and agile in their strategy to capture this newly addressable market. This once-in-a-lifetime flood of new technology money requires a new way of finding and following opportunities. Success will not come from traditional business development via relationships and RFPs. While some of these new monies will be allocated via grants and accelerated acquisitions contracts, there will be new ways of engaging with the government.

"Technology monies will not necessarily be identified as such, but as an element of new and urgent government initiatives," said Teresa Bozzelli of Government Insights.

California CIO Holds Vendor Forum - Mar 3

Takai met with vendors on the first anniversary of the Office of the CIO (OCIO) to go over the state's IT strategic plan, detail what projects are coming down the pipeline, and -- as she said -- enlist private-sector help in the process.

Last week, California CIO Teri Takai met with vendors on the first anniversary of the Office of the CIO (OCIO) to go over the state's IT strategic plan, detail what projects are coming down the pipeline, and -- as she said -- enlist private-sector help in the process. Takai presented a detailed look into the state's IT strategy which is moving forward, she said, in spite of some significant budget challenges. Her presentation -- available on archived video as well as presentation slides -- covered:

Strategic/ IT capital plan and the governor's reorganization plan
Procurement update
DTS move and DTS strategic plan
IT security
Vendor forum preview

Brazil's Schools to Get Virtualized Desktops - Feb 18

The ability to turn 1 computer into up to 10 independent workstations enabled the Brazilian government to supply its schools with an unprecedented number of computer workstations.

Userful and ThinNetworks today announce that they have been selected to supply 356,800 virtualized desktops to schools in all of Brazil's 5,560 municipalities.

This initiative will provide computer access to millions of children and adolescents throughout the country. It is a historical achievement, said the companies in a relese, being the world’s largest ever virtual desktop deployment, the world’s largest ever desktop Linux deployment, and a new record low-cost for PCs with the PC sharing hardware and software costing less than $50 per seat.

The decision to deploy Userful and ThinNetworks' low-cost and environmentally friendly desktop virtualization solution establishes the Brazilian Ministry of Education as a global leader in computer education and provides other governments and institutions worldwide with a proven model for improving student to computer ratios while rolling out large numbers of desktops with minimal cost and environmental impact.

Userful offers the features of a full PC including high performance video for less than $50 per additional seat in large deployments (not including monitors and keyboards) and uses standard PC hardware including additional low-cost video cards and USB/2-way-audio hubs from ThinNetworks. Userful and ThinNetworks are providing the desktop virtualizaton and PC sharing software and hardware while Positivo, Daruma, and Itaultec are providing the PCs and services. Userful and ThinNetworks have been selected in a competitive bidding process for all three phases of the project. The first phase, 18,750 workstations in rural schools, has already been installed and they are functioning well.

Userful's cost saving ability to turn 1 computer into up to 10 independent workstations enabled the Brazilian government to supply its schools with an unprecedented number of computer workstations.

Savings of 60 percent in up-front costs, 80 percent in annual power savings and additional savings in ongoing administration and support costs as compared to a traditional PC-per-workstation solution all contributed to making 356,800 new workstations for Brazil's school children possible.

Up to 10 users can work on a single computer by simply attaching extra monitors, mice and keyboards. "This deployment alone saves more than 170,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, the same as taking 28,000 cars off the road, or planting 41,000 acres of trees”, said Userful's Sean Rousseau. Turning 1 computer into 10 reduces computer hardware waste “e-waste” by up to 80 percent, further decreasing its environmental footprint. A free 2-user version of Userful Multiplier software for home use is available online.

Alabama Governor to Put State Checkbook Online - Feb 12

Transparency initiative to include the amount of funds being spent, the date of the expenditure, the agency spending the money and the funding source.

"You shouldn't have to be an investigative reporter to find out how the state spends tax dollars." -- Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (pictured)

Taxpayers will be able to see where every dime of state money goes under an executive order Governor Bob Riley signed yesterday.

The directive orders the creation of a publicly accessible Web site that details all spending, grants and contracts done by state government. The public information will include the amount of funds being spent, the date of the expenditure, the agency spending the money and the funding source.

"Taxpayers will know where their money goes and to whom it goes," said Riley.

Riley signed the executive order during the annual meeting of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA), where he delivered remarks on the need for ethics reform and more accountability in state government.

"You shouldn't have to be an investigative reporter to find out how the state spends tax dollars. So with this executive order, we're going to put the state's checkbook online," Riley said. "This reform empowers taxpayers to become fiscal watchdogs. With this Web site detailing the expenditures of all state funds, Alabama will take a giant leap forward in government transparency."

The directive orders the Finance Department to develop and operate a Web site providing information "of all appropriated or non-appropriated funds by a state agency in forms including, but not limited to, grants, contracts and subcontracts."

The executive order states the Web site must be online no later than March 1 of this year with information on spending from fiscal year 2008 and with monthly reports of expenditures incurred in the 2009 fiscal year. Software that makes the database searchable must be in place by September 1.

Riley has continually advocated for greater transparency in government. With the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent) Governing reform he instituted, all state agencies must set goals and detail their plans for spending taxpayer dollars.

Fairfield, New Jersey, Police Department Awards Fleet Management Contract - Feb 3

The solution can be used to track police vehicles, emergency equipment as well as criminals and stolen packages.

The Fairfield, N.J., Police Department has awarded an automated vehicle locator contract. Mobile Trak Pro will provide the police department with the ability to view the exact location of each vehicle, increasing the safety of their officers and the ability to deploy tracking devices to help fight crime.

The Web-based software is also capable of generating reports that enables the police department to analyze police vehicle movements for training purposes and to ultimately enhance their service to the community.

"I am impressed with the rich features, functionality and accuracy of this Web-based application. We are looking forward to implementing the Mobile Trak Pro solution after exhaustive research and vendor demonstrations," said Chief Charles Voelker. "Mobile Trak Pro is the only multi-agency AVL application that will enable us to enter into a shared services and or centralized dispatch environment at no additional cost," added Chief Voelker.

StarPath Technologies Mobile Trak Pro solution can be used to track police vehicles, emergency equipment as well as criminals and stolen packages.

StarPath offers government agencies a free thirty day trial period. StarPath Technologies will ship modems to potential clients that meet our criteria and enable them to track two to three of their vehicle in real-time, on a system dedicated to their vehicles for a full thirty days with no cost or obligation.

Mobile Trak Pro is the only Web-based multi-agency system that allows several clients to access their vehicles on a single server. The system can be configured to view their agency vehicles only or to be able to view the vehicles of all agencies. It is the perfect solution for shared services and or the centralized dispatched of numerous jurisdictions. Multiple security levels control access to view the vehicles. StarPath does not charge police departments for configuring additional agencies on the single installation, as it is a standard feature of the Mobile Trak Pro system.

Ocoee, Fla., Signs Contract for Red-Light Camera Enforcement Program - Jan 28

"If we see a decrease in violations, crashes and injuries, [Ocoee] roadways will be much safer."

The City Commission of Ocoee, Florida approved a contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to serve as the city's red-light camera traffic safety program vendor. ATS serves more than 130 communities with red-light and speed camera programs, and is the largest vendor in Florida, already serving several communities.

"Red-light cameras are an effective tool in helping local police to enforce traffic laws and improve public safety without any additional cost to taxpayers, since the program is totally funded through red-light runners," said Ocoee Police Department Lieutenant Brad Draesher. "If we see a decrease in violations, crashes and injuries similar to what American Traffic Solutions has achieved in other Florida communities, Ocoee roadways will be much safer."

Ocoee is 15-20 minutes from Orlando in western Orange County, which is one of the fastest growing counties in all of Florida. With a population of more than 30,000, Ocoee is continuing to grow and has averaged more than one new home a day for the past seven years.

"Ready to Go" Infrastructure Projects Lined Up by U.S. Conference of Mayors - Jan 19

779 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country have a total of 18,750 local infrastructure projects that are "ready to go," pending funds.

779 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country, have a total of 18,750 local infrastructure projects that are “ready to go,” pending funds.

Last week The U.S. Conference of Mayors released the fourth in its series of reports on infrastructure projects that are “ready to go” in cities across the nation -- projects that meet local infrastructure needs and contribute to local economic development goals, that can be funded quickly through existing federal channels and which could start quickly when funding is received.

The report, says the introduction, lists a total 779 cities having 18,750 such local infrastructure projects, representing an infrastructure investment of $149,758,339,126 that would be capable of producing an estimated 1,604,371 jobs in 2009 and 2010.

These are the cumulative totals of projects, required funding, and jobs to be created that have been reported in the four surveys of cities conducted by the Conference of Mayors over the past three months.

The report lists, city by city, projects that include information technology, green technology, transportation technology, etc.

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