Less than a year ago the community held its collective breath to see what would happen to government systems when 2000 dawned. When nothing in particular did occur, federal information technology and program managers and their industry partners spent only a moment basking in satisfaction. Then they plunged headlong into a new set of challenges. We gather tonight in the midst of those challenges, which in many ways are tougher than the year 2000 conversion. The issuesincluding security, establishing effective online government, and hiring and keeping the required talenthave no endpoint, no specific time when one can collect a trophy and rest. But we also have new tools to deal with the challenges. For example, who could have predicted a year ago the growth of online reverse auctions, purchases of services via the GSA Multiple Awards Schedule or tangible progress in deployment of public-key infrastructure? Or, for that matter, the frank willingness to pay hiring and retention bonuses to federal workers? At one time, the advent of a new administration would have caused doubt about the future of major IT programs. Today, both political parties have openly acknowledged the need for online government and the investments to carry it out. Tonight we celebrate the government-industry partnership that is also required to effect progress, and we honor agencies and people with a record of excellence in IT. GCNs Executive Awards go to David Borland, vice director for Information Systems C4 at the Army; James J. Jasinski, program manager of the FBIs Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System; and Renato A. DiPentima, president of SRA Government Sector, SRA International Inc. We also take pride in inducting into the GCN Hall of Fame Alvin M. Pesachowitz, formerly chief information officer of the Office of Environmental Information at the Environmental Protection Agency and now director, Information Technology Consulting, Grant Thornton L.L.P.; and John A. Koskinen, formerly chairman of the Presidents Council on Year 2000 Conversion and now deputy mayor and city administrator for the District of Columbia. A final note: GCNs parent recently renamed itself Post Newsweek Tech Media Group. The new name signifies our renewed commitment to deliver the most relevant and timely information products to our government and industry readers and customers, whether in print, in person or online. Keep your eye on us. Scott Lewis | | Thomas R. Temin | Publisher | | Editorial Director |
Government Information Technology Agency Awards The Government Computer News Agency Awards are conferred on federal organizations with a record of excellence in the application of information technology to improve service delivery. Selections are based on group and unit performance rather than on the accomplishments of single individuals. Award Winners Financial Resources Desktop (FreD) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Treasury Department Acceptor: William T. Earle, Chief Financial Officer The creation and deployment of the FreD system marks a major change in the way ATF conducts business. ATF is headquartered in Washington but also has divisions in 23 cities, each with between 100 and 200 people. Until implementation of FreD, ATFs financial and purchasing processes were handled by three systems. They worked well in a mainframe environment, but the bureau was moving its systems to an n-tier client-server, open architecture. The implementation of FreD required a reinvention of ATFs financial business processes, supported by a frame relay wide area network that took nine months to install. Approximately 4,000 PCs with dial-up connectivity were then rolled out in a 100-day period. Security encryption is WAN-based. The FreD system is a decentralized approach. It gives field offices greater flexibility in funds control and more ubiquitous access to ATFs corporate financial information. Web-based introductory course to STIP Defense Technical Information Center Defense Department Acceptor: Kurt N. Molholm, Administrator An online, unclassified course gives students a multimedia-intensive overview of DODs Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) and is among the first such courses to incorporate streaming videos, simulations and animation. The course objective is to develop awareness of where to find DODs scientific and technical information, and the regulations governing their use. The course was designed to keep the interactive features of more traditional classroom training while eliminating travel time and expense. Rich audio and video in the STIP course enhances learning. Students encounter 12 embedded videos; audio is offered as a choice in each of the seven course modules. The traditional three-day classroom course could accommodate 140 students. The online course is training DOD personnel at more than 400 percent the previous rate. Project Firebird Drug Enforcement Administration Acceptor: Dennis McCrary, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Information Systems Project Firebird is a decision support application that provides DEA employees worldwide with a standard suite of office automation tools. Firebird gives users access to specific mainframe applications, such as case management, via the DEA intranet. Under Project Firebird, the DEA has outsourced the management of systems at several locations. The agency also has sought to re-engineer several systems management processes to make use of best practices and ease-of-use features. DEA gathered information, developed data metrics, calculated efficiencies and studied what return it can expect on its investment in Project Firebird The annual savings reaped by the program are projected to be $6.6 million. Web-Based Error Correction Process Envirofacts Warehouse Environmental Protection Agency Acceptor: Pat Garvey, Special Assistant, Collection Service Division This Web-based application is a tool for Internet users to notify EPA of errors in data the agency has on regulated facilities. EPAs Envirofacts Warehouse stores data on more than 750,000 regulated facilities. The warehouse has information from national databases on chemical discharges, toxic releases, permit status, compliance information, Superfund site cleanups, drinking water violations and many more categories. The application allows the agency to receive notifications over the Web, track them to ensure accountability and inform the notifier when resolution has been achieved. The app can also flag incorrect records in the data warehouse so the information can be corrected in the systems that report to EPA, often those of state environmental departments. NEXRAD Hotline Commerce, Defense and Transportation Acceptor: Bobby Harp, NEXRAD Hotline Electronics Specialist, Department of Defense The Next Generation Radar hotline was established to provide fast, comprehensive technical help to thousands of field personnel in the departments of Commerce, Defense and Transportation who operate and maintain the NEXRAD systems worldwide. The systems are a complex mix of radar, computers, workstations and communications equipment utilizing more than a million lines of code to identify weather hazards. The hotline team has helped field sites restore or optimize operations quickly in order to issue severe weather warnings. More than 5,000 workers at 304 field sites around the world depend on the hotline to provide timely, effective assistance in order to accomplish their missions. Natural Resource Information System (NRIS) Forest Service Agriculture Department Acceptor: Chris Risbrudt, Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination In 1997 the Forest Service initiated development of a system for managing data about the natural resources on 192 million acres of public lands. The data includes information about soil, water, vegetation, air, wildlife and habitats, climate, and geology of national forests. NRIS replaces more than 100 nonstandard data storage and processing applications scattered throughout the agency. It provides a data warehouse managers can use to collect, manage, and interpret resource information. The Forest Service projects that implementation of the system will reap savings of more than $500 million over 10 years. Electronic Trial Card System Navy Acceptor: Scott Monroe, Lead Yard Production Manager Before the Navy accepts a new ship, the vessel must pass a series of rigorous inspections known as builder trials. As ships are built, inspectors examine hull, mechanical, electrical and combat systems. The inspection process, in which spiral notebooks were used to record about 3,000 discrepancies per ship, was plagued with problems. To replace this cumbersome system, the Navy instituted an automated data-collection system that would standardize the process. This required the ability to collect data remotely and to connect to a central database. Using handheld devices, inspectors can record data in hard-to-reach places and avoid errors of transferring handwritten data to the centrally managed database. Use of the devices also has decreased the inspection process from several days to a few hours. Anti-Money Laundering Compliance System Postal Service Acceptor: Robert J. Pedersen, Assistant Treasurer One of the principal instruments used by criminals to launder money is a USPS money order. They are easy to buy because a money order of less than $3,000 does not require personal identification. But when postal managers saw an increase in the volume of purchases of $2,900 money orders, they sought a way to verify and combat this suspected means of laundeing money. The matter was quite a challenge, since the Postal Service issues a million money orders a day from 39,000 post offices. While postal employees still are required to fill out paper forms on money orders of $3,000 or more or any financial transaction they consider suspicious, the information is now stored on the database USPS developed to keep track of such movements. The system can follow a money order from point of sale to cashing and helps investigators track down suspicious transactions without having to wade through a mountain of paper forms. The database also helps monitor the compliance of postal workers and managers with financial reporting laws. Data Warehouse Veterans Benefits Administration Department of Veterans Affairs Acceptor: Nora E. Egan, Deputy Undersecretary for Management Reacting to 1999 reports by the VAs Inspector General about VBAs inability to deliver benefits in a timely, accurate manner, the administration created a data warehouse in the newly formed Data Management Office. The warehouse has dramatically improved the delivery of vital business information to VBA business analysts, managers and executives. Previously unavailable reports and analyses have been automated and made readily available to end users. Information that once took days or weeks to gather can now be obtained almost instantaneously. Analysis can now measure performance in ways that were previously impossible. They can track successes and potential areas of improvement more easily, while identifying special circumstances leading to anomalies in service delivery. Montgomery GI Bill System Veterans Benefits Administration Department of Veterans Affairs Acceptor: Nora E. Egan, Deputy Undersecretary for Management When Chapter 1606 of the Montgomery GI Bill was enacted in 1985 to deliver $100 million in benefits to 70,000 Reserve and National Guard personnel, VBAs Education Service put into place a rudimentary mainframe-based payment system designed to last two years. Plans were to replace it with a more sophisticated accounting and benefit system, but 13 years later this had not happened, and the legacy system was falling apart. In 1998, Congress authorized an 18-month modernization project for the failing system. The Education Service consulted with end users to determine what capabilities the new system should include and installed the mainframe application in February 2000. The system helps to instantly compute benefit payments and works with an imaging system to reduce paperwork and mistakes. The Education Service has greater control of the systems checks and balances and is able to keep track of each recipient and each payment. Executive Award for Excellence In Information Resources Management 2000 Government Executive of the Year, Defense In recognition of his leadership strengthening information technology. David Borland Vice director for Information Systems C4 Army Mr. Borland has been the vice director of DISC4 since 1994 and was appointed deputy chief information officer for the Army in 1996. Among his recent accomplishments are spearheading the opening of DODs Biometrics Center and increasing security of the Armys computer networks in part by obtaining increased funding for the Network Security Improvement Program. He is chairman of the Pentagons Operational Requirements and Performance Board, and he jump-started the Armys Enterprise Software Initiative. Mr. Borland oversaw implementation of the Armys Computer Base Training initiative. And he has provided expert direction and oversight to the establishment of a new project management office supporting the Armys worldwide public-key infrastructure and smart-card implementations. Before becoming vice director, Mr. Borland gained extensive experience in information systems technology and procurement, holding several contracting management posts from 1976 through 1984. He served as deputy director of the Information Systems Selection and Acquisition Agency from 1984 to 1989, where he was oversaw all Army information acquisition programs. Mr. Borland served in the Air Force from 1966 to 1970. He received a bachelors degree in business administration from Central Missouri State University. He also holds a masters degree in finance from George Washington University. 2000 Government Executive of the Year, civilian In recognition of his leadership in strengthening information technology. James J. Jasinski Program manager, FBIs Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System Mr. Jasinski has been an FBI special agent for 21 years. Most recently, he has been the program manager for IAFIS, a $640 million project and the largest information technology program ever undertaken by the agency. He has also been the FBIs chief contracting officer, a bureau litigation attorney and a field investigative officer. Before joining the FBI, he was an attorney in private practice. IAFIS is a marriage of telecommunications and computer applications designed to deliver accurate, fast and complete fingerprint identifications. IAFIS went live in July 1999 and has proven to be a powerful tool for civil law enforcement throughout the United States. When a suspect is charged with a crime and his or her fingerprint images are transmitted electronically to the FBI, IAFIS within two hours provides a positive identification and complete criminal history if that person has previously been arrested. IAFIS also returns positive identifications within 24 hours on fingerprints submitted electronically for background checks. More than half of all fingerprints submitted to the FBI for searching against the Criminal Master File are these so-called civil prints. In total, IAFIS contains fingerprint images and criminal histories of approximately 38 million people. It was designed to process 62,500 search requests each day, but its actual performance has far surpassed that goal. Mr. Jasinski is a native of Buffalo, N.Y. He received his bachelors degree in philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He earned a law degree from the Albany Law School in 1975 and was admitted to the New York State Bar that year. Mr. Jasinski is married to the former Donna Heard. They have lived in the Washington area since 1982 and have two daughters. The Government Computer News Information Resources Management Hall of Fame Inductees to the GCN Information Resources Management Hall of Fame are drawn from the ranks of executives who have made substantial and long-term contributions to the federal government in the application of information technology for management improvement. Alvin M. Pesachowitz Mr. Pesachowitz recently joined Grant Thorntons Global Government Group as director of Information Technology Consulting. Before this he was the chief information officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he also held numerous management posts after joining the agency within a year of its founding. He successfully led the year 2000 conversion initiative, managed the agencys 70 million-hits-per-month Web site, and developed and managed EPAs environmental data warehouse. Before his promotion to CIO, his management roles included budget director, comptroller, and deputy assistant administrator for administration and resources management, where he was responsible not only for information management but also personnel, grants, contracts and facilities support services. Throughout his 32-year government career, Mr. Pesachowitz received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to improving government operations. In 1987, he was selected for the Senior Executive Service. In 1991 and again in 1998, he won the Presidents Meritorious Service Award. He also received a Presidential Letter in honor of his receiving the Government Chief Information Officers of the Year Award in 1997. As director of Information Technology Consulting at Grant Thornton, he is responsible for building the firms IT consulting practice for the Global Government Group in specialties such as strategic planning, program management, data warehousing, business case development and activity based costing. Mr. Pesachowitz graduated from Rutgers State University with a bachelors degree in chemical engineering and a bachelors degree in liberal arts. He earned a masters degree in administration from George Washington University. John A. Koskinen Mr. Koskinen served as assistant to the president and chairman of the Presidents Council on Year 2000 Conversion from February 1998 to March 2000. He was responsible for overseeing the federal governments efforts to ensure that its critical information technology systems operated smoothly through the year 2000 and coordinating federal relationships with state, local and tribal governments, the private sector and foreign institutions as they dealt with the same challenges. Mr. Koskinen served as deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget from 1994 to 1997, where he was responsible for oversight of federal regulations, information and procurement policies, and financial management practices. He currently serves as deputy mayor and city administrator for the District of Columbia, concentrating on the Districts public schools. Before returning to public service, Mr. Koskinen was president of Palmieri Co., which restructured large, troubled operating companies. During Mr. Koskinens 21 years with Palmieri Co., he helped reorganize Penn Central Transportation Co.; Levitt and Sons Inc.; and Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co., the largest failed life insurance company in U.S. history. Earlier in his professional career, he served as law clerk to David L. Bazelon, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. He also worked as an attorney with the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles and was special assistant to the deputy executive director of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Mr. Koskinen represented Mayor John Lindsay of New York City in Washington and served for four years as administrative assistant to Sen. Abraham A. Ribicoff of Connecticut. Mr. Koskinen was born in Cleveland on June 30, 1939; attended high school in Ashland, Ky.; and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors degree from Duke University in 1961, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He received a law degree with cum laude honors from Yale Law School in 1964 and did postgraduate work in international law at Cambridge University in England in 1964-65. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Duke University for three years during his 12 years as trustee. Mr. Koskinen and his wife, the former Patricia Salz, have two adult children, Cheryl and Jeffrey, and live in Washington. Executive Award for Excellence In Information Resources Management 2000 Industry Executive of the Year For his contributions to cost-effective information technology solutions for the federal government. Renato A. DiPentima President, SRA Government Sector, SRA International Inc. DiPentima oversees government businesses, contracts and programs at SRA International Inc., an information company providing systems and services to industry and government. The government sector, the largest component of SRA, employs some 1,500 people and generates more than $260 million in revenues annually. Before joining SRA in July 1995, he was the Social Security Administrations deputy commissioner and CIO, and was responsible for managing all of SSAs information processing and data and voice communication systems. DiPentima was chairman of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Improvement Team as part of the Presidents National Performance Review initiatives. Recommendations of this task force were reflected in three landmark laws SIZE="3" face="Times New Roman">two overhauling federal acquisition and the Information Technology Management Reform Act. DiPentima chaired the Industry Advisory Councils CIO Task Force, providing recommendations to the federal CIO Council. He is a member of the Federal Council for Excellence in Government and National Academy of Social Insurance. He sits on several corporate advisory boards, as well as the International Advisory Board of Loyola College of Baltimore, and is a director on the Board of Work Recovery Inc. He was chairman of the Advisory Committee on Data Processing of the International Social Security Association and vice chairman of the Permanent Committee on Administrative Management, Organization and Methods. DiPentima holds a bachelors degree from New York University, a masters from George Washington University and a doctorate from the University of Maryland. Industry Information Technology Awards SIZE="2"> Top Federal Government Contractors
Government Computer News recognizes the following contractors for outstanding leadership and performance in providing information technology products and services to the federal government. face="Times New Roman">ACS Government Solutions | face="Times New Roman">Litton PRC Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Andersen Consulting | face="Times New Roman">Lockheed Martin | face="Times New Roman">Anteon Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Logicon, a Northrop Grumman company | face="Times New Roman">AT&T Government Markets | face="Times New Roman">McBride and Associates Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Avaya Communication | face="Times New Roman">WorldCom Inc. | face="Times New Roman">BoozAllen & Hamilton | face="Times New Roman">Micron Government Computer Systems | face="Times New Roman">CACI International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">OAO Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Compaq Computer Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Oracle Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Computer Sciences Corp. - Federal Sector | face="Times New Roman">Raytheon Co. | face="Times New Roman">Dell Computer Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Science Applications International Corp. | face="Times New Roman">DynCorp | face="Times New Roman">Signal Corp. | face="Times New Roman">EDS Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Sprint Government Systems Divisions | face="Times New Roman">Federal Data Corp. | face="Times New Roman">SRA International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">General Dynamics | face="Times New Roman">TRW Inc. - Systems and Information Technology Group | face="Times New Roman">Government Technology Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Unisys Federal Systems | face="Times New Roman">Hewlett-Packard Co. | face="Times New Roman">Verizon Federal | face="Times New Roman">IBM U.S. Federal Government | face="Times New Roman">Wang Government Services | face="Times New Roman">Intellsys Technology Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Worldwide Technology Inc. |
Top Systems Developers
Government Computer News recognizes the following companies for outstanding leadership and performance in assisting federal government agencies in information systems development. face="Times New Roman">Booz Allen & Hamilton | face="Times New Roman">Logicon, a Northrop Grumman company | face="Times New Roman">Compaq Computer Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Raytheon Co. | face="Times New Roman">Computer Sciences Corp. - Federal Sector | face="Times New Roman">Science Applications International Corp. | face="Times New Roman">EDS Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Signal Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Federal Data Corp. | face="Times New Roman">SRA International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">KPMG Consulting | face="Times New Roman">TRW Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Litton PRC Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Unisys Federal Systems | face="Times New Roman">Lockheed Martin | |
Top Minority-Owned Firms
Government Computer News recognizes the following minority-owned firms for their outstanding leadership and performance under the Small Business Administration 8(a) program. face="Times New Roman">Columbia Services Group Inc. | face="Times New Roman">New Technology Management | face="Times New Roman">Computer & Hi-Tech Management | face="Times New Roman">RS Information Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">FC Business Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">STG Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Force 3 Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Systems Engineering & Security | face="Times New Roman">Global Management Systems | face="Times New Roman">Systems Integration Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Information Systems Support | face="Times New Roman">Universal Systems & Technology Inc. | face="Times New Roman">ITS Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Worldwide Technology Inc. | face="Times New Roman">NCI Information Systems Inc. | |
Top Woman-Owned Firms
Government Computer News recognizes the following woman-owned firms for their outstanding leadership and performance under the SBA 8(a) program. face="Times New Roman">Advanced Management Technology | face="Times New Roman">McBride and Associates Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Alta Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Modern Technology Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">InfoPro Inc. | face="Times New Roman">SCI Consulting Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">ITS Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Sytel Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Management Technology Inc. | face="Times New Roman">The Presidio Corp. |
Top Fast-Growth Firms
Government Computer News recognizes the following firms for their rapid and sustained growth in providing technology capabilities to the federal government. face="Times New Roman">A B Technologies Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Research Planning Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Systems Integration Inc. | face="Times New Roman">RiteNet Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Darlington Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Sentel Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Fig Leaf Software | face="Times New Roman">Smart Technology Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Jatom Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Tamsco Inc. |
Top GSA Schedule 70 Contractors
Government Computer News recognizes the following suppliers under the combined GSA Schedule 70. face="Times New Roman">ACS Government Solutions Group Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Gateway Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Advanced Technology Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Government Micro Resources Inc. | face="Times New Roman">American Management Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Government Technology Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Andersen Consulting | face="Times New Roman">GRC International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Anteon Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Hewlett-Packard Co. | face="Times New Roman">ASAP Software Express Inc. | face="Times New Roman">IBM U.S. Federal Government | face="Times New Roman">Avaya Communication | face="Times New Roman">Intellisys Technology Corp. | face="Times New Roman">BoozAllen & Hamilton | face="Times New Roman">Litton PRC Inc. | face="Times New Roman">BTG Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Lockheed Martin Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">CACI International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Logicon, a Northrop Grumman company | face="Times New Roman">Compaq Computer Corp. | face="Times New Roman">McBride and Associates Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Computer Associates International Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Micron Government Computer Systems | face="Times New Roman">Computer Sciences Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Oracle Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Datatrac Information Services | face="Times New Roman">PeopleSoft Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Dell Computer Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Science Applications International Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Dynamics Research Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Universal Systems Inc. | face="Times New Roman">EDS Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Wang Government Services Inc. | face="Times New Roman">Federal Data Corp. | face="Times New Roman">Worldwide Technology Inc. |
Note: Selection of the industry award winners was based on the dollar volume of direct sales of information technology products and services to the federal government for fiscal 1999. Source data for these selections came from Eagle Eye Publishers, a research firm specializing in federal government contract actions. GCN Award Recipients Government Executives of the Year |