B2G Blog - Transportation

Deltek Pulse: April in review ? Transportation

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:35:00 -0400

The most common transportation projects during April are listed in the chart below as well as illustrated in the word cloud (according to the Deltek GovWin IQ database).

Type of Project	# of Solicitations
Road/Street	25
Traffic	21
Parking	20
Construction	19
Asphalt	16
Paving	11
Bridge	10
Airport	9
Electrical	8
Bus Technology	6

The following states had the most transportation-related solicitation releases during April:

State	# of Solicitations
New York	287
California	247
Texas	204
Maryland	66
Florida	57
Louisiana	55

Notable projects and releases

In March, the state of New York released a solicitation for fleet management consulting services, with proposals due April 13. The contract scope includes developing and implementing a comprehensive fleet management program, modernizing the management of the state's fleet, and developing any contractual documents for new systems. A solicitation for a new fleet management system is at least 8-10 months away given the consultant’s scope of work.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an intelligent management system coordinator. The state is looking to hire a consultant to provide planning and design support of information and intelligent systems for the Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC).
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT) released a request for information (RFI) to obtain information from vendors on driver's license identification card issuance and production. The solution is expected to be integrated with the WisDMV Web services, mainframe, and customer flow system (released last month), and must include the ability to utilize facial recognition software.

Notable awards

Gainesville - Alachua County Regional Airport Authority in Florida made an award to URS Corporation for its design phase services project. The final award amount is estimated to be no more than $266,308.
The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Multimodal Public Transit Automated Fare Collection Study was awarded to LTK Engineering Services for $480,007
The Washington Sound Transit Board Regional Transportation made an award to Wabtec Corporation to design, install, test, and commission a positive train control system. The contract value is not to exceed $37,471,323.

Analyst’s Take

Unlike previous months, no large project solicitations were released in April. Despite the low level of activity, vendors should be prepared for a booming next couple of months, which historically are known to have many solicitations released. Additionally, solicitations that closed earlier this year will start to be awarded in the near future, and Deltek will be closely monitoring and reporting on signed contracts.

GovWin IQ subscribers can read further about these projects in the provided links. Non-subscribers can gain access with a GovWin IQ free trial.

Federal FY 2014 IT Budget to Grow, but there?s Winners and Losers

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:30:00 -0400

Steven VanRoekel, U.S. Chief Information Officer at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a presentation yesterday outlining the Obama Administration’s FY 2014 Information Technology priorities and budget numbers. The bottom line is that they are seeking 2% growth in the overall IT budget year-over-year, but individual department budget changes vary widely, meaning that there are “winners” and “losers.”

Preceding the public release of his presentation, VanRoekel posted a series of tweets on Twitter under the theme: All you need to know about the IT budget in 10 tweets. You can find the series under #FedITx10, but here they are in the descending order in which they appeared:

10-Flat or declining. IT=$82B in the 2014 Budget 2.1% increase from FY12, flat, 0.78% CAGR since 09, negative adjusted for inflation

9-Cut & Reinvest: Now more than ever we must use IT to drive savings to fund innovations that change how govt works

8-Priorities: IT priorities in 2014Budget: Innovate. Deliver. Protect. Evidence

7-Innovate: 2014 Budget enables the Digital Gov Strategy to build a 21st century govt, increase mobile services and Open Data

6-Deliver: PortfolioStat = +$2.5B in savings through IT consolidations and upgrades (over 3yrs)

5-Protect: Over $15B of the IT 2014 Budget is going to enhance our Nation’s cybersecurity

4-Evidence: 2014 Budget NEW evidence-based innovation initiative in my office to strengthen evaluations & drive results, beyond IT

3-Innovate with Less: Since 09 we flattened IT $ while FY01-FY09 IT increased ~2x At that rate, we’d be at +$110B on IT today

2-Dogfood: For geeks (like me!) interested in an Open Data 2014 Budget, key tables in XML here:

1-Progress: 2014 Budget enables strategic IT investment for a 21st century govt, drives innovation & protects our national assets

IT Budget “Winners” and “Losers”

The budget submission information included in VanRoekel’s presentation contains some top-line budget numbers which allows for some initial analysis. The IT budget summary table in the presentation calculates the amount and percentage change for FY 2014 based on FY 2012 budgets, even though he provides FY 2013 Continuing Resolution (CR) budget estimates that are different. To provide a more detailed perspective I ran the numbers comparing the dollar and percentage change for all scenarios.

The tables below are grouped by the “Winners” and “Losers” based on the percentage change from FY 2012 to FY 2014. The third table provides a comparison between Defense and Civilian segments, along with total federal IT.

Conclusion

While we are still waiting for the release of detailed IT budget information from OMB the proposed $1.4 or $1.7 billion increase for FY 2014, depending on which baseline year you use, is sure to surprise many who watch this market. Certainly, a 2% yearly growth rate is anemic compared to the growth rates we have seen over the last decade or so. (OMB reports a 7.09% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between FY 2001 and FY 2009 and they are projecting a 0.78% CAGR between FY 2009 and FY 2014) Yet, many expected lower growth – if not an outright decline – in the federal IT budget for this coming fiscal year.

Now the budget is in the hands of Congress, which has historically appropriated more for IT than what the President requests. With fiscal priorities clashing and sequestration impacts now being felt across the market, federal IT could weather the current fiscal storm in relatively good shape.

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Originally published for Federal Industry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of the competition by discovering more about GovWin FIA. Follow me on Twitter @GovWinSlye.

Highlights of the President?s FY2014 Budget Request

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:34:00 -0400

Today President Obama delivered a $3.8 trillion spending plan to Congress which includes a $1.2 trillion request in discretionary funding levels and nearly $82 billion for information technology for FY2014. The budget focuses on jobs creation, economic growth and to strengthen the American middle class.

The budget proposal also includes $1.8 trillion in additional deficit reduction measures over 10 years to reach a total deficit reduction of $4.3 trillion. The proposed deficit actions would reduce the deficit to 2.8%of GDP by 2016.

Additionally, the budget proposes $400 billion in cuts to health programs including Medicare. Savings and cuts would come from negotiating better prescription drug prices, fighting waste and fraud, and requiring the wealthiest seniors to pay more.

The table below shows the FY2013 enacted budget levels and the proposed FY2014 levels.

Other budget highlights:

Includes $50 billion for upfront infrastructure investments to invest in repairs to highways, bridges, airports, transit systems, and to encourage innovative infrastructure projects
Invests in in education reforms and training with a commitment to early childhood education
Simplifies the tax code and raises $580 billion for deficit reduction by limiting tax benefits, but not raising tax rates
Creates new “ladders of opportunity” to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living by developing pathways to jobs and partnering with communities to rebuild after the recession
Includes $200 billion in savings from other mandatory programs, such as reductions to farm subsidies and reforms to retirement benefits
Proposes $200 billion in discretionary savings from both defense and non-defense programs
Offers $230 billion in savings from changes in the way the government calculates inflation for annual cost-of-living adjustments for benefits programs

Information Technology

The president’s budget proposes nearly $82 billion in IT funding, a 1.8% increase from the FY 2013 CR and a 2.1% increase over FY 2012 estimated level.

IT-related budget highlights:

$575 million in savings is anticipated from DoD Data Center Closures.
$324 million is being cut from the DoD’s Global Hawk UAV program.
$22 million is being cut from Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Programs at the National Science Foundation; CISE is the organization responsible for promoting R&D on big data. NSF’s budget takes big hits for its small size, which will affect grant spending on technology R&D.
$81 million is being cut from the DoD’s Precision Tracking and Space System, which is part of Ballistic Missile Defense at the Missile Defense Agency.
$38 million in savings related to the Joint Polar Satellite System is anticipated at the Department of Commerce.
$29 million in savings is anticipated from IRS Business Systems Modernization at the Treasury.

All told, the president’s budget request includes 215 cuts, consolidations, and savings proposals, which according to the administration, are projected to save more than $25 billion in FY2014. The budget proposal outlines the administration’s priorities and proposed methods for generating more revenue, cutting costs, and reducing the deficit. However, it joins competing budget plans in the House and Senate. Serious Capitol Hill budget negotiations are not likely to take place until this summer.

Surviving Sequestration: The 2nd Half of FY 2013 Could See $300 Billion in Federal Contract Dollars

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:49:00 -0400

Increasingly, we hear from companies in the federal marketplace that they struggle to plan and forecast their business prospects. There have been so many delays, false starts, and misaligned priorities that it is sometimes hard to know what opportunities are real and how to position your firm to compete. Now, the impacts of sequestration are beginning to ripple through an already skittish market, adding to the uncertainty. Yet, there are some things to consider that might indicate the contracting potential for the rest of fiscal 2013 and beyond.

Whenever things get unbearably uncertain it is important to have access to good data and information, plus a little creative thinking. It is the only way I know how to keep from making reactionary decisions and to get into proactive mode. So when it comes to thinking about the business prospects for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2013 it helps to build some historical context.

To get a sense of the historical pace and relative magnitude of federal spending for the remaining two fiscal quarters of 2013 I looked at the reported quarterly contract obligations across the federal government for the last five years. As I have noted in the past, we have seen a shift in federal spending to later and later in the fiscal year. Spending in Q1 and Q2 (in varying degrees) has shifted to Q3 and Q4. Even with some yearly fluctuation, the trend has been fairly stable. (See chart below.)

These shifts have occurred during a period where we have seen increasing use of continuing resolutions (CR), omnibus appropriations and other delays to funding federal agencies. FY 2013 is not particularly unique in this respect, so it does not seem unreasonable to conclude that the trend will hold this year as well.

Projected Spending for the Rest of FY 2013 – a Possible Scenario

Now that we have received data for the first two quarters of FY 2013 it becomes possible to perform some rough projections of what might be still on the table for Q3 and Q4. I used FY 2012 data as a basis to make these projections. For FY 2012, adding together Q1 and Q2 departmental obligations and then dividing that sum by the department’s total obligations gave me the relative percentage of total obligations that occurred in Q1 and Q2. (See the table below for the top 20 federal departments and agencies.)

Assuming that agency contracted spending in FY 2013 will be at least 90% of what it was in FY 2012 (sequestration may represent about a 7% cut, so this 10% difference seemed reasonable to me) I followed a similar approach to calculate estimates for Q1 and Q2 percentages and potential remaining obligations for the remainder of FY 2013.

For example, in the table below the Army had combined FY 2012 Q1 and Q2 obligations of $41.6 billion, which was 38% of their total FY 2012 obligations. The Army had a total of $17.8 billion in contract obligations for Q1 and Q2 of FY 2013, which represents 18% of the projected potential total FY 2013 spend, using my 90% of FY’12 assumption. Applying the percentage left over (i.e. 82%) to my total FY 2013 estimate results in a potential remaining obligation balance for Q3 and Q4 of $79.6 billion for the Army.

Granted, performing estimates at this macro level has its limitations and it requires certain broad assumptions for consistency, like a comparable year-over-year obligation rate and that, to some degree, these expenditures are for recurring needs. Some departments have a measure of cyclicality that is underrepresented in a chart covering just a few years. For example, Energy tends to run cyclically between 40% and 68% for Q1 and Q2 every other year or so like a pendulum. Further analysis into the specific contracts is needed to understand why.

Implications

Comparing the 2012 and 2013 percentages reveals that nearly all of the top 20 departments are behind in obligating funds, even with an assumed 10% reduction in spending from FY 2012. While the one-two punch of delayed budgets and sequestration might explain much of this it still remains that these agencies will need to obligate their remaining budgets by the end of the fiscal year. Even (or especially) in this uncertain budgetary environment, agencies will not likely leave money unspent. It is still a “use it or lose it” world out there. So there may likely be some significant pent-up demand that we could see play out in the remaining two quarters.

If this simple analysis holds even close to reality the potential remaining total contract obligations across all federal departments and agencies could be over $300 billion in Q3 and Q4, or 70% of total FY 2013 contract obligations. The second half of fiscal 2013 could potentially see federal contract dollars really flow.

Deltek Pulse: March in review ? Transportation

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:22:00 -0400

Trends and analysis

The most common transportation projects during March are listed in the chart below as well as illustrated in the word cloud (according to the Deltek GovWin IQ database).

Type of Project	# of Solicitations
Road/Street	55
Construction	36
Parking	27
Paving	22
Traffic	20
Airport	19
Asphalt	18
Bridge	11
Bus Technology	10
Electrical	9

The following states had the most transportation-related solicitation releases during March:

State	# of Solicitations
Texas	223
California	296
New York	173
Maryland	91
Illinois	84
Florida	72

Notable project releases

· The Illinois Regional Transportation Authority (RTA/Metra) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for fare payment system (FPS) project management and oversight consulting services. Metra is seeking a consultant to assist with a three-part project that includes an FPS, an FPS pilot project, and FPS procurement and implementation.

· The New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, released an RFP for its DMV Vision Project. The department released an RFI in 2010 and took more than two years to develop the RFP for the estimated $8.3 million project.

· The New York Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) released an RFP for a new fare collection system. The new system will update the current system from magnetic stripe technology to contactless smart cards and secure barcode media.

· The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) issued an RFP for a system-wide dynamic message sign (DMS) system. The PTC hopes to find a vendor who will coordinate with construction contractors to support the installation, integration, facilitate the testing and acceptance, and train commission staff on the completely functional DMS systems for upcoming highway projects.

· The California Department of Motor Vehicles released a request for information (RFI) for a customer flow and appointment system replacement. The state currently utilizes a Q-Matic system. The new solution will include systems requirements analysis, database design, COTS configuration, interfaces, testing, integration and installation services, as well as non-proprietary internet-protocol (IP)-based hardware to support the solution.

· The Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA) issued an RFI for a 700/800 MHz radio system for the NYC Transit Department of Buses and MTA Bus Company. The department hopes the RFI will provide information regarding the availability of radio technology and devices, and will determine if the information provided is sufficient for the NYCT to develop a design.

Notable awards

· The New York Department of Motor Vehicles made an award to Systech International, LLC for its vehicle inspection program. The contract will take effect on December 1, 2013, and last seven years.

· The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Apportioned Registration Plan Commercial-off-the-Shelf Solution for Integrated Vehicle and Driver License System Registration Business Functions project was awarded to IBM for $5,220,000.

Analyst’s Take

Similar to February, very few transit-related solicitations were canceled in March. Several large project solicitations were released – most notably New Hampshire’s VISION project. The release of the fare payment system (FPS) and consulting services project even sparked the possible release of future RFPs vendors can look forward to, including a fare payment system project (FPS) and fare payment system (FPS) pilot project. It is also interesting to note that agencies in New York and Pennsylvania are receiving funding to update their outdated transportation related systems, new fare collection system and dynamic message sign system, respectively. Vendors can look forward to other states following suit and providing opportunities to bid on high-dollar projects.

GovWin IQ subscribers can read further about these projects in the provided links. Non-subscribers can gain access with a GovWin IQ free trial.

Cyber Security & Critical Infrastructure Protection ? Themes from TTC?s Symposium

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:10:00 -0400

I had the opportunity recently to attend a two-day symposium on Cyber Security & Critical Infrastructure Protection, hosted by the Technology Training Corporation. The event brought together federal government and industry cyber security experts from the various critical infrastructure sectors, including Energy, Homeland Security, Defense, Transportation, Communications/IT, Postal, Emergency Services, and Financial Services. The recurring theme throughout the event was the ongoing vulnerability that these sectors share and what they are doing about it.

The symposium agenda included presenters from a range of governmental, quasi-governmental, non-profit, and private industry organizations with one underlying commonality – their interest in protecting critical infrastructure that is vulnerable due to the growing threat to the information technologies that have permeated this infrastructure. As has been the case with their other events that I’ve attended, the TTC team assembled a very broad array of leaders and experts across the field to provide a really comprehensive coverage of the topic. As events go, I get some of the best information in one place and at one time. Way to go, TTC!

Key Themes

As I heard from the presenters and interacted with them and other attendees, several themes and commonalities emerged. Here are just a few.

Threats – the Changing Landscape

The threat vector has dramatically changed at the same time that laws are changing that put penalties on not securing your data. More is changing in this environment than is staying the same.
Some security practitioners have dropped the word “advanced” from the description of advanced persistent threat (APT) because they observe the vast majority of attackers using common attack approaches – the “open door” rather than “breaking a window.” The disparity in security capabilities is greater than the disparity in threat.
Mobility – The number of new mobile vulnerabilities being detected is growing almost exponentially each year, making mobility the biggest growing threat vector.
Cyber arms race is unlike any other arms race in history because it is frictionless. For example, it took 3 days for Stuxnet to be reverse-engineered, reproduced, and propagated. It taught everybody how to attack a SCADA system. It has also given rise to the private cyber arms manufacturer – people who build cyber-attack capabilities and sell them on the black market.
Personnel training to avoid risky behavior is the most important element of cybersecurity. NSA statistics show that 80 percent of exploitable vulnerabilities are a result of poor cyber hygiene. The other 20% is the APT.
Social engineering is a growing threat because, among other things, it gives the attackers a deeper understanding of how users and organizations behave, respond and think.
Growing cyber threats in the aviation sector target in-flight operations, ground support operations, air traffic managements systems, etc.

Cloud Computing Security – Key Challenges

Some agencies are moving to cloud services because of financial constraints, knowing of security risks and hoping security will follow soon afterward.
Some key challenges in effectively implementing Cloud include:
- Contract structuring: How do you structure a contact offering when you don’t own the asset? How do agencies (GSA, etc.) effectively strengthen cloud acquisition policy and build in security into SLAs?
- Clearance: what types of clearance levels are needed for people around the world who are supporting agencies or have access to their data, but are not necessarily part of a secure sector? Information sharing on threats, etc. is sensitive.
- Incident response: When there is an incident, who do I call? The Cloud Service Provider (CSP) or the agency?

Information Sharing – Culture Change is Needed

Information sharing is not an ends, it’s a means to an ends. In this context, it is needed to gain an effective shared situational awareness among shared stakeholders.
One challenge to information sharing stems from a sense of human preservation. We have a culture of not sharing information, while hackers have a culture of sharing widely.
Electricity Sector Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ES-ISAC) – Allows electric providers to share information in a non-compliance framework and encourages free flow of information without fear of compliance threat hanging over you. Effective sharing requires the freedom from the threat of sharing.
Cyber Federated Model (CFM) – the warfighter has great command and control (C2) information and the CFM intends to enable C2 for cyber indicator information. For example, an infected site is sent into the CFM and within a few minutes all other sites within the CFM get the information. Some sites have automated updates and the information sharer gets to control with whom they share.
One key to effective sharing includes the ability to be able to do it securely, i.e. share with assurance. Also, data must be anonymized to be shared, especially if the data is classified, sensitive or contains private information. Sensitive but unclassified information will need cooperative agreement between government and industry to set the boundaries for what each can do with the information they receive.
Automated information sharing should focus on machine-readable threat indicators to automate data flow and get people out of loop where possible. Currently, high-priority threat-level information is XML-based, but going forward organizations will need more visual analytics.

SCADA Systems – Unanticipated Vulnerabilities

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, and other industrial control systems (ICS) were never designed for networking, but they have been extensively. So we are now building monitoring capabilities in an attempt to detect and defend against attacks on systems that were never designed to withstand such attacks.
Attacks like Stuxnet and Shamoon targeted energy sector systems and disclosed SCADA system vulnerabilities.
The patching treadmill – These control systems were never designed to be patched and/or shut down regularly. This patching can mean an entire plant must be shut down to complete the patch. This has the potential for unforeseen domino effects and implications for supply interruptions and other complexities.
Different organizations and unrelated sectors currently have different architectures and protocols for collecting and sharing threat information. What is needed is a common open-standards XML schema to communicate attacks in industrial control and other systems.

Regulation Versus Collaboration

There is not currently a consensus on how to proceed with administering cyber- and critical infrastructure protections, with significant polarization existing between competing regulatory/compliance and collaboration/incentive approaches.
Comprehensive legislation (Lieberman-Collins, and others) that failed in the Senate included new and expanded regulatory and compliant elements over the private infrastructure community.
Some industries, like nuclear energy, have very mature regulatory environments and some assert that the success in this area is an example of positive regulation that should serve as a prototype for other infrastructure industries.
Public-private partnerships are essential. The Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) and HSPD-7 were the predecessors to the latest Executive Order (EO) and Presidential Policy Directive (PPD-21).

Impact of Budget Limitations

Budget constraints multiply the challenges that disparate critical infrastructure sectors and federal agencies face as they look to secure their assets and protect their information. This is driving some federal agencies to look to shared services to establish a common security approach and leverage their collective buying power.

As for the current budget sequestration, several government representatives at the symposium noted that they had been fortunate so far, with the greatest impact being to restricted travel budgets for speaking and outreach. (They were based here in D.C.) But they could still travel to perform their site assessments as needed. We will see how ongoing budget constraints shape cyber and infrastructure protection plans going forward.

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Originally published for Federal Industry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of the competition by discovering more about GovWin FIA. Follow me on Twitter @GovWinSlye.

Latest FISMA Report Reveals Federal Cyber Challenges are Mostly Internal

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:23:00 -0400

The current season of federal budget uncertainty, exacerbated by sequestration, raises concerns of how federal departments and agencies will allocate funds to implement and improve their information security. As OMB describes in the latest Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) report to Congress, agencies continue to be the target of increased attacks. But digging a little deeper reveals that many of the challenges may stem from internal practices rather than external attacks.

The latest OMB FY 2012 FISMA report provides OMB’s FY 2012 assessment on what agencies have achieved in FISMA-related information security in the previous fiscal year. Of particular interest is the number of security incidents that are being reported to the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). (See chart below.)

From FY 2011 to FY 2012 agencies report an increase of 11%, which is more than the 5% increase they reported from 2010 to 2011 but less than the 40% reported from 2009 to 2010. Reported incidents are up 200% since FY 2008. In an earlier blog I mentioned comments by a former CIA CISO who noted that the counting method used by FISMA actually understates the threat levels, so these numbers are more like baselines than actualities.

A deeper look into the specific types of security incidents and their frequency reveals that the vast majority of these incidents fall into 5 categories:

Non Cyber – Non Cyber is used for filing all reports of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) spillages or possible mishandling of PII which involve hard copies or printed material as opposed to digital records.
Policy Violation – This subset of Improper Usage is primarily used to categorize incidents of mishandling data in storage or transit, such as digital PII records or procurement sensitive information found unsecured or PII being emailed without proper encryption.
Malicious Code – Used for all successful executions or installations of malicious software which are not immediately quarantined and cleaned by preventative measures such as anti-virus tools.
Equipment – This subset of Unauthorized Access is used for all incidents involving lost, stolen or confiscated equipment, including mobile devices, laptops, backup disks or removable media.
Suspicious Network Activity – This category is primarily utilized for incident reports and notifications created from EINSTEIN and EINSTEIN 2 data analyzed by US-CERT.

These top 5 categories account for 87% of all incidents reported by federal agencies. Factoring out the Non Cyber category, the remaining top 4 make up nearly 60% of all reported federal security incidents. (See chart below.)

Delving into the data a bit further shows where these incidents are most widely occurring among the 15 departments spending the most on their IT security, according to their FISMA submissions. (See table below.)

Implications

While a data comparison among categories and agencies has its limitations, it does lead us to ask further questions and draw some possible conclusions. The most obvious to me is noticing the clustering of incidents within categories that relate to internal behaviors.

Combining the frequency of Policy Violations, lost or stolen Equipment, and Non-Cyber (non-digital) incidents consisting of the physical spillage or mishandling of PII in paper form drives home that there appears to be much left to do in the area of cybersecurity training for IT users at these departments. If the Malicious Code category accounts for much in the way of code insertion through unsafe user practices then that incident frequency too underscores the ongoing training need. OMB notes in the report that federal agencies spent less than 1% of their IT security budgets in FY 2012 on training. In previous FISMA reports training accounted for roughly 2.5% in FY 2010 and FY 2011, but according to OMB, the DOD portion of the data for those years was incomplete so adjusting for DOD might show that 1% is consistent across all of these years.

The sheer number of departments in the top 15 above that list Policy Violations and/or Equipment incidents in their top 2 or 3 for frequency suggests that some of the greatest information security challenges facing federal agencies are internal – whether through lack of awareness or training or through outright disregard for approved security practices. In a fiscally constrained environment where return on investment for each dollar is scrutinized agencies might actually save money that they would spend on cleaning up security mistakes by users if they could more effectively prevent many of these incidents in the first place.

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Originally published for Federal Industry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of the competition by discovering more about GovWin FIA. Follow me on Twitter @GovWinSlye.

Congress Passes FY 2013 Funding ? No Shutdown, Sequestration Intact

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0400

This week the Congress passed a fiscal year (FY) 2013 funding bill that provides budgets for a handful of federal departments and continuing resolution (CR) level funding for the remaining departments and agencies through the end of fiscal 2013 on September 30. The final bill averts the potential for a government shutdown and funds key priorities while leaving intact the sequestration rules set under the Budget Control Act (BCA).

When all was said and done, the House passed a Senate amended version of the original H.R. 933 House funding bill. The House original appropriated new budgets for the Department of Defense (DoD), military construction (MilCon) and the Veterans Affairs department.

The Senate added new budgets for Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, NASA, and select other agencies. All others will be funded at FY 2012 levels. (For our take on the overall impacts of the House bill check out this recent blog and for some DoD, VA and DHS implications see this blog.)

Year-over-Year Changes

Of the handful of appropriations bills that were finally passed, Congress did make some changes to fund select departments and agencies to reflect current priorities and give some flexibility in dealing with spending caps. A summary of these appropriations are presented in the table below.

Department of Defense

Total FY 2013 discretionary spending for DoD is set at totals $604.9 billion, including $87 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations. This is roughly $30 billion less than the FY 2012 appropriations, representing a decrease of 4.5%. Other highlights and funding priorities in the bill include:

Complies with the Budget Control Act spending caps by eliminating unneeded, unrequested funding that would be provided if the CR was extended
Directs 671 cuts to unnecessary or under-performing programs and eliminates excess funding due to schedule delays, program terminations, redundancies, and budgeting errors
Rescinds nearly $4 billion in unspent prior year funds
Aligns funding to new Defense strategy to fund current needs and reprioritizes funds to address known shortfalls
Fully complies with Senate Rule XLIV for transparency and maintains earmark moratorium
Bill provides the necessary funding for training and military health care
Adds $1.5 billion to the National Guard and Reserve Equipment account
$486 million to repair aging base facilities
Adds $463 million to mitigate shortfalls in day-to-day operation costs for installations
Increases funding for nanotechnology, advanced materials, silicon carbide, and manufacturing technologies

Homeland Security

Overall FY 2013 discretionary spending for DHS is $39.6 billion, excluding $254 million for Overseas Contingency and $6.4 billion for the disaster relief cap adjustment.

Coast Guard: $10.4 billion overall, of which $9 billion is discretionary spending. The bill also provides targeted increases above the FY 2013 request to support front line personnel with resources, including $8 million for initial acquisition planning and design of a new polar icebreaker and $20 million to reverse cuts proposed in the request for critical operational assets.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA): $7.5 billion for TSA is reduced by $2.4 billion in offsetting collections and fees. The bill includes funding for investments in explosives detection systems, passenger screening technologies, and air cargo security. The bill includes several funding oversight requirements including expenditure plans for checkpoint security technology investments, explosives detection systems for checked baggage, and air cargo security. In addition, language is included requiring TSA to provide a five-year investment plan forecast for passenger screening technologies.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): $11.9 billion, which adds $79 million above the request for procurement, operations, and maintenance of critical air and marine assets used to defend our borders – including one additional multi-role enforcement aircraft, enhanced radar for unmanned aerial systems, and $28 million to increase flight hours.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): $5.7 billion for ICE, primarily supporting personnel and operations, including border patrol, special agents and immigration officials.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): $112 million in direct appropriations for USCIS and fully funds the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system.
United States Secret Service: $1.6 billion, adding $3.5 million for priority domestic and electronic crimes investigations and continues the multi-year modernization of critical White House and other Secret Service information technology and communications systems.
Science and Technology (S&T): $835 million, returning to FY 2011 levels, for R&D in biological defense, explosives defense, cyber security, first responders, border security, chemical countermeasures, and interoperability.
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO): $318 million, including $28 million for handheld portable radiation detectors and $75 million for research and development of next-generation detection technologies.
National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD): $1.4 billion, including the following:
- $232 million for a new account, the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM). Instead of realigning the US-VISIT program as proposed in the FY 2013 budget, the bill creates a new account for OBIM, the DHS lead responsible for biometric identity management services.
- $756 million for cybersecurity programs including Einstein intrusion detection and a critical cyber diagnostic strategy for the 118 federal agencies. Also included in cybersecurity funding is $16.8 million for cyber education programs.
- $260 million in infrastructure protection programs to bolster against natural and man-made disasters, including $78 million to implement the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program.
Office of Health Affairs (OHA): $132 million, including $85 million for the Bio-Watch Program and $2 million to complete demonstration projects through the Chemical Defense Program.

Veterans Affairs

The VA receives $134 billion for FY 2013, which consists of $72.9B for mandatory programs ($9.1B above FY 2012) and $60.9 B for discretionary funding ($2.5B above FY 2012.)

Homeless Veterans Programs: $5.76B for health care and support services for homeless veterans.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans: $3.28b to meet the health care needs of veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, a $510M increase over FY 2012.
Long Term Care: $7.2M for long term care for the nation’s aging veterans as well as severely wounded combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Information Technology (IT): $3.3 billion for IT projects.
- $1B for pay and associated costs
- $1.8B for operations and maintenance
- $494B for DME including $169m for the iEHR and $38.5m the development of paperless claims systems. Requires approval for iEHR spending over 25% of total allotted.

Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health: Provides $1.5b for NIH, a $71m increase including $165m for the National Children’s Study.
Food and Drug Administration: Provides $2.5b for the FDA including $50m for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act.
Child Care and Development Block Grant: Provides $2.3b for the program, which is a $50m increase for grants to states to improve working families’ access to quality, affordable child care.
HHS Lease Assistance: Provides additional funding to address imminent lease expirations and consolidations to allow HHS to save millions in annual lease costs and reduce its real property portfolio.
Head Start: Provides a $33.5m increase for the Head Start program.

Transportation

Section 1801 of the legislation increases funding for highway, highway safety, and motor carrier safety programs to make them consistent with the levels previously authorized under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act. Total funding provided by MAP-21 was $561 million in FY 2013 and $572 million in FY 2014.
Normalized MAP-21 funding potentially has an impact on initiatives related to the improvement of travel data collection and safety management. These initiatives would include active procurements for Compliance Test Procedures for Electronic Logging Devices and the Road Inventory Program, as well as task orders under contract # DTFAAC09D00081 held by SAIC for NextGen Initiatives Support Services.

Commerce

Department of Commerce will receive $7.7B in total funding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will receive $5B, including funding for satellite programs.
The Patents and Trademark Office (PTO) provides $2.88B.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) receives $809M for laboratories and research.
Bureau of the Census will receive $906M.

Justice

Department of Justice will receive $27.3B in total funding.
Grants to State and Local Law Enforcement and crime victims total $2.2B. This includes funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) improvements.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) receives$8B for salaries and expenses for national security and counterterrorism investigations, combating cyber threats.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) receives $2.36B.

Energy

Energy Department funding was reduced by a total of $44M.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy reduced by $11 M
Nuclear Energy reduced by $10M.
Science reduced by $13M.
Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy reduced by $10M to $265M.
Atomic Energy Defense Activities, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) $7.577B, an increase of $363M.
Atomic Energy Defense Activities, Defense Nuclear Proliferation receive an additional $110M.

Agriculture

USDA’s operating budget is a winner this time around as FY 2013 discretionary funding of $20.5 billion represents a 5% increase over the FY 2012 level of $19.5 billion. Funding includes:
$24 million for USDA Departmental Administration to provide for necessary expenses for management support services and general administration. These support services include enterprise IT services provided by the National IT Center (NITC) and investments in enterprise IT modernization called for by the USDA’s Optimized Computing Environment (OCE) initiative.
$44 million for the Office of the Chief Information Officer and $6 million for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
$89 million for the Office of Inspector General that the legislation states may be used for contracting.
$811 thousand for the Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and calls out that funding shall be directed to the Public Health Data Communication Infrastructure System (PHDCIS) until expended. This potentially affects the following vendors and contracts: General Dynamics, # AG3A94D090194 & Dell, # AG3A94D090137.
$75 million for the Risk Management Agency (RMA), including funding that may be used for the Common Information Management System (CIMS). This affects the IT Support Services contract, # GST0011AJ0019, held by SAIC.

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration receives $17.5B in total funding.
Space Launch System receives $2.1 B including funding for ground operations and construction and related test facilities.
Funding for the International Space Station (ISS) includes $515M for commercial crew transportation to the ISS and $2.9B for operations and research.
NASA Science includes $630M for Space Technology to support human and robotic missions.

Education

Safe Schools and Citizenship: Allows funds available under the Department of Education Safe Schools and Citizenship account to be used to assist educational institutions impacted by school violence.

Interior

Bureau of Land Management $951M for Management of Lands and Resources, $0 for construction.
US Fish and Wildlife Service, $1.2B for Resources Management

Labor

Job Corps Program: Provides an additional $30m for the program.
Unemployment Insurance: Decreases funding for grants to state agencies that administer federal and state unemployment insurance (UI) by $60m.

Fellow GovWin Federal Industry Analysis (FIA) analysts Kyra Fussell, Angela Petty, and Alex Rossino contributed to this entry.

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Originally published for Federal Industry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of the competition by discovering more about GovWin FIA. Follow on twitter @GovWinFIA.

Deltek pulse: Transportation February review

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:16:00 -0400

Trends and analysis

The most common transportation projects during February are listed in the chart below as well as illustrated in the word cloud.

Type of Project	# of Solicitations
Road/Street	58
Construction	27
Paving	27
Bridge	21
Airport	19
Parking	17
Traffic	15
Asphalt	14
Bus Technology	10
Electrical	4

The following states had the most transportation-related solicitation releases during February:

State	# of Solicitations
Texas	206
California	176
Maryland	76
Illinois	65
Georgia	56
Florida	52

Notable project releases

· The Washington Department of Transportation released an RFI to upgrade its land mobile radio (LMR) system to a P25 standards-based statewide system. The current system is at its end of life and no longer meets the department’s expanding needs for seamless statewide voice operation, interoperability (both internally and externally) and frequency utilization.

· The North Texas Tollway Authority released an RFI for a simulcast two-way radio system. The NTAA currently uses a conventional two-way UHF radio system configured to simulcast.

Notable cancellations

· The Colorado Automobile Prevention Authority (CAPTA) decided not to pursue the build out of a database system for collection of automated license plate data mentioned in an RFI released in November 2011.

· The state of California canceled two large projects: the California vehicle inspections system and the state’s IT modernization project. A state representative did not provide additional details why the vehicle inspections system project was canceled. The $208 million IT modernization project was in progress for seven years to replace legacy hardware systems for the DMV. The state decided to cancel its contract with Electronic Data Systems, owned by HP, and the California Technology Agency and DMV will reevaluate how to proceed.

Notable awards

· The Colorado Department of Revenue awarded its driver and vehicle service systems environmental scan project to MTG Management Consultants, LLC. The contract is valued at $64,975. The state plans to release a follow-up RFP to replace its current driver and vehicle service systems, including the Colorado State Titling and Registration System (CSTARS).

Analyst’s Take

While only a few transit-related solicitations were released in February, project cancellations decreased compared to January. Several RFIs and large projects remain on hold or under review, including New Hampshire’s VISION project, which is slated to be released sometime in the near future. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s registered traveler program as well as the Ohio Department of Transportation’s transportation information system database RFI remain under review until the respective departments decide how to proceed. While these projects don’t have a definite timeline, vendors can look forward to future solicitation releases and opportunities to bid.

GovWin IQ subscribers can read further about these projects in the provided links. Non-subscribers can gain access with a GovWin IQ free trial.

Deltek pulse: Transportation review, January 2013

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:27:00 -0400

The most common transportation technologies procured in January are listed in the chart below as well as illustrated in the word cloud.

Technology	Number of Solicitations
Road/Street	58
Construction	26
Traffic	22
Bus Technology	19
Bridge	17
Asphalt	15
Paving	13
Electrical	10
Parking	10
Airport	9

The following states had the greatest number of transportation-related solicitations released during January.

Texas – 198
California – 182
New York – 77
Maryland – 54
Illinois – 49
Florida – 46

Notable projects

The city of Manchester, N.H., released a solicitation late December for a fleet management system. The city expects the contractor to provide the planning, configuration (including providing and/or recommending necessary as well as optional hardware and/or software), data conversion, initialization, testing, documentation and training necessary to install the system and move it into fully operational status. Proposals are due February 13.
The state of New Mexico released a solicitation to replace its current driver and vehicle system and launch a new motor vehicle division driver and vehicle system reengineering project. Proposals are due February 28.

Notable cancellations

A representative at the New York City Transit Authority (MTA) stated that no one has been tasked with creating a solicitation for planning, designing and implementing next generation networks since an RFI was released in 2010. The MTA also confirmed that it is no longer working on the ticket issuing machines for onboard sales project due to a shift in priorities.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) decided to cancel its video distribution system project due to lack of funds.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) canceled its off-site license printer system and lab information management system due to budget restraints and a change in project direction.

Notable awards

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) awarded a $76 million contract to Deloitte Consulting, LLC on December 6, 2012, for a new automated license and registration system (ALARS).
The South Carolina Department of Transportation awarded Iteric, Inc. for its 511 traveler information system project on December 10, 2012, for $2.5 million.
The state of Louisiana’s credential issuance solution project was awarded to Morpho Trust USA on September 28, 2012. The contract is based upon the following prices: $1.95 per credential; $.15 per renewal invitation mailed; $.049 per card for laser perforation; $.24 per card for ultra violet ghost and text; $14,500 per system for additional capture hardware, software, installation and training; $2,600 per system for additional capture hardware and software maintenance, and $975 per camera for the 10 optional shadow reduction systems.

Analyst’s Take

Deltek will begin tracking trends within the transportation market, focusing on states that release the most solicitations and common themes among them. Since it is the beginning of the year, the focus of this blog is to report on trends regarding solicitation releases and cancellations. As the year continues, more valuable data will be available to report month-to-month trends within the industry.

During January, despite a few notable transportation-related solicitations released and several large projects awarded, the biggest trend was the unusually high number of project cancellations. Several agencies blamed a lack in funding, while others noted priority shifts. Hopefully this is one-month trend for 2013, and more solicitations are in the works.

GovWin IQ subscribers can read further about these projects in the provided links. Non-subscribers can gain access with a GovWin IQ free trial.

Massachusetts? Automated License and Registration System (ALARS)

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:24:00 -0400

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently made an award to Deloitte Consulting LLC for its automated license and registration system (ALARS) project. The contract will run for 63 months, and is valued at $76 million.

The project was initially thought to be a multi-phase project, split into the following:

· Phase I - Update agency strategic plan

· Phase IIA - Develop detailed business plan for ALARS modernization

· Phase IIB - Develop detailed technical requirements for ALARS modernization

· Phase III - Build application and technical infrastructure to support the plan

· Phase IV - Implement solution

Phase I is already complete, and phase IIA was awarded to CGI in 2005. During phase IIA, CGI analyzed and documented the state of the business and determined the future of the system. A solicitation was released in 2011 for phase IIB, and the most recent award is related to that phase. Massachusetts decided not to release separate solicitations for phases III and IV, but rather roll them into phase IIB.

ALARS was implemented in Massachusetts in 1985, and has processed six million transactions daily and collected $1 billion in revenue annually. While the system provided breakthrough concepts, including an integrated license and registration system, the system is antiquated and needs an upgrade.

Massachusetts is following in the footsteps of other states updating their outdated systems from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. In 2010, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) made an award to Accenture for its CSI systems redesign project. The Citizen Services System (CSS) was developed in the 1980s, and its purpose was to transform outdated systems into one modernized system.

Wisconsin’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently redesigned its registration and titling system, which hadn’t been updated since the 1970s. The current contract is set to expire in 2015, but a new solicitation is expected to be released to rebid the contract.

More recently, Pennsylvania is looking to update its outdated integrated vehicle and driver’s license system (IVDLS). The state is expected to make an award soon for a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution for the apportioned registration business function of the IVDLS. Depending on the award, the state may release additional solicitations for other components of the IVDLS.

Analyst’s Take

Only 13 states have met the legal requirements necessary for a REAL ID program. Many states oppose the program and are still not compliant; they fear high costs and the possible creation of a national database. Due to the cost burden, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded more than $200 million in grants since 2008 regarding the programs. If the agency continues to award grant money, there may be an increase in states looking to improve their systems.

Lastly, historically, contracts related to these systems result in long durations (5+ years) and million-dollar contracts. Prospective vendors will benefit from financial stability winning these contracts because of the total awarded amount as well as services and fees associated with implementing the system.

San Francisco?s light-rail expansion

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:02:00 -0400

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) released a solicitation for phase two of its Third Street Light Rail Transit (LRT) project. The purpose of this phase of the project, also known as the Central Subway Project, is to create a 1.7 mile extension from the current connection to the Embarcadero Line at Fourth and King Streets, to continue along and then under Fourth Street to Market Street, and then north under Stockton Street into Chinatown. The first phase of the project constructed a 5.1 mile light rail along the populated 3rd Street corridor. The third phase of the project will involve an extension from Chinatown to North Beach. Phase 2 and phase 3 cannot be built at the same time.

This portion of the project is estimated to cost between $720 million and $750 million, and last about 57 months. About $648 million was invested in the first phase, and the city has budgeted $1.6 billion for the second. Most of the funding ($942.2 million) will be provided by the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program. Federal, state, and local sources will fund the rest of it.

The contractor will excavate, construct, finish, and furnish three underground stops: Chinatown, Union Square/Market Street, Yerba Buena/Moscone, and a surface level station at 4th & Brannon. Construction will also include surface tracks on the street level and trackbed, tracks, switches, and train control systems within the Central Subway tunnel.

In addition, the contractor will also be responsible for the following construction aspects:

Traffic controls and protection of properties adjacent to construction, including shoring and protective grouting
Utilities serving the trackways and stations, including electricity, gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications
Installing all mechanical, HVAC, fire, safety, traction power, communications, and lighting systems in the tunnels and stations

The contractor will also work with Thales Transport and Security, Inc. regarding final design and installation, as well as assist SFMTA with system certification and approvals with the system.

Analyst’s Take

The T-THIRD Metro line connects all of the Third Street neighborhoods to the full San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) Metro system. This phase of the project is very large and estimated to take more than four years to fully complete. The expansion will provide a pollution-free way to commute, reduce traffic congestion, and will improve transit options for residents in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the country. SFMTA was originally going to release separate solicitations for construction of each of the four stations. The agency ended up canceling those solicitations and released a new solicitation to encompass the entire expansion project. This may provide the opportunity for potential contractors to team with a prime vendor, or may even open up opportunities for subcontracting.

While work for the third phase cannot begin until the second is complete, it is anticipated that another solicitation will be released in the future. Since it also involves an extension of the line, the requirements will probably be similar to phase two.

Kansas City?s Streetcar Transit Program

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:35:00 -0400

The city of Kansas City, Missouri, in conjunction with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), is looking to implement a streetcar transit system. Kansas City’s public transportation system is currently limited to taxicabs and bus service, including Metro Area Express (MAX), Metro, and MetroFlex buses. In 2008, voters defeated a proposal to fund a light rail line. MAX provides bus rapid transit services for quicker and easier commutes with a flat rate. This bus service is newer and operates on existing streets, and gets to use dedicated lanes during rush hour. MAX also has the ability to prolong green lights at intersections to stay on schedule. The Metro bus service provides traditional bus service throughout the city. MetroFlex is a flexible, on-demand bus service that operates similar to a taxicab.

The proposed streetcar system would be located on Main Street in downtown Kansas City, on a two-mile-long stretch (four track miles round trip). The stops would be located every two blocks at even-numbered streets, and is planned to be similar to the existing MAX bus stops. The streetcar travel time is estimated to be 13 minutes one way, and 26 minutes round trip.

The project has received a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) from the Federal Transportation Agency, meaning the project will have no significant impacts on the quality of the environment. On December 12, 2012, residents voted to approve financing the project. Funding will be provided by sales and property taxes, as well as funds from federal Surface Transportation and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality programs. The city has estimated a budget of $98.5 million.

A solicitation has already been released, seeking professional services for the final design of the project. The city is looking for a team knowledgeable in the following disciplines:

· Rail Transit Design

· Roadway and Intersection Design

· Traffic Engineering

· Roadway Lighting

· Subsurface Utility Design (wet and dry)

· Corrosion Engineering

· Electrical Engineering

· Geotechnical Engineering

· Structural Engineering

· Surveying

· Architectural Design

· Community Relations

The team will also be required to represent the city at various public forums throughout the project. The city hopes to select a consultant team in the first quarter of 2013.

An overall project schedule documenting estimated milestone dates was recently released. A construction manager/general contractor, vehicle, and operator procurement is estimated to be released in January 2013. Construction is estimated to begin in January 2013 and be completed in January 2015. Testing and start up is to begin late 2014 into 2015. Special track work is to begin in 2013 and end in 2015. Once the streetcar final design portion of the project is completed, the city hopes to release solicitations for construction and other systems, including passenger information and security surveillance at a later date. The city is hoping to have the streetcar system running by 2015.

Analyst’s Take

The city’s current transportation system will greatly improve once the streetcar system is incorporated into the existing roadway network, allowing for easier and faster transit access between major activity centers in the downtown area. Existing bus and MAX service would run in tandem with the streetcar service, which will offer patrons another option to get to and from their destinations in a quick manner. This is a historic move for the city, and now that the project has been approved, new solicitations for various components of the project should be released in the near future.

New Hampshire?s VISION project

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:13:00 -0400

The Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program is part of the larger intelligent transportation systems (ITS) architecture. It is a nationwide program managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). While the overall program is managed by the FMCSA, each state may have different names for their programs.

CVISN improves safety, security, and efficiency by sharing information and data across a network. Many states have implemented a CVISN architecture to improve transportation systems. During the 2012 fiscal year, FMCSA awarded CVISN grants to 22 states, totaling more than $15 million. The purpose of the grants is to advance the technological capability and promote intelligent transportation system initiatives.

Since releasing a request for information more than two years ago, the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been developing an RFP for its Vehicle Information System In an On-line Network (VISION) project. The department hopes to release the final solicitation in the coming months. The project was listed as $8.3 million in the state’s FY 2011 governor’s recommended budget.

The goal of the VISION project is to replace 10 legacy subsystems. These subsystems are not included in Municipal Agent Automation Project (MAAP):

• Violations
• Network
• Accident
• Dealer
• Driver license
• Inspection station
• General administration
• Financial
• Inventory
• IRP

The state hopes to release RFPs for the legacy systems as well, which includes the permits and licensing ID system (PLID) and online registration renewal system (ORRS). The VISION project is similar to the nationwide CVISN project, but encompasses more because it involves a re-architecture of current systems.

Several other states are also in the planning stages of improving their current networks, including North Carolina. The state released an RFP in August 2012 for a mainframe replacement planning project. This is the first step in defining a roadmap for future implementation to replace the state titling and registration system (STARS) and the state automated driver license system (SADLS). The state hopes to release an RFP for the systems’ replacement once planning is complete.

Analyst’s Take

New Hampshire’s current information system has its roots in the 1980s, and hasn’t been updated since 2005. The new architecture will provide the state with advanced technologies and will drastically improve its transportation network. New Hampshire hopes to update its legacy systems as well, but the status of those projects will be contingent on the amount of available funding.

Social media shows strong growth in state and local contracting

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:12:00 -0400

Click on the image above for a full-sized version.

State and local governments are using social media solutions for IT in virtually every area of government, according to a new report from Deltek.

The new report, Social Media in State & Local Government, a New Paradigm for Engagement and Innovation 2012, also suggests state and local governments will likely need help from contractors to do more, particularly in a handful of functions.

Analyzing opportunities from 2008 through 2012, Deltek shows particularly heavy social media use in higher education, general government, economic development, transportation, social services, and health care. Comparing state and local government solicitations from the third quarters of 2009 through the third quarter of 2012, Deltek analysts found strong growth and projected increased government solicitations through 2013.

For example:

· In Health Care IT, government is looking to use social media to connect customers with service providers, and get feedback that will help improve customer service.

· In Emergency Communications, governments are starting to integrate both third party platforms and their own emergency and disaster response software into systems that allow multi-directional emergency communication, including crowdsourcing disaster data. First responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy benefited from these systems in some areas.

· In Educational Technology, schools are using social media to encourage engagement and manage class content. Higher education is building social media into student information systems, driving content and information among all members of the university communities.

· Agency Human Resources professionals are turning increasingly to social media for both hiring and internal employee communications.

· Transportation IT systems are using mobile applications to help citizens navigate public transit more easily.

Agencies have even turned toward social media for internal processes, managing service tickets for IT needs and facilities repairs, taking advantage of the anytime/anywhere collaboration of social media to streamline the work environment.

Governments are looking for help with using tried and true social media solutions, third party platforms, and integrating social media into their websites.

They are also looking to pay developers for purpose-built mobile apps with social media components that help government directly engage with citizens, deliver services, and gather data wherever citizens use government services, through their smart mobile devices.

In the short term, there will be opportunities to integrate social media into existing government enterprise applications. In particular, these will include health care IT, emergency communications, customer relations management educational technology, GIS/location-based, human resources, student information systems, and transportation IT.

In the long run, companies that can integrate mobile technologies into every IT solution will win contracts over those who can't.

Terms like "smart cities" and "smart government" win headlines for government officials – and sometimes win elections. Actually developing them, however will fall to industry. Companies that can deliver mobile apps that deliver improved services to citizens and gather data from them, and assist government in analyzing the big data that results from smart government efforts, will find a growing market in state and local government for years to come

This article was originally published on AOL Government.

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