Feds’ move to e-forms delayed by third protest

The government’s plan to standardize and manage electronic forms governmentwide has been put on hold — again. The General Services Administration awarded an e-forms contract in January for a third time, with the latest round going to Formatta. However, the original contractor and another losing bidder protested the decision to the Government Accountability Office.

Intercon Associates, the incumbent vendor, said GSA erred in its evaluation of bids. Cerenade joined the company in the protest.

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GSA forecasts modest increase in sales amid soul-searching

The General Services Administration forecasts a modest improvement in its financial picture in fiscal 2007, citing a small increase in multiple-award schedule contract sales so far this year. But GSA officials who addressed a group of industry and government officials earlier this month said the agency must fix its customer care problems before it sees dramatic improvements in the financial bottom line.

“We have been studying our bellybutton,” said Paul McDermott, assistant regional administrator of GSA’s National Capital Region.

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Outsourcing: Is it the next big thing or not?

Some analysts forecast an increasing outflow of federal information technology work to private contractors, while others foresee agencies bucking the outsourcing trend because of dissatisfaction with the results. The future of federal outsourcing is unclear, but agencies have begun systematically assessing their employees’ IT skills as they wrestle with the outsourcing question.

In a new outsourcing study, the market research firm Input forecasts a steady flow of federal IT work going to private contractors. Its analysts predict that the annual value of the federal outsourcing market will grow to nearly $18 billion within five years.

Federal employee unions and some market analysts, however, say Input’s forecast is off the mark and inconsistent with earlier outsourcing studies.

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