You Can't Spell 'Valentine' Without 'IT'

As the country anxiously awaits the passage of an economic stimulus package, one thing is clear: the bill will include billions of dollars in contracting business, particularly for information technology (IT) companies.

For instance, the $365 billion stimulus bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee last week is loaded with IT spending.  The bill includes $9 billion to fund the expansion of broadband service and $5 billion to stimulate the development of health information technology.  The Department of Homeland Security received over $1.2 billion to upgrade border security, port inspection and aviation security technologies.  Other agencies, such as the State Department and Social Security Administration, received hundreds of millions of dollars for IT modernization.  All told, the total amount of IT spending in the bill could exceed $30 billion.

How can contractors get their hands on so much potential new business?  Well, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, contractor resources like Fedmarket.com (http://www.fedmarket.com/articles/EU_2_2_09.shtml?cid=1233618208-97166&utm_source=Vendor+List&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Generic+Product%20Ad&utm_campaign=1233618208-97166&) are willing to step in and play matchmaker.  Fedmarket.com advises IT contractors to “position yourself to win by creating a relationship with information technology end-users inside federal agencies.”  To facilitate matchups between end-users and contractors, Fedmarket.com offers (for a mere $750) its own version of the “little black book”--a list of federal IT end-users and their contact information.

-- Neil Gordon