IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Called the Trusted Cyber Security Purchasing Alliance, the conglomerate captures the best prices in security products and services from vendors and then provides those options to state, local, territorial and tribal governments, and related nonprofit entities.

Created by the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a nonprofit organization focused on improving online security, the goal is to combine the purchasing power of the public sector to improve the cybersecurity levels of all participants while making the procurement process easier.

Investor interest is helping to point a lot of startup energy at government. Does this mean there's a place for innovation at city hall?

When SeamlessDocs came to life in 2012, “there was no such thing as government-focused investors,” recalled CEO Jonathon Ende.

Like many states, Mississippi made its first push into e-government in the 2000-2001 time frame. The project was awarded to IBM because the state sought a fixed-price agreement to develop a payment engine. The website was deemed successful, and the Mississippi.gov portal won a Best of the Web award from e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government in its second year.

Work with the federal government requires filing paperwork with Central Contractor Registration. That's the only true requirement to work with the federal government, said George Murray, business development specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration's Philadelphia office.

The registry's website is www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx.

But registering should not be the end of company action.

Handling government IT projects has never been an easy process. And it’s hard to tell which side — the public or private sector — most loathes the process, with its red tape and high costs.

More companies than ever now offer digital services and tools designed specifically for government. Here are a few.

In the past, few software companies had the resources to sell solutions that met the unique needs of 50 states and thousands of cities and counties, all while navigating the often arcane rules of public procurement. The result was limited choices and high costs.

But thanks to a combination of venture capital, new technologies and the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley, dozens of businesses now offer digital tools and services designed explicitly for government.

In a twist, it’s not public-sector unions asking lawmakers to scuttle the deal. It’s business interests – specifically, insurance companies.

Kansas-based NIC Inc. makes its money in other states by charging businesses for information they seek from government. If it takes over Washington’s online financial transactions, the insurance industry expects to have to pay more to access motorists’ driving records.

As a captain in the Aventura, Fla., Police Department's administrative division, Capt. Tom Labombarda told Government Technology that in addition to overseeing several units -- including the communications fleet, quartermaster, records, personnel, training and special projects -- he also has the complex task of managing most purchasing conducted by the department, composed of 86 sworn police officers.

The rapid spending on local and state government E-government initiatives that plateaued this year will begin to rise again next year, according to an analysis released Tuesday by market-intelligence firm Input. By 2008, Input predicts, local and state governments will double 2004 spending levels on E-government programs to $575 million. That's still below the record $650 million spent two years ago by nonfederal government agencies on E-government.

According to Input, a Chantilly, Va.-based research firm, those 20 IT contracts carry a potential value of $250 billion. That's compared with $184.9 billion awarded in 2004. Federal agencies will use the 20 contracts for a wide range of products and services.

Federal ERP spending is expected to grow 33 percent, from $5.8 billion to $7.7 billion, by 2010, according to a report by analytics firm INPUT. According to the report, in the government sector the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the administration's Financial Management and Human Resources Management initiatives, will be the financial drivers of these investments in the ERP market, due primarily to the Management Agenda, a presidential strategy designed to improve the management of the federal government.

Under the contract, BearingPoint of McLean, Va., will build an automated, self-funded portal that will replace the state’s seven-year old system known as Comm-PASS

A report released today by the market research firm projects an annual compound growth rate of 6.9% during the next five fiscal years, from slightly more than $4 billion in fiscal 2004 to nearly $6 billion by fiscal 2009.

Spending on e-government projects reached $4.2 billion in fiscal 2004, but congressional dissatisfaction with the projects' development kept appropriations for the e-government fund to a minimum, the report stated.

Federal agencies will spend nearly $6 billion by fiscal year 2009 on E-government technology, predicts government IT market-intelligence firm Input. That's up from $4 billion in fiscal 2004, which ended Sept. 30. Much of the E-government spending will be done by the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, Input says.

But in the economic downturn, three companies have survived by renewing their focus on core businesses and by keeping their fingers on the pulse of their government buyers: NIC Inc., EzGov Inc. and SCT Corp.