Representatives of ACS, a provider of business process and information technology outsourcing solutions, announced the company has been notified by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of their intent to award a contract, valued at $171 million over five years, to replace and operate the North Carolina Medicaid Management Information System (NCMMIS).

The overall goal of the new NCMMIS is to continue to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, which will improve beneficiary and population outcomes. ACS brings to the North Carolina Medicaid Program the best track record in the industry, having developed the first MMIS more than 30 years ago and having successfully implemented more new MMIS systems than any other contractor.

ACS was one of three companies who submitted proposals to DHHS for management of the NCMMIS, offering a full spectrum of systems and complementary services through an integrated solution without relying upon expensive subcontractor arrangements. The focus of the ACS solution is replacing the existing 27-year old MMIS with a more efficient system that incorporates re-engineered processes.

The new NCMMIS will continue to process the 90 million annual claims for the Medicaid and mental health programs, and will also process claims for the public health and Division of Facility Services programs. ACS was the first fiscal agent vendor to embrace a multi-payer model for healthcare program administration and brings to North Carolina both the systems and staff expertise to support the State's multi-payer program model.

ACS currently operates a North Carolina-based call center in Henderson, Vance County, and projects expanding services provided through the existing call center as well as opening a new office in Raleigh to support the MMIS contract.

Raytheon Company has received a $82.4 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command for continued production of the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile.

The contract calls for production of 443 tactical and training missiles as well as support and test equipment.

AIM-9X is a joint U.S. Navy and Air Force program. It is the newest member of the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missile family in use by more than 40 nations. AIM-9X capabilities include high off-boresight acquisition and launch in high clutter and infrared counter-measure environments, and extreme agility for "first shot, first kill" dogfight dominance. The AIM-9X program successfully completed Operational Evaluation in August 2003, which included 22 guided launches, hours of captive flight evaluation and extensive reliability and maintainability testing.

The majority of the contract work will be performed at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz., and will be completed by April 2006.

Raytheon Company has been awarded a $64.8 million contract by the Jordan armed forces to upgrade their M60A3 main battle tanks with Raytheon's Integrated Fire Control System (IFCS).

Raytheon will manufacture and test 82 IFCS upgrade kits in Indianapolis and will provide technical assistance to Jordan armed forces personnel during the installation in Jordan. Spares and depot-maintenance equipment to establish a limited depot-support capability in Jordan will also be provided under this contract.

Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC) has been working with Jordan's King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) for the past three years on its Phoenix Level 1 IFCS upgrade and Level 2 lethality upgrade efforts for the M60 main battle tank, a program designed to incrementally increase the M60's operational capability. Through that effort, one battalion has been fitted with this upgrade capability and deployed and is in-service with the Jordan armed forces; a second battalion is currently being outfitted with the upgrade. More than 2,000 rounds have already been successfully fired using the Phoenix Level 1 upgraded tanks.

The IFCS modernization resolves the logistics problems and increased obsolescence issues the M60 main battle tank's existing fire-control system experiences. The pre-upgrade sight system technology also limits the accuracy and the mobility of the tank. The IFCS upgrade provides the M60 with a true shoot-on-the-move capability, a significant improvement in performance.

KADDB is the Jordanian governmental research, design and development facility created to provide one-stop solutions for the supply of defense and commercial products and equipment optimized for the requirements of the Middle East.

Representatives of Axtive Corporation announced the promotion of G.C. "Scooter" Beachum III to president and chief operating officer (COO). Beachum, who joined Axtive in January 2001 as Vice President and General Manager, was appointed Executive Vice President in June 2003. Graham C. Beachum II will remain Axtive's chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

Beachum assumes the role of president and COO with over 13 years of experience in the high tech industry. Prior to joining Axtive, Mr. Beachum founded "StreetSmart," a technology product and pricing report that provided competitive intelligence to Dell Computer Corporation, IBM Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation and other personal computer companies. In 1993, he sold his first entrepreneurial venture and shortly thereafter founded Axtive Software Corporation, with the development of "ART," an embedded customer relationship solution that captured customer registration data and initiated ongoing licensing, marketing and service relationships. The "ART" product line was followed by "e.Monogram," an E-business personalization application suite for business-to-business enterprises. After supporting customer organizations such as IBM and Lotus Development, Axtive Software Corporation's technology and development operations were acquired by Remedy Corporation in 2000.

Beachum earned a BBA in Marketing and MIS from the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business and an MBA from the McLaren Business School at the University of San Francisco. Mr. Beachum is also an active member of numerous community organizations, including Triple Threat Cowboy, Kappa Sigma Fraternity Mentor Program and The SMU Mustang Club.

Representatives of Allegiance Telecom, Inc. announced that XO Communications, Inc. has entered into an operating agreement that will allow XO to operate the Allegiance assets it is acquiring under a previously announced purchase agreement, subject to Allegiance's consent and in accordance with applicable law, regulations, and tariffs. The operating agreement is in place until the final closing of the purchase agreement, expected by the end of June, 2004.

On February 13, 2004, XO Communications was selected as the winning bidder for Allegiance Telecom, which had filed for financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on May 14, 2003. The bankruptcy filings were made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York, case number 03-13057(RDD). Under the terms of the purchase agreement, XO agreed to purchase, for approximately $311 million in cash and approximately 45.38 million shares of XO common stock, substantially all of the assets of Allegiance Telecom and its subsidiaries except for Allegiance's customer premises equipment sales and maintenance business operated under the name of Shared Technologies, its dedicated dial up access services business operated under an agreement with Level 3 Communications, its shared hosting business and certain other Allegiance assets and operations.

On March 18, 2004, Allegiance filed its restructuring plan with the Bankruptcy Court and a hearing on the plan has been set for April 16, 2004.

Representatives of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) announced the launch of BlueLinks, a state-of-the art Web-based solution developed by EDS, a leader in healthcare information technology solutions, that allows BCBSMA business customers to manage and update their BCBSMA health insurance over the Internet in real-time -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The BlueLinks application provides BCBSMA customers, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, with more options to manage their healthcare accounts in a secure, user-friendly Internet-based environment. This tool allows BCBSMA accounts to maintain business in an automated, integrated fashion. Accounts can manage their plans, enroll new participants, and inquire on and update employee eligibility, all in real-time.

EDS is a leading healthcare IT services provider, ranked No. 2 in worldwide healthcare revenues by Healthcare Informatics, with more than 40 years of dedication to the healthcare industry. EDS employs more than 6,000 healthcare professionals and more than 400 clinicians that focus on the challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare industry. EDS provides a broad range of IT outsourcing, consulting, critical technology, and business process services to Payer, Provider, Government Health, and Life Sciences organizations around the world.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts was founded 66 years ago by a group of community-minded business leaders. Headquartered in Boston, BCBSMA provides coverage to 2.5 million members. Consistently recognized for standards of service that are among the highest in the nation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the choice for health care consumers seeking reliable and high quality health care coverage. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.