Industry News
EDS Awarded $308 Million Florida Medicaid Contract
EDS has signed a US$308 million, 81-month contract with the state of Florida to design, develop and implement a new-generation Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). The EDS Florida interChange system will provide fiscal agent services to Florida's 65,000 Medicaid providers and 2.2 million Medicaid recipients, the fourth largest Medicaid program in the United States.
The Florida win brings to 20 the number of state Medicaid systems for which EDS serves as fiscal agent. The new system will provide Florida with greater flexibility and speed to help it implement a sweeping program of Medicaid reforms.
The agreement spans six years and nine months, including a 21-month implementation phase and a five-year operations phase.
Under the contract, EDS will implement its federally certified interChange MMIS, customizing the system to meet Florida's specific requirements. The system has served as an industry model and is in operation in five states and being implemented in six more.
The new system will offer flexible technology to support Medicaid reform and timely access to information to facilitate effective policy decisions. The system will improve access to information and services for providers and recipients by leveraging interChange's Web-based capabilities.
The EDS interchange system will streamline Medicaid claims processing for health care providers while providing the state with vital data about health care trends and the medical needs of Florida's Medicaid population.
AHCA's award of the contract to EDS was protested unsuccessfully by two competitors, who have appealed the denial in a Florida state court. That court ruled recently that the pending appeal will not block or delay EDS' performance under the contract. Until the appeal is resolved, the value of this contract will not be included in EDS' reported total contract value.
In 2005, EDS won multi-year Medicaid contracts in several states, including Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Oregon and Kentucky.
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Lockheed Martin Wins $120 Million DHS Contract
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a five-year contract estimated at $120 million to provide call center services for the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The contract is one of two awarded by USCIS to operate its National Customer Service Center, which annually serves nearly 10 million callers requesting information about immigration services and benefits. The award was made to Aspen Systems Corporation, which became part of Lockheed Martin Information Technology in January 2006.
To handle expected volumes, Lockheed Martin will staff major call centers in Albuquerque, N.M., and Indianapolis, Ind., with customer service representatives who will provide 10 hours of service daily across all U.S. time zones.
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Angola's Unitel Awards Alcatel Euro 41 Million GSM Expansion Contract
Representatives of Alcatel announced the signing of a Euro 41.5 million (US$52.8 million) GSM expansion contract with Unitel, the leading mobile operator in Angola and the sole GSM operator in the country. Following three consecutive years of close collaboration, this win strengthens Alcatel's position with Unitel and confirms Alcatel's broad strategy to target and serve the next billion voice and Internet subscribers, especially in emerging markets.
The project will enable Unitel to increase the capacity and coverage of its GSM network across the country, thus giving people in previously underserved areas access to mobile communications.
Under the expansion contract, Alcatel will deploy its field-proven Evolium multi-standard radio access solution over a large number of sites throughout Unitel's network and will implement the most advanced radio features offering enhanced services. The project should be completed by the end of 2006.
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General Dynamics to Provide Engineering Services to Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded General Dynamics Network Systems a contract to provide engineering services for the William J. Hughes Technical Center Office of Integrated Engineering Service, Atlantic City, N.J. The 2012 Engineering Support Contract has a total potential value of $43 million in labor costs if all options are exercised. General Dynamics Network Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics.
Under this seven-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, General Dynamics will provide both on-site and off-site engineering services, including daily operations management, system and network administration, software installation, web administration, configuration management and simulation support.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) is an integrated, multi-agency effort to transform the nation's air transportation system to meet the needs of the year 2025, while providing substantial near-term benefits.
General Dynamics will support the FAA's Conflict Probe Assessment Team and assist with integration into future air traffic systems, as well as support the Technology Integration Laboratory. The Conflict Probe Assessment Team is a small team of engineers, computer scientists and air traffic subject matter specialists which is responsible for performing technical analyses and building traffic scenarios. Additionally, the contract supports the alignment and cooperation of the Technical Center with the Joint Planning Development Office & Initiative Support.
Currently, General Dynamics provides engineering support to the FAA's Office of Innovations & Solutions, also located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center. This support includes systems engineering, developmental and general test support, operational testing, deployment support, air traffic management and control algorithm analysis and assessment, air traffic scenario generation, non-interference testing, laboratory management and operations, system and network administration, scenario development and communications engineering.
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Dell Lands $40 Million Products, Services Deal with Unilever
Representatives of Dell announced a four-year agreement to provide Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer products companies, with products and services worth about US$40 million.
The agreement provides for deployment and managed services for about 10,000 systems in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Deployment is under way and is expected to be completed within the next few weeks.
Dell is supplying Unilever with OptiPlex desktop and Latitude notebook computers along with deployment services to help ensure a smooth upgrade of its networked systems to predominantly industry-standard Dell hardware running Microsoft ® Windows XP software.
In addition to factory installing nearly 500 software applications for Unilever in the U.S. Canada and Puerto Rico, Dell is responsible for installation and data transfer services as well as managed services such as service desk, moves, adds, changes, desk-side support, software distribution and asset tracking.
Dell is also providing Unilever with asset recovery services to help recover outdated systems and prepare them for responsible recycling or donation.
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Rockwell Automation to Acquire European Change Management Software Company
Representatives of Rockwell Automation, Inc. announced the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire GEPA mbH, a leading European provider of change management software for industrial automation, process control and industrial information technology. The acquisition of GEPA complements the company's strategy for expanding the asset management offerings within its FactoryTalk integrated production and performance suite. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Headquartered in Landau, Germany, GEPA has been providing its VersionWorks for Automation software application to a primarily European customer base for nearly a decade. A modular change management software program, VersionWorks helps manufacturers schedule automatic program backups from controllers and other industrial devices, document change processes required for regulatory compliance, and recover data quickly and more cost-effectively following a disaster.
Rockwell Automation is a leading global provider of automation, power, control, and information solutions that help manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A., the company employs about 21,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.
FactoryTalk and Rockwell Software are trademarks of Rockwell Automation Inc.
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ExxonMobil and QuestAir Technologies Address Increased Hydrogen Needs in the Refining Industry
Representatives of ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company ("EMRE") and QuestAir Technologies Inc. announced that they have signed an agreement to jointly market a novel, large capacity hydrogen purifier as a compact solution for hydrogen recovery in the oil refining industry.
QuestAir has been working with EMRE since 2003 to develop this advanced, rapid cycle pressure swing adsorption ("RCPSA") system, marketed as the H-6200, for use in oil refineries and petrochemical plants. A prototype plant test is planned at an ExxonMobil refinery beginning the second half of 2006.
The multi-year agreement covers the marketing of the H-6200 hydrogen RCPSA to third party customers in the oil refining industry. Under the terms of the agreement, EMRE will lead the marketing effort to refinery customers. QuestAir will support EMRE's marketing efforts, and will be the contracting party responsible for manufacturing, supplying and commissioning of plants sold to refinery customers.
The commercial gain from the sale of the product will be shared between QuestAir and EMRE based on the contributions made by each party towards the research, development and commercialization of the product.
The H-6200 hydrogen purifier incorporates QuestAir's proprietary Rapid-Cycle Pressure Swing Adsorption ("RCPSA") technology, which operates at significantly higher cycle speeds than conventional PSA systems. This results in a direct reduction in the size and cost of the equipment required to purify a given volume of product gas. The H-6200 will be marketed in the oil refining industry as a compact solution for hydrogen recovery, helping refineries address the growing demand for hydrogen to process increased supplies of heavy, sour crude oil.
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Lockheed Martin Appoints Head of New Surveillance and Navigation Systems Organization
Lockheed Martin has named Richard F. Ambrose to be the lead executive of a newly formed Surveillance and Navigation Systems line of business within its Space Systems Company.
In his new role, Ambrose will serve as vice present and be responsible for the execution of essential national security programs including Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), Global Positioning System (GPS), as well as the company's pursuit of next-generation systems including GPS III, Space Radar, and Space Superiority opportunities.
Since January 2004, Ambrose has served as vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors' Tactical Systems line of business, headquartered in Eagan, Minn. He previously served in Space Systems as vice president and deputy program manager for the SBIRS program. He joined Lockheed Martin in 2000.
Ambrose earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the DeVry Institute of Technology and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Denver. He also completed the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of Business.
