HOMELAND SECURITY

23 Jan 08. Boeing Co. paid Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates $120,000 in the second half of 2007 to lobby the federal government, according to a disclosure form. The firm lobbied for implementation of a multibillion high-tech fence along the Arizona-Mexico border, according to the form posted online Friday by the Senate’s public records office. Boeing is the lead contractor on the construction of a 28-mile virtual fence that was to be operational by June 2007, but had been delayed. The project calls for 1,800 towers along the Mexican and Canadian borders to help the U.S. Border Patrol stop people from entering the country illegally. Beside Congress, the firm lobbied the Homeland Security Department, which awarded the contract. Chicago-based Boeing also paid the firm $120,000 in the first six months of 2007 to lobby on the same issue.

24 Jan 08. Two prominent companies have pulled out of the procurement process for the controversial multibillion pound identity card programme amid growing concerns that the government is planning to delay the roll-out of the project.
The Financial Times has learnt that the IT services company Accenture and the defence company BAE Systems have decided not to pursue contracts linked to the biometric identity card system, with IT experts warning that some suppliers are growing increasingly frustrated with the government’s indecision. The Home Office said last night that the move by the two companies was the result of a “competitive dialogue process” with potential suppliers ahead of the announcement of a short-list of companies who later this spring will be invited to tender for contracts. (Source: FT.com)

22 Jan 08. The San Francisco Emergency Communications Department recently turned to RGB Spectrum technology partner Snader & Associates to create a state-of-the-art Strategy Room – a first of its kind for the city – in which chiefs of staff can meet and coordinate relief activities during a disaster. Funded by the Homeland Security Act, the project was ‘soup to nuts’ with Snader attending all design and preconstruction meetings with the end users, City architects and contractors to ensure the team fully understood system needs and to enable the design and integration of all necessary technology and features.