Economic Stimulus Learning Center

Department of State

Federal Government funds

Congress allocated significant funding, amounting to $290 million, to the State Department for information technology security and upgrades to support the agency’s mission-critical operations. Of that total, up to $38 million could be used by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to coordinate its IT operations with State, its parent agency, to increase efficiencies and eliminate redundancies.

The money is also intended to support the creation of a joint location between the two agencies for their backup information management facilities.

The State Department plans to spend all of its recovery money through a competitive bidding process. The department has seven contracts it is offering bidders, all of which have some technology components, with several having major IT aspects.

In the cyber security contract, the State Department is seeking to deploy state-of-the-art computer security systems and will purchase new laboratory tools and electrical systems to strengthen and modernize the secure inspection processes that safeguard computer equipment from hackers, terrorists, inside/outside physical hardware attacks and spies.

Under another contract, the State Department is planning to build an enterprise data center in the Western United States and to consolidate all domestic servers into four enterprise data centers. The program will provide a redundant data center infrastructure that will substantially reduce the department’s risk and provide for future IT growth.

In a third contract, the State Department plans to:

  • Replace antiquated telephone systems and computers essential for classified and unclassified processing, both domestically and at 285 overseas embassies and consulates
  • Provide technological improvements to the Department of State's Mobile Computing platform
  • Increase the number of employees that have mobile access
  • Ensure continuity of operations for such services as processing passport and visa applications

For more information on the State Department’s technology contracting plans, please click here.

Under USAID’s technology priorities, the agency determined that its stimulus funding should be dedicated to the Global Acquisition and Assistance System (GLAAS) project, a new enterprise business system that will, for the first time, give USAID the ability to process more than $11.5 billion in contract and grant transactions worldwide.

Under the GLAAS plan, USAID hopes to expand its e-Government initiatives and modernize its business operations. When completed, 5,000 USAID workers in Washington will have an automated tool to manage its acquisition and assistance projects throughout the world. The full range of activities will span those typical for an IT development and deployment project of this size and complexity.

For more information on the USAID technology contract offerings, click here.