GSA Office of Citizen Services Awards Content Management Contract to Vignette for Key Component of Shared Technology Services

GSA #10006

April 24, 2003
Contact: Eleni Martin (202) 501-1231
eleni.martin@gsa.gov

Washington, DC - The GSA Office of Citizens Service recently awarded a contract to the Vignette Corporation of Reston, Virginia for content management software that will increase the functionality of FirstGov.gov thereby providing Americans with better access to information and services offered by federal, state and local governments.

FirstGov.gov is the front door to government for citizens, businesses, other governments and the media seeking information and services from government. The content management software purchased from the Vignette Corporation will, in the words of GSA Associate Administrator M. J. Jameson, "Make FirstGov a better product for our citizens and all those who want to find a better way to interact with their government. What Vignette offered was a perfect fit for what we want to accomplish, which is to make government more accessible and more cost effective."

The increased functionality of FirstGov will also be available to other government agencies that want to use the content management system offered by GSA. This fulfills the mandate of the Bush administration to agencies and departments to share technologies when the opportunities present themselves in order to save taxpayer dollars while also improving the way information is disseminated from government to citizen.

The Vignette software will allow FirstGov to offer more information faster. Other agencies and departments that share in the Vignette solution will also be able to make their Web sites current, with more consistent, accurate, timely and detailed information. As a result, these improved Web sites will be more useful and the citizen will benefit.

Currently more than 500 federal agencies take advantage of shared technology services such as FirstGov.gov search engine and web hosting in addition to application server and portal technologies.

The contract award is for $525,000 for the software license, professional services and maintenance for one year. The software license is a perpetual license. There are four (4) one-year options for the software professional services and maintenance.

Federal agencies interested in learning more can contact the Office of Citizen Services Shared Technology Services program at OCSC.SharedTechnology@gsa.gov or by phone at 202-219-1230.

The Office of Citizen Services and Communications (OCSC) is the nation's front door to information and services American citizens require from their government. The office provides citizens with access to information in a variety of ways--the web, e-mail, telephone, fax, or print. FirstGov.gov is the official Web portal to the U.S. government. Citizens can also get their questions about government answered by calling 1-800-FED-INFO. OCSC also leads USA Services, an E-Government initiative that seeks to make the Government more citizen-centric.