WASHINGTON — The federal government, which has turned over significant military functions to private contractors in recent years, has hired a computer firm to manage information about all government contracts with private companies -- including billions of dollars in military contracts.
The General Services Administration, which maintains government databases on federal contracts, will turn over control of all contractor data to a Virginia-based company today. The agency says the new arrangement will provide information about contracts to Congress, the news media and the public more efficiently, cheaply and accurately.
Some members of Congress and independent experts have criticized the change, saying it could increase costs and eliminate direct public access to information about billions of dollars in federal contracts. They say putting government data in the hands of a for-profit company will make the federal contracting process less transparent.
Calling the new arrangement "ominous," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told a Senate hearing last month that the move raised "all kinds of issues about whether we can get the information freely."
Aron Pilhofer, database editor at the Center for Public Integrity, a watchdog group, said the change essentially "commoditizes" public records by turning them into commercial products.
The General Services Administration database is a valuable source for journalists, watchdog groups and academics who track government spending on private contracts. It is also used by companies to keep up with competitors, and by members of Congress and government agencies to monitor federal spending.
The database -- the Federal Procurement Data System -- has become especially significant during the war in Iraq, as critics have raised questions about lucrative contracts awarded to military contractors. Halliburton Co., in particular, has come under scrutiny for no-bid, multi-billion-dollar Pentagon contracts.
David A. Drabkin, the federal agency's deputy chief acquisition officer, said the new system would replace an antiquated one from the 1980s that was criticized for long delays and data errors. He said the agency would still own and control all data, but would improve access to it through a sophisticated computer system run by Global Computer Enterprises of Reston, Va.
Drabkin said Global would not be permitted to resell the data without the agency's approval.
