National Archives to work on universal electronic records system

Information Outlook, Oct, 2004

Lockheed Martin and Harris Corp. have been awarded contracts to develop a technological solution for preserving National Archives electronic information.

The contracts are valued at $20.1 million. At the end of a one-year design competition, the National Archives will select one the contractors to build the Electronic Records Archives, a system that will capture electronic information, regardless of its format, save it permanently, and make it accessible on whatever hardware or software is currently in use.

Over the life of the contract, it is potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars with countless positive implications for individuals, private businesses, and government organizations alike.

Awarding the contracts follows five years of research by the National Archives into the possibilities, approaches and requirements for the design and implementation of the archives of the future. The Archives evaluated each of the offers it received as to how well the company understood both the mission and the particular challenges in the area of electronic records.

Lockheed Martin is headquartered in Bethesda, MD. The corporation employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

Harris Corp. is an international communications equipment company that provides product, system, and service solutions for commercial and government customers. The company serves markets for microwave, broadcast, secure tactical radio, and government communications systems. Harris has more than 10,000 employees, including 5,000 engineers and scientists, and is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin announced the awards. The resulting system, he said, "will make electronic information available virtually anytime, anywhere. We are not just talking about the information contained in Government records. We will start with government records, but there is no end to where [it] can take us." The companies were asked:

* To describe a solution in terms of an overall architecture which addresses all of the National Archives requirements, and a design that shows the architecture can be implemented, and can evolve over time.

* To demonstrate that they have the technical know-how to build the system and the management capability to do it on time, according to specifications and within budget;

* To show how they would help the Archives achieve its performance objectives

The Lockheed Martin, Trans-portation and Security Solutions Division, firm-fixed price contract is valued at $9.5 million. The Harris Corp., Government Communications Systems Division, firm-fixed price contract value is worth $10.6 million.

In developing the project, the Archives is responding to what it calls "the challenge posed by the diversity, complexity, and volume of electronic records being created today--and the rapidly changing nature of the systems that are used to create them."

The electronic records archives will be a comprehensive, systematic, and dynamic means for preserving virtually any kind of electronic record, free from dependence on any specific hardware or software. When operational, the new system is expected to make it easy for the public and government officials to find records they want, and easy for the National Archives to deliver the records in formats people need.