GSA expects to award the Alliant governmentwide acquisition contract in June and Alliant Small Business in August, Administrator Lurita Doan said. Speaking at the FOSE trade show in Washington March 22, she said GSA is aiming to award the satellite services contract SATCOM-II in August and the WITS 3 contract, for local telecommunications services to agencies in the National Capital region, in the fall, Government Executive magazine reported.

Federal spending on information technology will grow 5% annually from now until 2012, according to the market research firm Input.

Growth will be slow in 2007 and 2008 due to appropriations delays and discord between the priorities of the new Democratic-controlled Congress and the Bush Administration, but will resume to a more historical norm in 2009, Input said.

Kevin Plexico, executive vice president, said the increased need for information sharing combined with stagnated federal employment levels are significant market drivers impacting IT spending. In efforts to achieve long term efficiencies, federal agencies will focus spending on system consolidation and modernization initiatives to reduce IT infrastructure management costs and free up money for mission oriented applications.

The Senate approved $97 million in additional funding for SBA, a 21% increase over President Bush’s fiscal 2008 budget request. The amendment, added to the congressional budget resolution March 23, was sponsored by Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the Small Business Committee, and the committee’s senior Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine.

The amendment adds money for microloans, contracting assistance, small business development centers, women’s business centers, veterans outreach programs, and technical assistance programs, among others.

“Small business programs have been on a starvation diet for too many years and we’re trying to reverse that,” Kerry said.

The Senate Small Business Committee approved an overhaul of the government’s disaster loan program, which came in for heavy criticism after Hurricane Katrina. and ensure disaster victims receive timely assistance.

Among other things, the bill would allow banks to make loans directly to victims, with SBA guaranteeing 85% of the loan amount.

  The House Small Business Committee has also approved a version of the disaster loan overhaul. The bills are ready for consideration by both houses.