Private aid could speed launch of federal super portal

From...

June 26, 2000
Web posted at: 4:44 p.m. EDT (2044 GMT)

by William Matthews

(IDG) -- A developer of sophisticated Internet search engines has offered to build a government-wide portal free of charge to make it easier for Internet users to find information posted online by federal agencies.

Eric Brewer, a University of California computer scientist and founder of the search engine company Inktomi Corp., will have the portal ready to run in about 90 days, the Clinton administration announced.

The portal will be called "firstgov.gov" and will replace WebGov, a portal that the General Services Administration has been developing for two years.

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Firstgov will connect to all information federal agencies have put online, said David Barram, GSA administrator. It will be able to search a half-billion documents in less than a quarter of a second and will be able to handle 100 million searches each day, he said.

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Inktomi's contribution is expected to save the government the projected $5 million to $20 million cost of developing the government portal. Brewer's work will be "a gift to the American people," said Sally Katzen, counselor to the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Brewer is a strong believer in open access to government information and wants "to give back" to the nation, Katzen said.

News of firstgov was to be announced by President Clinton June 24 in a Webcast address to the nation, the president's first Webcast, according to the White House.

In addition to firstgov, the Clinton administration announced it plans to make it possible for individuals and small businesses to apply for grants and bid for government contracts online. Grants and contracts could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The administration will also offer a $50,000 prize for the most innovative proposal that advances user-friendly electronic government. The prize will be administered by the Council for Excellence in Government and funded through corporate sponsors.

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