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Global Computer Enterprises Announces Launch of FFATA Information Center to Bring Transparency to Government Spending

Posted on: Monday, 17 September 2007, 15:00 CDT

New http://www.ffata.org/ Site Offers Google(TM)-Like Search For Contracts and Grants

RESTON, Va., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ Global Computer Enterprises, Inc. (GCE) furthered its commitment to bringing transparency to government spending with the launch of the FFATA Information Center located at http://www.ffata.org/. The portal offers free, instant access to contracts and grants awarded across the federal government via a user-friendly free text search and dynamic reporting tool. The public is invited to the FFATA Information Center Open House on September 24, 2007 in downtown Washington at 575 7th Street NW from 10am - noon. Come learn more about how to use this powerful search tool to get answers on federal spending. To reserve a spot, simply send an email to FFATAComments@gce2000.com with your contact information.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030501/DCTH050LOGO ) Learn how your tax dollars are working

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 intended to empower every American with the ability to hold the government accountable for each spending decision. The end result is to reduce wasteful spending in the government. GCE's FFATA Information Center delivers free, easy access to federal spending information as required by FFATA, including:

-- Ability to conduct free-text searches of government spending in contracts and grants -- Relevant links to government spending and regulations -- News and press releases related to government spending Taking the mystery out of government spending

Transparency requires quick answers to spending questions for the general public that do not have expertise in contracting and grants language. The powerful search tool at the site uses a powerful Google(TM)-like search capability that provides free text-based searches with no restrictions or drop-down menus -- the type of search that users expect in any on-line search experience. In addition to the free text search, the search tool allows users to further refine their search with:

-- Drill-down within search results -- Display of top 10 lists (e.g., departments, agency and vendor name) -- Range-based searches (amounts and dates)

Additionally, GCE has expanded the search capability beyond the handful of data elements required by FFATA. The FFATA Information Center search includes all 65 data elements related to contract spending collected by the Federal Procurement Data Systems-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) from 1979 through today and 33 data elements related to grants from the Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS).

Furthering the intent of the legislation

To ensure the highest levels of transparency into spending data, the FFATA Information Center at http://www.ffata.org/ uses the authoritative sources of federal spending data: FPDS-NG for contracting data and FAADS for grants data. The federal procurement data is available the next working day after the contracting agency submits the data. The grants data is refreshed quarterly as the government posts updated files. As other types of federal spending data become available, such as loan and subcontracting data, the FFATA Information Center search will make it available to the public. "The FFATA Information Center reflects GCE's commitment and contribution to bringing transparency to government spending," noted Ray Muslimani, President and CEO of GCE. "This new site ensures that the public has easy access to this critical information."

Come learn more about this powerful tool

The public is invited to the FFATA Information Center Open House on September 24, 2007 in downtown Washington at 575 7th Street NW from 10am - noon. Come learn more about how to use this powerful search tool to get answers on federal spending. See live demonstrations of answers to common questions and learn how to quickly run an advanced search. Ask the experts your questions in person. To reserve a spot simply send an email to FFATAComments@gce2000.com with your name and phone number.

About GCE, Inc.

Founded in 1998 as a full-service government IT provider, GCE is a small business offering a wide-range of IT services. For more than six years, GCE has dedicated itself to quality service and client satisfaction, becoming a leading provider of large system integration, custom software development, production operations control and support, and management, organizational, and business improvement services to the federal government. GCE's clients include federal agencies such as United States Coast Guard, General Services Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Commerce.

For more information, contact: David Lucas Global Computer Enterprises, Inc. 703-485-5533 dlucas@gce2000.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030501/DCTH050LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com/

Global Computer Enterprises, Inc.

CONTACT: David Lucas ofGlobal Computer Enterprises, Inc.,+1-703-485-5533, dlucas@gce2000.com

Web Site: http://www.ffata.org/http://www.gce2000.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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