How Much Do IBM and Dell Get In Federal Contracts? Let's Take A Look...
Put together by OMB Watch, Fedspending.org's database provides a searchable way to cull through hundreds of billions of dollars worth of federal contracts to see who is getting what. For taxpayers, this is a unique bit of transparency.
For companies, including high tech's big shots, this is the opening of the kimono: A detailed look into just how much business they do each year with the U.S. government.
According to the database for fiscal year 2005:
IBM did $943,896,510 worth of business with Uncle Sam, including $276,748,609 in contracts where there was an open competition but only one bid;
Dell did $898,650,122 worth of business with the federal government, including $405,900,511 in contracts where there was "full and open competition but only one bid;"
Hewlett-Packard did $369,836,819 worth of government contracts, including $132,263,969 in contracts where HP was the only bidder in an open process.
The database also lists GTSI, the government reseller and integrator, as having received $575,297,037 worth of government business in fiscal 2005. The U.S. government did $223,027,773 in transactions with CDW's government unit.
The database even lets you drill down and see some details of each, individual contract on a contract-by-contract basis. For example, the U.S. Defense Department paid Apple $34,947 in one deal for "photographic equipment."
All data for each company is according to federalspending.org's database, which relies on government records. But OBM Watch provides this disclaimer:
"Instapundit" Glenn Reynolds writes:
"Bit by bit, this stuff is becoming more accessible. Will that make a difference?
"It will, if people want it to make a difference.
"And they should."
Well, if you do business with the U.S. government, and you want to know where you can outflank your competition, it could make a difference, too. Although that might not be what OMB Watch had in mind when it created it.