HP, Lockheed To Jointly Pursue Government IT DealsHP, Lockheed To Jointly Pursue Government IT Deals

Hewlett-Packard and Lockheed Martin Corp. are teaming up offer a range of IT services to the government, defense, and security markets.

Under the plan, revealed Wednesday, HP and Lockheed Martin will pursue contracts in enterprise logistics, defense systems integration, and intelligence gathering for the United States and foreign governments.

The aerospace company was looking for an IT partner to complement its experience in the defense contracting business. In particular, the company was interested in the work HP is pursuing around the application of radio-frequency identification technology to secure supply chains. "It's something we may want to apply internally as well as take to our customers," says Art Johnson, senior VP for corporate development at Lockheed Martin. The agreement, which has no set time frame, doesn't prevent Lockheed Martin from working with other IT vendors on individual projects.

The timing of the deal is auspicious, coming on the heels of President Bush's re-election. "The homeland security market should remain hot as a result," Meta Group analyst Stan Lepeak says. HP should benefit from the deal as it gives it a partner with a strong footprint in the government and security markets, helping the company compete on a more-even footing with specialist firms such as Anteon Corp. and Computer Sciences Corp., Lepeak says.

The alliance builds on previous work the two companies have jointly undertaken, including the design and implementation of the FBI's Automated Fingerprint Identification System and the Department of Defense's Civilian Personnel Data System.