The General Services Administration is getting ready to release the solicitation for the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, the massive telecommunications vehicle that's part of the agency's Network Services 2020 strategy.
The 15-year, $50 billion contract will cover traditional telecom services, as well as voice-over-IP, virtual private networks and emerging communications technologies.
GSA identified a number of issues through comments on the draft RFP, including removing dial-up as a mandatory offering to be considered for the contract and allowing vendors the option to bid on VOIP or Circuit Switched Voice Services, rather than requiring them to offer both to quality.
When the RFP drops, GSA would like agencies to start developing transition plans to make the jump from the current telecoms vehicle, Networx.
The Networx vehicle was extended by three years to 2020 to ensure there is enough transition time. Even so, GSA wants agencies to get ahead on the process.
Transition plan templates are available on GSA's EIS Interact site.
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
