Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.
The General Services Administration on Aug. 1 awarded a maximum 15-year, $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract to 10 telecommunications companies.
The awardees include AT&T, BT Federal, Qwest Government Services (doing business as Centurylink QGS), Core Technologies, Granite Telecommunications, Harris Corporation, Level 3 Communications, Manhattan Telecommunications, MicroTech, and Verizon.
According to the award synopsis posted on FedBizOpps.gov, the contract is “designed to provide continuity for the Networx and the Regional Local Telecommunications Services contracts as they expire and to meet the demand for new and emerging services.”
The contractors will provide voice, video, and data transport, hosting, and cloud services, as well as call centers, associated labor services, cable and wiring, and network and security equipment.
“Federal agencies need to be able to transform their communications and networking technologies from those that serve their needs today to those that will carry them into the future,” said Mike Maiorana, senior vice president of public sector markets at Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “EIS is a strong first step in that direction. This is a good day for government agencies. As an approved EIS contract provider, Verizon will be able to leverage our global enterprise and government experience to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions. Additionally, as a leading provider on Networx and WITS3 today, we have intimate understanding of agency solution requirements and their diverse missions, and are able to deliver programs tailored to meet their evolving needs.”
Erich Sanchack, CenturyLink senior vice president and general manager of Federal solutions, said, “GSA’s selection of CenturyLink as an EIS provider confirms that we offer Federal agencies good value and the right mix of secure cloud, cybersecurity, IT and network solutions. CenturyLink looks forward to continuing to help agencies with their digital transformation as they modernize their IT infrastructure via EIS.”
The notice was originally posted in October 2015, and GSA indicated that they were close to announcing the contract winner in mid-July of this year. Bill Zielinski, assistant commissioner for category management at GSA, said that this contract would help agencies modernize their legacy IT systems.
Agencies will be able to begin using the contract in FY 2017.
