The State Department has awarded Verizon a $1.6 billion contract to modernize communications infrastructure and provide IT services for the agency’s nearly 260 embassies, consulates, and other facilities across the globe.
The task order – awarded through the General Services Administration’s (GSA) $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract – includes implementation and management of network solutions for the department’s non-domestic footprint, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
The contract includes a proven management approach using experienced Verizon Public Sector teams, processes, and technology-enabled tools to deliver all services on time and according to service performance standards, Verizon said.
“We are uniquely qualified to provide the Department of State with powerful solutions to their global network consolidation and management needs,” Maggie Hallbach, Senior Vice President for Public Sector at Verizon, said in a statement. “We have supported the Department of Defense and other national security and civilian customers with global critical infrastructure and communications for more than three decades.”
Most recently, Verizon has won EIS contracts with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The EIS contract is a governmentwide vehicle meant to help agencies jumpstart the modernization of their aging IT and network infrastructures.
However, the EIS transition has been slower than hoped with many agencies. Federal agencies have until the end of this fiscal year to have their telecom portfolios transitioned off legacy contracts.
