The U.S. Army is looking to pilot an Enterprise IT as a Service (EITaaS) approach as an alternative to the service’s current owned and operated IT network, according to a July 9 solicitation. Responses are due by August 9.
The solicitation notes that over the next three years, the Army is looking to pilot the EITaaS approach to speed technology adoption and embrace commercial products over custom solutions. The Army plans to make up to three awards using Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), set aside for small businesses and “nontraditional defense contractors.” In total, the pilot is set to establish parallel networks at nine bases, starting with small and medium sized bases in FY19 and progressing to large bases in FY20 and FY21.
“The EITaaS pilot will assess the feasibility to deploy commercial solutions for data transport, end-user services, and collaborative data environments for selected Army installations,” the solicitation says.
The solicitation also says cloud solutions should be at Impact Level 5 and certified by the source vendor. The contract involves classified information, as well as controlled unclassified information.
While the Army runs the entirety of its IT network and long-distance communications, the solicitation notes that similar organizations – like the Navy, Air Force, and the National Security Agency – are all considering or implementing an EITaaS strategy, and the Army will leverage best practices.
“The specific purpose of this EITaaS Pilot is to partner with industry to reform existing and future Army IT operations and services delivery through commercial services,” the solicitation states.
The solicitation also cites the Army’s 2028 Modernization Strategy and the National Defense Strategy as motivating factors.