DISA

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., San Jose, California (HC1084-20-D-0003), was awarded a competitive, single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, firm-fixed-price contract with a ceiling of $61,825,294 for integrated processor capacity services – X-86 (IPCS-X) for Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Operations Center. The place of performance will be at DISA data centers or future DISA or DISA-approved locations where DISA assumes an operational responsibility for support of Missions Partner service requirements.

The Pentagon is looking to buy an enterprisewide identity management system to provide a single authoritative source of user information, identity authentication and information technology access for millions of U.S. Defense Department computer network users. The Defense Information Systems Agency’s call for white papers on the development and deployment of a Defense Department Enterprise Identity Service is the first step in identifying two or three vendors to take part in a competitive prototyping contest under an other transaction authority effort.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has begun the implementation phase for the Fourth Estate Network Optimization Initiative and will now begin building the network for 14 defense agencies. The endeavor will standardize equipment, enhance cybersecurity, improve interoperability and save significant money, DISA officials say.

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price, single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract, HC1047-19-D-5001, in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) Defense Collaboration Services (DCS) program. The primary place of performance will be at DISA, Fort Meade, Maryland. The ID/IQ ceiling value is $49,500,000, with the minimum guarantee of $5,000 funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. Proposals were solicited via FedBizOpps (FBO.gov), and one proposal was received. The ordering period is September 8, 2019, through September 7, 2024.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) continues to add capabilities available to warfighters and to the broader Defense Department community.

The agency has created a lot of buzz in recent months with a number of initiatives involving cloud capabilities, mobility and biometrics. Officials serving on a DISA panel continued that trend at the AFCEA TechNet Augusta 2019 conference in Augusta, Georgia.

SES Government Solutions Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price task order against the competitive single award blanket purchase agreement (BPA) from General Services Administration's Information Technology Schedule 70 contract for commercial satellite communication services, HC1013-18-A-0002, which was awarded April 13, 2018. The face value of this task order is $7,151,397, funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative face value of the BPA is $516,700,000 (contract ceiling). Performance will be centralized to the U.S. Central Command, with the BPA representing worldwide coverage.

The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) is reducing their contracting fee for enterprise acquisition services from 2.5% to 2.25% starting on October 1st, 2019 according to a recent release by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). This will be coinciding with the start of fiscal year 2020.

In a statement, Christopher Barnhurst, DISA’s chief financial officer said, “DITCO’s dedication to controlling costs while evolving service offerings has resulted in the ability to lower fees to customers, thereby enabling reinvestment into lethality for the DOD."

Iridium Satellite LLC, Tempe, Arizona, was awarded a non-competitive firm fixed price contract modification (P00010) for the extension of services on the current Airtime contract. The face value of this action is $8,452,000. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $460,779,000. The original solicitation was issued on the basis of other than full and open competition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services would satisfy agency requirements. Performance will be at the contractor's facility. The period of performance for the option period is May 22, 2019, through June 21, 2019.

If cyber is the ultimate team sport, as many in the U.S. Defense Department like to say, then artificial intelligence (AI) would likely be the number one draft pick for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

Anthony “Tony” Montemarano, DISA’s executive deputy director, stressed the importance of AI during a luncheon plenary on the final day of the AFCEA TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore. “We’ve heard about it time and again. Artificial intelligence is probably the most significant technology we have to come to grips with.”