CDC awards intranet upgrade

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a $3 million contract to Conquest Systems Inc. to redesign its intranet site and help evaluate its procurement system.

Richard Landry, CSI president and chief executive officer, said the contract calls for the company to provide various information technology support services to the CDC's Procurement and Grants Office as well as develop a new design for the agency's internal site.

"We are going to develop a new look and feel as well as a knowledge-sharing application and resource-sharing application," Landry said. He said the decision to upgrade the intranet was made before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when federal agencies pinpointed their vulnerabilities.

The Washington, D.C.-based minority-owned company has a number of federal contracts, including an $8 million deal with the U.S. Postal Service to help enhance communications between business customers and the agency.

The CDC contract is a one-year, $1 million contract with two renewable options.

"The CDC presents an opportunity for us to work with an organization that tracks and analyzes an enormous amount of information, and that is our strength," Landry said.