Acquisition cost savings: Geospatial agency to try new model

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is caught in the budget crunch and wants a managed service model through which to buy IT and save money.

The agency is intent on changing its IT buying process so it can meet its expanding mission requirements given budgetary constraints. NGA is seeing increases in its operations and sustainment costs from labor contracts instead of performance-based contracts and IT governance issues, according to a new Federal Business Opportunities notice issued Dec. 6.

Agency officials say they want a consolidated Infrastructure Service Provider strategy across NGA using best practices from the Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

NGA released a request for information to get industry’s advice so it can refine its request for proposal for a Information Technology Enterprise Managed Services (ITEMS) Managed Data Center Services Pilot before releasing it. They want comments and suggestions so the RFP clearly explains their objectives.

Currently, the agency has multiple IT acquisition vehicles through which to buy IT, and wants to make buying easier.

“NGA wishes to implement a managed services model that decreases complexity, increases agility, enhances reliability, while improving efficiency and effectiveness of IT delivery in support of the agency’s mission,” NGA officials wrote in the notice.