All EIS vendors have ATOs

All nine vendors for the General Services Administration's $50 billion, 15-year next-generation telecommunications contract now have their authorities to operate from the agency.

GSA's monthly Business Support System report from the agency issued on Dec. 18, said Manhattan Telecommunications (MetTel) and Granite Telecommunications LLC completed their operational BSS testing and received their three-year ATO to provide EIS services.

The announcement, on GSA's Interact site, said MetTel got its ATO on Dec. 13, and Granite received its authority on Dec. 18.

"Our diverse background in providing IT communications services to both private and public organizations has prepared us to service and modernize IT communications infrastructure," Diana Gowen, general manager and senior vice president at MetTel's Federal Program said in a Dec. 8 statement. "We look forward to bringing our IT communications expertise to provide critical IT communications services to the federal government under this EIS contract."

As with the other seven vendors with ATOs, GSA said MetTel and Granite can now accept and process EIS task orders, service orders as well as provision or deliver services and bill for services.

Knowledgeable telecommunications industry sources told FCW earlier this month that GSA had indicated the remaining ATOs would be out by the middle of December. They also said they expected agency EIS task orders to pick up once all the vendors had their ATOs in hand and were able to provide services.