DISA to tap Apriva for secure e-mail routing

The Defense Information Systems Agency said this week it will award Apriva a sole-source contract for the installation and operation of an e-mail routing facility for a new generation of handheld devices certified for secret data and voice traffic. Under the contract, the company would build what DISA officials call a Multi-Carrier Entry Point (MCEP) for the yet-to-be-fielded devices, a June 21 notice on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site said. Two vendors — General Dynamics C4 Systems and L-3 Communications — have produced prototypes under the National Security Agency’s Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device program (SME-PED). Both companies will receive indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts later this month, an NSA spokeswoman said. DISA intends to award Apriva the contract for building and operating the MCEP because the company can route classified and sensitive e-mail “without having to upgrade customer enclave using proprietary middleware and interface software developed especially for the SME-PED device," the notice reads. The notice contains no information about the value of the contract.