Business surges on GSA's integration program

Systems integrators last week said they are pleased with the business they have obtained so far from the General Services Administration Schedule B/C integration contracts.

GSA has awarded integration contracts to 15 companies (see chart) to provide systems integration on the multiple-award schedule 70 B/C program for microcomputer products. I-NET Inc. Bethesda Md. among the first companies to be awarded an integration contract said it is delivering on purchase orders placed by more than six customers mostly for network services. Those customers include GSA the secretary of the Air Force the Air Force Command and Control and Networking Program at Gunter Air Force Base Ala. Keesler Air Force Base Miss. the Small Business Administration and the Army's Fort Carson Colo."What pleases us is how fast the channel is filling up and the interest that people have in using this contract vehicle " said Lee Watenpaugh vice president of product sales at I-NET.

Sherikon Inc. Chantilly Va. also has begun providing systems integration services on purchase orders placed by Defense Department and non-DOD agencies for network design and support electronic commerce and electronic data interchange. "We're delivering on more than six orders for systems integration services and we are in negotiation on at least another dozen. This is growing by leaps and bounds every day " said Bob Waizenegger the account manager at Sherikon.

Other vendors such as KPMG Peat Marwick and Electronic Data Systems Corp. said they are already processing orders on the 70 B/C integration awards. "We've got orders in the queue right now for migration planning and requirements definition client/server software development and enabling technologies such as Lotus Notes and the Internet " said Tom Wilde a partner with KPMG Federal Services Group Washington D.C.

As a result of the new acquisition system GSA has become a more attractive conduit for doing business because it circumvents the bureaucracy of indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity vehicles industry executives said. "We can now package hardware software and services to fit the agencies' requirements quicker and easier " said Mike Ryan the GSA program manager at EDS Herndon Va.

"A typical IDIQ will have several stop points to make sure everything fits the terms and conditions " Ryan said. "That can hold the process up as much as 30 days. This could force some change on the IDIQ which will have to react to the flexibility and openness of the GSA schedule " he said.

EDS is processing orders for integration services such as network application integration and security. The firm reported strong interest on the civilian side including law enforcement.

The new system could change the face of the schedule program. "The size of the systems integration services contract could dwarf the dollar volume driven through the program for the purchase of products " said Larry Allen executive director of the Coalition for Government Procurement. "In a couple of years some of these large systems integration deals could be $100 million " he said.

Vendors uniformly praised the efficiency of the new GSA system of acquiring systems integration services. "Today it takes only as long to deliver services as it takes the agency to type up a purchase order and mail it out " said Art Bohn the senior principal contract administrator at Wang Federal Inc. McLean Va.

Gerber is a free-lance writer based in Kingston N.Y.

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GSA Integrators

The following companies have been awarded systems integration services contracts under Schedule 70 B/C:~ Advanced Communications

* Data Networks* Electronic Data Systems Corp.* Government Micro Resources Inc.* Government Technology Services Inc.* I-NET Inc.* Intergraph Corp.* IPI Grammtech * Jetform Corp.* KPMG Peat Marwick* Lucent Technologies* Sherikon Inc.* Teleconsult* Telos Corp.* Wang Federal Inc.

Source: GSA's Federal Supply Service