DOD megacentergoes head-to-headwith private sector

The Defense Megacenter (DMC) in Oklahoma City is lining up with industry vendors to compete for any civilian data center operations that are outsourced beginning sometime next year.

Under guidelines issued last year by the Office of Management and Budget - Circular 96-02 - civilian agencies are required to consolidate their small to midsize data centers or outsource those operations to other agencies or the private sector.

DMC-Oklahoma City which recently competed with private industry on its first outsourcing bid in the Defense Department anticipates offering its facilities and services to manage numerous mainframe operations.

"We think 96-02 is going to create a target-rich environment " said Jimmy B. Bias director of DMC-Oklahoma City. "Potentially if we get the go-ahead [from DOD] we will do state and local governments also " Bias said.

Outsourcing contracts usually involve taking over the management of mainframe operations this covers everything from maintaining the facility to keeping the hardware and software current.

Last year DMC-Oklahoma City was one of 30-plus private and government data centers to respond to a request for information from the Defense Security Assistance Agency. DMC won the job based on its cost projections over a four-year period.