Lockheed plans Pentagon Net upgrades

Having taken responsibility for managing the Pentagon's communications backbone, Lockheed Martin Corp. officials intend to recommend improvements to the network in six months.

Lockheed Martin Information Support Services won the $378 million, 10-year Network Infrastructure Services Agency-Pentagon contract in December. Lockheed will manage the network during a major upgrade that is part of a multibillion effort to renovate the Pentagon. NISA-P serves 25,000 computer users in the Defense Department.

After a 60-day transition period, Lockheed formally accepted responsibility for the network infrastructure Jan. 31, and officials have begun to consider possible improvements.

"We're in a documentation process, looking at the processes and equipment that are in place today," said Thomas Hickerson, Lockheed's program manager. "And then we're going to sit down with the government at about the six-month timeframe and together make some recommendations for improvements. We're going to look network by network." He said it is too early to offer details.

Hickerson said the contract is unusual because the company has to meet stringent criteria in areas such as individual network availability, service restoration time and customer satisfaction.

Any criteria not met means money subtracted from the $378 million award, which is divided into categories. One network, for example, might be valued at 10 percent of the total award, and failure to provide satisfactory service on that network would mean a 10 percent reduction in the award, Hickerson said.

The contract was awarded under the General Services Administration Federal Technology Service's Millennia contract.