GSA to extend AT&T's FTS 2001 contract
The additional time will give agencies more time to complete the transition to Networx, GSA says.
The General Services Administration plans to extend AT&T's long distance contract under the FTS 2001 contract to 2010.
The current FTS 2001 contract is set to expire at midnight Feb. 27, 2009. GSA filed a notice of its intent to negotiate a 16-month addition, expiring June 30, 2010, and worth about $166 million.
AT&T was not an original winner of FTS 2001 but gained the ability to sell long distance services through it by using a crossover process that GSA built into the vehicle. AT&T is on the Networx Universal and Networx Enterprise contracts, awarded in 2007 and expected to provide network and telecommunications services for agencies for the next decade.
According to GSA, the additional time is necessary to allow agencies to complete the complex Networx fair opportunity process and finish their transitions from FTS 2001 to Networx.