Where's the Navy Next Generation Network RFP?

Last October, Capt. Shawn Hendricks, manager of the Naval Enterprise Networks Program Office, set a tight schedule for the $7 billion to $10 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network procurement, promising release of a request for proposals on Dec. 21, 2011, and contract award in December 2012.

Hendricks said timing was of the essence, as the contract for the existing network -- the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, held by HP Enterprise Services -- expires in April 2014. NGEN needs to be in place by then because "we don't want the lights to go out," Hendricks said.

Almost two months have gone by since the December 2011 deadline and there still is no RFP in sight, though the networks program office keeps pumping out addendums to the draft RFP released on Sept. 30, 2011.

Warren Suss, president Suss Consulting, attributed the delays to a "tremendous amount of attention" focused on NGEN by Navy higher ups and jockeying by the two bidders who plan to compete with HP for the contract -- Lockheed Martin Corp. and a team composed of Harris Corp., Computer Sciences Corp. and General Dynamics Corp.

Suss said HP, as the incumbent Navy network contractor, has an advantage and the other bidders have been pushing the Navy to provide them as much information as possible to level the playing field, such as the release Monday of the contract data requirements.

This document, Suss said, provides all bidders a precise description of what they have to deliver, a key piece of information for a contract awarded on price.

Suss said delays should be expected on a contract the size of NGEN. He predicted the RFP will be released next month.