VA National Cellular Contract Mystery Solved
By
Bob Brewin
Small business partners with major carriers to provide widespread coverage.
When the Veterans Affairs Department awarded its $200 million national cellular contract on May 9, two key players -- Sprint and T-Mobile -- were mysteriously missing from a lineup that included AT&T Mobility; Verizon Wireless; and A&T Systems, a small business located in Silver Spring, Md.
Adam Nouravarsani, the telecommunications veep for A&T, told me his company had partnered with Sprint, T-Mobile, Alaska Communications and Verizon (to help that company meet the VA’s small business requirements), providing VA and its employees with coverage by all the major national carriers.
That’s important, as the department required bidders to provide widespread coverage , including in rural areas.
The VA cellular contract covers bundled airtime for both voice and data, as well as supply of gadgets, including voice phones, smartphones and tablet computers. Nouravarsani told me that the VA would decide what kind of devices it wants through task orders on the contract.