$6.9 Billion Air Force Network Gear Contract Goes to 16 Firms

After multiple protests and the intervention of Congress, the Air Force has added eight companies to a $6.9 billion network hardware contract that was originally awarded to eight companies in April 2012 and then re-awarded in April 2013.

Officials at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., kicked off the Network-Centric Solutions-2 -- or NETCENTS-2 -- procurement in 2008 to buy network hardware, services and applications in seven procurements divided between large and small businesses with a total value of $24 billion.

The service had to redo the network hardware contract following protests by multiple bidders and language in the 2013 Defense Authorization Act directing the Defense Department to increase the number of awards.

The eight companies tapped for NETCENTS-2 product awards this week are:  Blue Tech, Inc.; Global Technology Resources, Inc.; immix Technology, Inc.; Integration Technologies Group; M2 Technology; Micro Tech; Red River Computer Co.; and Unicom Government, Inc.

Vendors that were awarded contracts in April are: Ace Technology Partners, LLC; CDW Government LLC;  CounterTrade Products, Inc.;  FedStore Corporation; General Dynamics IT; Intelligent Decisions; Iron Bow Technologies, LLC; and World Wide Technology, Inc.

All 16 companies will compete for task orders on the six-year contracts, which include network hardware, servers, storage and biometric systems for identity management.

The Air Force awarded its $960 million NETCENTS application services contract to six companies on July 29, and since then six other companies have protested those awards to the Government Accountabilty Office, with a decision due in mid-November.

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