First large NMCI rollover occurs

The Navy's Program Executive Office for Information Technology

Electronic Data Systems Corp. has assumed responsibility for more than 15,000 systems at Patuxent River, Md., marking the largest such milestone under the Navy's $6.9 billion voice, video and data outsourcing procurement.

"There are still a lot of growing pains occurring left and right," said David Litchfield, the Navy's deputy program executive officer for information technology.

Under the Navy Marine Corps Intranet procurement, EDS takes over each site's PCs, servers, networks and other information technology infrastructure "as is," he said.

The Patuxent rollover occurred Jan. 12, and by month's end, EDS will have assumed responsibility for as many as 30,000 NMCI seats at China Lake, Lemoore and Point Mugu, Calif., as well as Patuxent River and St. Inagoes, Md., under a three-phased approach, Litchfield said.

Base-level contractors will continue to perform work on help-desk and other service contracts under EDS. Beginning in March, EDS will start replacing the existing hardware and software infrastructure at the sites with its NMCI products, Litchfield said.

Litchfield, the NMCI director for the Navy's PEO IT, is leaving his position Jan. 26 to go back to work for contractor Adroit Systems Inc., Alexandria, Va.

"I'm not leaving because I'm unhappy or because I've lost confidence in NMCI," he said. "I had to make a personal decision for my wife and I. There have been a lot of long days and weeks," during his 15-month employment at PEO IT, including 13-14 hour days, he said.

"There'd be no good time [to leave]. They don't want me to leave," he said of his colleagues. "There's pain involved."

Joe Cipriano, the PEO IT director, is advertising for Litchfield's replacement.