Special Ops awards network support

The U.S. Special Operations Command last week awarded BTG Inc. an enterprise information technology contract to support its communications network.

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is the first of its kind for SOCOM and will replace more than 30 existing contracts and task orders over the next five years, said Lt. Cmdr. Edie Rosenthal, SOCOM public affairs officer. It has a maximum value of more than $189 million.

Rosenthal said the Enterprise Information Technology Contract (EITC) has six objectives:

* Improve interoperability across the Special Operations Forces (SOF).

* Establish standardized operations.

* Improve overall performance.

* Reduce overall cost.

* Establish centralized management.

* Improve management of technology refreshment.

"The enterprise contract views SOF as one entity vs. many different entities," Rosenthal said. "This contract will allow the chief information officer[s] to have better insight into the information technology requirements within the SOF community, meeting the six objectives. This contract makes one company responsible vs. numerous companies, putting responsibility and accountability in one place."

The EITC covers the command's entire communications network infrastructure for data, voice and video exchanges, said Wil Williams, a spokesman for Titan Corp., which acquired Fairfax, Va.-based BTG last year. He added that BTG already does similar work for SOCOM, but this contract represents an entirely new bid.

"The BTG Inc. proposal provided the best overall offer based on an integrated assessment of past performance, technical, management, quick reaction tasks and cost listed in the solicitation," Rosenthal said.

Titan teams with more than 20 companies, including EDS, AT&T Corp. and Microsoft Corp., Williams said.

Transition to the contract begins April 1, with full performance beginning May 31, Rosenthal said. The five-year base period runs through March 2007, but if the term incentive periods are earned, it may run until March 2011, she said.

Work on the contract primarily will be performed within the continental United States and managed out of MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla.