Navy eyes NMCI extension

The Navy has not yet passed the first milestone for its Navy Marine Corps Intranet, but officials are already investigating the possibility of extending the current contract, the Navy's new NMCI program manager said.

The Navy is considering modifying the NMCI contract with EDS so that the start date would coincide with passing the first major milestone, which could come as soon as next month.

NMCI director Rear Adm. Charles Munns, in his first public speech since being named to the post in February, said April 11 that the Navy would like to have some time to use NMCI before officials have to consider entering into the contract's three-year option period.

NMCI is a five-year contract valued at $4.1 billion, with an additional three-year option that brings the total value of the contract to $6.9 billion.

NMCI officials said that the idea behind the extension is for the Navy to start the five-year contract period at the time when NMCI passes its first milestone. Otherwise, the Navy would have to make a decision about the three-year option about two years after it gets all of NMCI's seats rolled out. Munns said the target date for that is December 2003.

The contract extension would enable the Navy to use the NMCI network for more than two years before having to address that issue.

EDS officials said that they had not heard of the idea, but they said the company likely would be receptive to the concept.

Munns, speaking at Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's Navy Information Technology Day in Vienna, Va., reiterated that the Navy expects to complete testing by the end of the month and hopes to pass its first milestone next month.

Munns met with Pentagon officials April 12 to discuss the process for reviewing the test results. The test results will provide data for Pentagon officials to determine whether NMCI can move forward.

The law authorizing NMCI stipulated that the Navy would roll out a certain number of seats to prove the feasibility of the concept. Under a September 2001 agreement, John Stenbit, Defense Department chief information officer, and Michael Wynne, deputy undersecretary for Defense for acquisition and technology, must give their approval to allow the Navy to order the additional 100,000 seats.

Meanwhile, the Navy has named Capt. Craig Madsen as its NMCI program manager. Madsen will work out of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego.