DISA holds services bonanza

The Defense Information Systems Agency has awarded two sets of information technology services contracts during the past two months to provide IT-related services to both DISA employees and its Defense Department customers.

In May, DISA selected four vendors to provide various management support services under its Global Enterprise Management Support (GEMS) program. A month earlier, the agency awarded contracts to seven vendors for various technical services under its Next Generation Engineering (NexGen) program.

GEMS is intended to support personnel working on the Global Information Grid, DOD's initiative to link networks and applications across the department, according to a DISA spokesperson. GEMS will support program management offices worldwide for classified and unclassified assistance in managing critical technical and managerial programs.

Bloodworth Integrated Technology Inc., KeyLogic Systems Inc., Pragmatics Inc. and Taylor-Oden Enterprises Inc. will compete for work under the six-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity multiple-award contract, which has a ceiling of $28 million.

"The capabilities DISA provides in this mission area are derived directly from the joint warfighting requirements for communications, messaging, information security, command and control, and combat support," according to the DISA spokesperson.

Paul Kayatta, president of Pragmatics, said that unlike the agency's other contracts, GEMS is focused on supporting DISA rather than DISA's customers across DOD.

"The uniqueness of GEMS is that it focuses on DISA's own core areas and functions," he said. "GEMS was put in place to provide project management, program management, technology assessment and [to assist] DISA [in facilitating] its own strategies and management from their side."

Consolidating Services

NexGen, a seven-year, $1 billion contract, offers global scientific, engineering, integration and technical services to support DISA and other DOD agencies worldwide.

NexGen consolidates a number of expiring contracts that include the Joint Interoperability and Engineering Organization (JIEO) Systems Engineering contract, the Defense Information Infrastructure Integration Contract, the Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance to the Command Centers and Crisis Management Facilities contract, and the Data Standards Management Support contract, according to DISA officials.

Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Science Applications International Corp., and Systems Research and Applications Corp. are joined by four small businesses as NexGen contractors: Artel Inc., Femme Comp Inc., FGM Inc. and Pragmatics.

"This was an opportunity to harmonize and rationalize disparate contracts, including JIEO," said Ray Bjorklund, vice president of consulting services at Federal Sources Inc. "But much more so, it was an opportunity to make sure that small businesses are getting a very broad fair share."

***

Help is on the way

Services available through Global Enterprise Management Support include:

* Program and technical arena research, analysis, recommendation and documentation of program issues and approaches.

* Program, functional, technical and data benchmarking efforts.

* Development of related benchmarking tools and methods.