Contract revision supports intell data

The Defense Information Systems Agency modified a contract this week with SBC Global Services Inc. in order to provide increased information assurance for data being shared by the Defense Department and intelligence communities.

The contract is for two OC-48 Synchronous Optical Network (Sonet) rings, which will comprise the St. Louis commercial metropolitan-area network service, according to DISA.

"The Sonet rings are required to support the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and DISA by providing single point of failure remediation for critical intelligence traffic directly supporting DOD and national agency initiatives now in progress," according to the March 17 contract announcement.

The original contract was a firm, fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity vehicle awarded on a sole-source basis in November 2002, according to an agency spokesperson. DISA modified it "to definitize price" at $7.3 million, the spokesperson said.

The solution will "provide a higher level of information assurance by taking advantage of self-healing Sonet ring performance and build diversity to enhance the survivability of traffic," the DISA spokesperson said. "Traffic is now handled through point-to-point circuits that do not provide the required survivability and diversity."

The contract's minimum guarantee is $400,000, and potential maximum value during the five-year period is $10 million.

When asked what the main implementation challenges are, the DISA spokesperson said, "none."