Army releases infostructure RFP

More than a month after its due date, the Army has released a request for proposals (RFP) on an $800 million project to overhaul nearly every aspect of the service's information technology infrastructure.

Officials insist the delay will not affect the timing of contract awards.

The Information Technology Enterprise Solutions (ITES) contract is a key piece in the Army Enterprise Infostructure Transformation program, which is designed to reduce the cost of maintaining information systems while improving access to information and applications.

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract will have up to five vendors in each of its two modules, enterprise hardware solutions and enterprise mission support services solutions, said Kevin Carroll, program executive officer for the Army's Enterprise Information Systems.

Contractors can bid on one or multiple modules, but two awards for mission support services are reserved for small businesses, he said.

The RFP was supposed to be released in late March, then was pushed back to mid-April before finally going public May 2, said Col. Wells Barlow, deputy program executive officer for the Army's Enterprise Information Systems. Bids are due June 9.

Barlow said the delay was caused by the normal review process for IT investments; the Army had to take the RFP back to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for final review and approval, including ensuring that the program was compliant with the Clinger-Cohen Act and other regulatory activities.

The ITES contract is designed to "meet the evolving requirements for commercial IT products and services to support the Army's worldwide mission," Carroll said earlier this year.

The total estimated value of the contract is $800 million, which is up from last summer's estimate of $500 million, Steve Miller, product leader with the Army Small Computer Program, which is leading the ITES acquisition, told FCW earlier this year.

Although the RFP is coming out about a month later than expected, the Army still hopes to award the contracts in July, Barlow said.