Air Force readies net-centric RFP

The Air Force will likely issue in the next 45 days requests for proposals for the multi-billion-dollar Network-Centric Solutions contract, said John Gilligan, the service's chief information officer.

NETCENTS will likely be a requirements contract worth $1.5 billion, Gilligan said Nov. 20 at a CMA Executive Forum. It will provide the Air Force network-centric information technologies, networking equipment and services, and telephony and security voice, video and data communications hardware and software.

The Air Force needs one contract to buy network-centric solutions, Gilligan said. NETCENTS will provide the service a contracting vehicle to do that, he said.

The Air Force budgeted $6.5 billion for IT in 2004, Gilligan said. The service can realize $350 million in savings by using one contract or common IT requirements, he said.

The Air Force's new IT Commodity Council bought desktop and notebook PCs this summer that met common processing speed and storage requirements, Gilligan said. The council received in the commercial marketplace a 40 percent increase in buying power, he said.