Networx by the numbers

• By Sami Lais
• Jun 12, 2008

The numbers related to the 10-year, $68.2 billion
Networx program can make your head swim, but
they can also update you on the progress of a constantly
changing program.

The General Services Administration recently provided
a snapshot of Networx. Officials surveyed the
21 largest agencies about their telecommunications
needs and predicted that those agencies would
award about 115 task orders and the other agencies
would issue the rest.

EXPECTED ENTERPRISE AND UNIVERSAL TASK ORDERS: 250

"But that's just a guess," said Karl Krumbholz,
GSA's deputy assistant commissioner for network
services. Some agencies will choose one provider
for all services; others will issue multiple task orders
to multiple vendors.

TASK ORDERS AWARDED SO FAR: 33

It takes about 70 days for a statement of work
(SOW) to make its way from an agency through GSA
to the vendor. However, some small and midsize
agencies will buy services as defined on the contracts
and won't submit SOWs, Krumbholz said.

SOWS EXPECTED BY SEPT. 30: 75

SOWS SUBMITTED SO FAR: 54

SOWS IN PLAY: 23

GSA often returns SOWs to the originating agencies
for revisions. "We may review the SOW and believe
additional information is needed to let the vendor
respond," Krumbholz said. "Or we may recommend
a different approach because it's not consistent
with the way the Networx contract is written, or we
may come up with a new application. Even grammar
or punctuation may not be clear enough for vendors
to be able to respond."

SOWS UNDER EVALUATION AT GSA: 3

SOWS RETURNED TO AGENCIES FOR CHANGES: 20

"We've done so many of these," Krumbholz said.
"We can read one and say, 'This will be hard for the
vendor to understand.' We think of ourselves almost
as a spokesman for vendors. If they can't figure out
what the [request for proposals] is asking for, they'll
do their best under the time constraints, but then
it's likely to be sent back, and it'll go back and
forth. And in the end, we'll have a poor product."

VENDORS MUST RESPOND TO RFPS WITHIN: 15 DAYS

RFPS AWAITING RESPONSES: 13

Agencies that submit SOWs by June 23 could issue
task orders by Sept. 30, thereby availing themselves
of GSA aid, including use of the agency's Transition
Coordination Center or funds to pay nonrecurring
costs such as a service-initiation charges.

GSA ASSISTANCE FUNDS AS OF 2007: $142 million

The most important numbers for agencies and contractors
are the answers to the questions: How long
will it take? And how much will it cost?

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