EDS Project Delivers Big Bucks to Small Business

Nearly 70 percent of the subcontracts awarded thus far under the $6.9 billion Navy-Marine Corps Intranet contract have been given to small businesses, prime contractor Electronic Data Systems Corp. reported May 4.


Sixty-eight percent of subcontracting dollars was awarded to small business between Oct. 6, 2000, and March 31, 2001, EDS said in its first report to the Department of the Navy.

In its contract proposal, EDS of Plano, Texas, said at least 40 percent of the total contract value would go to small businesses, according to Gwen Johnson, who oversees small-business activity on the eight-year NMCI project.


Among the subcontracting dollars going to small businesses so far, 8 percent went to disadvantaged businesses, 5 percent went to women-owned companies, and 17 percent went to veteran-owned small businesses, EDS said.


NMCI will deliver information services to the Navy at bases across the United States and overseas through a common computing and communications environment.

NMCI provides service, security and connectivity across the Navy, including hardware, software, maintenance, upgrades, help-desk support and training, as well as staff and infrastructure to operate the system.


"The small business requirements of the NMCI program necessitated a greater commitment to small business and a more aggressive approach to subcontracting," said Johnson, NMCI small business advocate. "Contrary to current commercial procurement practices, where companies are shrinking their supplier base, under NMCI we are providing opportunities to a broad spectrum of small firms to fulfill these commitments."