Qwest will not join DREN protests

Qwest Communications International Inc. has decided not to file a protest over the April 4 award of the Defense Research and Engineering Network contract to WorldCom Inc.

"We certainly have our issues, but I just think there's only so much time and energy one gives to a procurement like this," said James Payne, senior vice president for Qwest's government solutions unit. "We're ready to move on."

With its decision, Denver-based Qwest is the first company to break the pattern that has plagued the 10-year, $450 million DREN contract since its initial award by the Defense Information Systems Agency to Global Crossing Ltd. last summer.

When that announcement was made, all four of the losing bidders ? Qwest, WorldCom, Sprint Communications Corp. and AT&T Corp. ? filed protests with the General Accounting Office, and DISA quickly withdrew the award.

The contract was again set to be given to Global Crossing of Hamilton, Bermuda, in January, but the company's bankruptcy filing required the defense acquisition agency to reconsider its choices.

Global Crossing, Sprint of Westwood, Kan., and AT&T of New York have filed protests since the WorldCom award was announced. A stay has been issued on transferring the contract to WorldCom from AT&T, the incumbent.

If DISA winds up once more requesting that the bidders reapply, Payne said Qwest would participate. If it's opened up again, "of course we'll come back, with gusto," he said.

DREN provides long-haul communication service for more than 5,000 users of the Defense Department's high-performance computing network.