AF moves forward with huge net-centric contract

The request for proposals for the Air Force's Network-Centric Solutions program should be released within days, an Air Force official said today.

Netcents is a multiple-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth an estimated $10 billion over five years, according to Input Inc., a Reston, Va., information technology market research firm.

Contractors will provide IT, networking, telephony, security and voice, video and data communications solutions to satisfy department requirements for interoperability, compatibility and resource sharing. Contracts will be awarded to four large-business and three small-business prime contractors, according to Input.

Netcents will be large enough that it can grow and perform services for other Defense Department agencies if necessary, said Brig. Gen. Bradley Butler, deputy chief information officer of the Air Force.

"We wanted to make sure we had the capability to work with our sister services," Butler said.

Butler spoke to telecommunications contractors and federal telecommunications buyers at the Federal Networks 2004 conference in Vienna, Va.