Army moves forward on billion-dollar IT services procurement

The Army is developing requirements for the IT Enterprise Solutions-2 Services contract and expects to release a request for information next month on the billion-dollar program.

The Army Small Computer Program and the Army Contracting Agency IT E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center are fine-tuning the contract vehicle requirements, according to Army officials. ITES-2S will pick up where the first ITES contract left off by promoting performance-based contracting that supports the service's enterprise infrastructure goals.

ITES-2S will be a five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract vehicle that will offer technology products and services in the following areas:

* Business process reengineering

* Information systems security

* IT services?engineering life cycles

* Program and project management

* Strategic enterprise IT policy and planning

* Systems operation and maintenance.

A request for proposals on ITES-2S will be released in January, with an estimated award date set for May.

On the first ITES contract, awarded last year, the ceilings were set too low, said Kevin Carroll, program executive officer for enterprise information systems. The Army set $500 million limits to the contract for hardware and software products and another $500 million limit for enterprise mission support services.

ITES-2S will be over $1 billion, Carroll said.

The contracting vehicle is the successor contract to the Army Corporate Enterprise Solutions program.