Veterans Affairs posts Peaches 3 contract opportunity

The Veterans Affairs Department has issued a draft request for proposals for its five-year, $1.4 billion Procurement of Computer Hardware and Software contract, known as Peaches 3.

Under the full and open contract, which consists of one base year and four one-year options, the department will be able to purchase a broad range of IT solutions, including storage, networks, security, Internet protocol communications, health-care automation, e-business, online documentation and data services.

The multiple-award contract also will be used to purchase radio-frequency and infrared technologies, wireless technology, imaging, voice-activated computers, personal digital assistants and office automation software advances. The hardware requirement includes both the purchase and leasing of IT equipment.

The award is scheduled for April 2006, according to Input, a federal market research firm in Reston, Va. Comments are due Aug. 2

The contract follows Peaches 2, a five-year, $1.3 billion IT solutions contract that was awarded in April 2002 to four prime contractors: Compaq Computer Corp. (now Hewlett-Packard Co.), GTSI Corp., Micron Government Computer Systems LLC (now MPC Computers LLC) and PlanetGov Inc., (now Apptis Inc.). Veterans Affairs awarded the first Peaches procurement, a five-year contract valued at $1.5 billion, in 1997.

The Peaches contracts have enabled the Veterans Affairs Department, which is the largest of the government's civilian agencies, to standardize its enterprise architecture and reduce costs, agency said.