21 companies to vie for $3B Treasury contract

The Treasury Department has tapped 21 companies to develop new software applications, provide support and introduce technologies under a five-year, $3 billion deal.The Total Information Processing Support Services-3 contract, or Tipss-3, replaces the Tipss-2 contract, which expires Nov. 30. Among the contractors are 15 large businesses and six small businesses.The contractors under Tipss-3, awarded Oct. 28, will compete for orders to offer systems support, security and business services for Treasury and its agencies. The contract is for one year with four one-year options.Tipss-3 is a key contract to continue to improve Treasury IT management and operations, said Treasury Chief Information Officer Ira Hobbs."Treasury greatly benefited from the Tipss-2 vehicle, which enabled the department to secure quality IT and management services. Treasury expects to achieve continued value with the Tipss-3 contract," he said.Each contractor is guaranteed a minimum of $100,000 in work. Orders of $250,000 or less will be set aside for small businesses, said the IRS National Procurement Office, which did the procurement.Contractors also will offer business services, such as feasibility studies and applications for managing, tracking and reporting on implementation of large-scale systems and system security services, including enhancing security of data residing in computer files or during transmission, and assessing IT risks relating to privacy, fraud and abuse.Tipss-3 includes a broader variety of large and small businesses, which makes for a diversified base, Hobbs said.One small business under Tipss-2 has grown to be a large business in Tipss-3. Apogen Technologies Inc. of McLean, Va., has performed network infrastructure support for IRS and the Homeland Security Department as a small business under Tipss-2. If the work is re-competed under Tipss-3, Apogen will compete with large, well-established companies."We are not as big as some of the others. Our discriminator has to do with being agile and flexible in the marketplace," said Paul Leslie, president and chief operating officer for Apogen. Leslie will take over leadership of the company at the end of the year.British defense company QinetiQ Plc completed its $300 million purchase of Apogen in September.GCN Staff Writer Mary Mosquera can be reached at mmosquera@posntewsweektech.com.