Telos on verge of closing SmartBuy deal with GSA

The General Services Administration earlier this week announced is close to an enterprisewide software deal with Telos Corp. of Ashburn, Va., for their information assurance and automated message handling system titles.

In a notice on FedBizOpps.gov, GSA alerted agencies that they should refrain from buying or renewing any deals with Telos for their Xacta IA Manager and Xacta Automated Message Handling System software until a SmartBuy deal is in place. GSA did not say in the notice when the contract would be completed.

The listing at the FedBizOpps Web site puts agencies on notice that a deal is imminent, and they should refrain from buying Telos software or renewing current deals with the company. Agencies that can justify continuing with their own deals can apply for waivers, according to a memo posted on the CIO Council's Web site in 2004.

Telos sells about $100 million worth of software to the federal government, according to GSA data. GSA said the Defense Department is the largest user of the automated message software, while many agencies use the IA manager application.

Last fall, GSA announced imminent SmartBuy deals with antivirus software vendors including McAfee Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., and Symantec Corp. of Cupertino, Calif. But no final deal has yet been reached.

Telos ranks No. 70 on Washington Technology's 2005 Top 100 list of federal prime contractors.

Jason Miller is assistant managing editor of Washington Technology's sister publication, Government Computer News.