New network to soar with help of DHS Eagle

The Homeland Security Department plans to use its centralized Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge solutions (Eagle) contracting vehicle to hire contractors for two projects intended to consolidate several LANs and provide IT support for the program management office that will oversee the job.

The project announcement heralds a key stage in DHS' technological evolution: the replacement of multiple legacy networks with a single, properly managed system. DHS officials have pressed toward this goal for several years.

DHS' central Procurement Operations Office informed Eagle contract holders that it plans to award "two major IT procurements using the Eagle contract vehicle" in a letter last week.

The department plans to use "performance-based work statements, resulting in performance-based task orders," according to the letter.

The procurement office plans to divide the project into a group of task orders for operations and maintenance of the consolidated LANs, and a separate group of task orders for project management office support services.

The procurement office's Information Technology Acquisition Center will help the department's central CIO office meet a timeline and "condensed milestone schedule," according to the letter.

The procurement office plans to issue its work statements and evaluation criteria later this month and hold an industry briefing in April. The letter did not specify further timeline objectives, such as the schedule for awarding the task orders.

DHS awarded dozens of Eagle contracts last summer so as to create a consolidated purchasing tool with which to buy as much as $45 billion of technology services over several years.

Wilson P. Dizard III is a staff writer for Washington Technology's affiliate publication, Government Computer News.