Georgia gears up for infrastructure outsourcing

The state of Georgia has begun prequalifying companies to bid on its massive statewide information technology outsourcing project.

The Georgia Technology Authority plans to announce in April which companies are approved to bid on the contract. The authority will then issue requests for proposals in late April. Final contracts will be awarded in the fourth quarter. The deal is estimated to be worth at least $1.6 billion over seven years.

The state posted the request for qualified contractors Feb. 29, with bids due March 14.

Gov. Sonny Perdue said in December that he would outsource the state's IT infrastructure. The goal of the Georgia Infrastructure Transformation 2010 project is to consolidate IT infrastructure and place operational control of infrastructure and telecommunications service delivery in the hands of the private sector.

The project, called GAITS, encompasses the infrastructure and technical work done by the Georgia Technology Authority and 12 state agencies that are slated to participate in the project, according to state documents. Together, these entities provide infrastructure support to more than 1,000 sites.

The contractor chosen to lead the project will be responsible for technology infrastructure services covering data centers, servers, mainframes, desktop and laptop computing, and help-desk services. Managed network services covered would include voice, data, Internet, and intranet and extranet.

The agencies that will participate are Administrative Services, Community Health, Corrections, Driver Services, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Technology Authority, Human Resources, Juvenile Justice, Natural Resources, Planning and Budget, Revenue, and Technical and Audit Education.