Window closes on bids for Navy NGEN recompetes

One of the biggest defense IT contracts to come out this year has passed one of its final pre-award milestones and there is little left for the field of competitors to do.

Proposals were due to the Navy Thursday for the services and systems integration piece of the estimated $3.4 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network-Recompete contract to run the global network used by both the Navy and Marine Corps.

Bids for the much smaller NGEN-R track to supply end-user hardware were due Friday, according to contracting documents. The Navy broke up the current NGEN contract into two pieces as a way to enhance competition and gain more affordability.

Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, Perspecta has been the prime on NGEN and prior versions that date back to 2000.

The Service Management, Integration and Transport track of NGEN-R is the most hotly contested of the two portions given the size and scope of the work. Perspecta is defending its incumbency against teams led by Leidos and General Dynamics IT.

Perspecta has brought current NGEN teammate AT&T back into the fold for its recompete bid and has enlisted other large partners for the effort to keep this key contract.

In an emailed statement to Washington Technology, Perspecta CEO Mac Curtis said his company “is bringing new capabilities and a robust team of partners to support the Navy’s mission, including AT&T, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Northrop Grumman along with our own innovation engine, Perspecta Labs.”

“I am very proud of how the Perspecta team has collaborated across our entire organization since our launch last summer to offer fresh, innovative ideas to accelerate the Navy’s IT modernization efforts,” Curtis added. “We feel very good about our solution and look forward to this competitive process.”

The winner of the NGEN-R SMIT piece gains a major foothold in IT modernization at a time of increased defense spending and focus on upgrading aging technology environments. This contract is therefore an opportunity for a vendor to show it can manage and bring forward a global IT network like that of NGEN.

Thanks to its CSRA acquisition last year, General Dynamics IT is throwing its added weight at the NGEN services piece as a potential takeaway opportunity. CSRA brought to GDIT experience in managing ONE-NET, the in-theater component of the Navy’s IT network.

GDIT has enlisted large business partners Accenture and M.C. Dean and will bring an ecosystem of small businesses as well.

“GDIT is excited to continue its partnership with the U.S. Navy and the Next Generation Enterprise Network,” said Leigh Palmer, senior vice president and defense division leader. “From the development of the first submarine over 100 years ago to the ongoing support of sailors and marines around the globe, General Dynamics has always put the warfighter first, bringing experience, innovation, and modernization to the battle space.”

Leidos’ team has its own commercial market heavy hitters in IBM, Unisys and Verizon. Officials from Leidos declined comment for this story, but executives told us last year the company saw NGEN as an opportunity it can pursue better after having merged with the former Lockheed Martin IT services business two-and-a-half years ago.