GSA Awards MAA Deals for The Big D

By Jennifer Freer, Staff Writer


JULY 6 ? The General Services Administration Federal Technology Service awarded a round of Metropolitan Area Acquisition contracts for the Dallas area June 30 to Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., San Antonio, Winstar Communications Inc., New York, and AT&T Corp., Basking Ridge, N.J.


MAAs are the GSA's local telecommunications contract program, managed by the Federal Technology Service. The Dallas contracts are estimated to be worth a combined $470 million.


The contracts span eight years ? four base years plus four one-year options ? with the MAA providing local telecommunications, voice, data and dedicated transmission services to the federal government agencies.


The GSA said it hopes to continue enhancing competition via the MAA contracts so that the federal government receives prices on a par with the marketplace and receives services that are current with industry as well.


The total number of MAA cities awarded is up to 14, with contracts totaling almost $3 billion. Six cities are left to receive MAA awards in the next few months: Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia.