When a company files a bid protest one of the things it hopes for is that it at least gets another shot at the contract in question.
And that’s what AT&T has earned in pursuit of a pair of FBI task orders worth a combined $1.6 billion. The agency has agreed to re-evaluate proposals for a $1.2 billion EIS task order for telecom services and a $419.3 million job for data networking and voice services also through EIS.
The telecom services task order went to Verizon, while the data networking contract was won by Lumen.
In its protest, AT&T said that the evaluations were not done properly. Rather than argue with AT&T in its response to the protest, the FBI agreed to re-evaluate and make a new selection decision.
There is no timeline for the new decision.
Posted on Oct 24, 2021 at 4:45 PM0 comments
Welcome to the 2021 edition of our Washington Technology Fast 50 that ranks the fastest growing small businesses in the government market.
It’s a celebration of the depth, diversity and hard work of small businesses in the federal sector.
The rankings are based on information that companies submit, including five years of revenue data. We then calculate their compound annual growth rate over those five years. For 2021, the range is 2016 through 2020. Companies are then ranked according to that CAGR.
That’s why the largest company by revenue isn’t necessarily the No. 1 company. That honor goes to the fastest growing. It might seem like a no-brainer, but I get questions about that each year.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE RANKINGS
In the coming weeks, we’ll profile several of the companies on the Fast 50 but here are a few things I want to point out.
In a rarity, we have a repeat at No. 1.
Data Intelligence Technologies Inc. is on quite a roll and is one of the few companies to capture the top spot in consecutive years. They did it this year with a 2016-2020 CAGR of 311.1 percent.
They are the third company in 20 years to repeat as No. 1. The others were Merlin International in 2005 and 2006, and OBXtek in 2013 and 2014.
We have 20 companies on the 2021 list that also appeared on the 2020 Fast 50. Last year's rankings had 17 companies repeat.
In what must be a record for the Fast 50, DigitalSpec is making its eighth consecutive appearance on the Fast 50 with a CAGR of 41.2 percent from 2016-2020.
The depth and focus on this year’s group of companies also stands out to us.
For example, Data Intelligence is focused on data just as its name implies. That means everything like engineering, cloud hosting, science, security, visualization and analytics
The OM Group at No. 14 has focused its efforts on cloud migration and the many services that surround those efforts.
Some of the Fast 50 firms keep their target agencies in a tight group. For example, Advanced Concepts & Technologies at No. 29 has focused its acquisition expertise on supporting the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as one of the main lines of business.
This isn’t the first year we’ve noticed the depth of capabilities among the Fast 50. But it is still important to note that innovation and cutting edge skills aren’t solely found at the largest companies in the market.
As you explore the rankings, you’ll find that we’ve collected valuable information on these companies including leadership, contracts, major customers and lines of business. Each profile links to the company website where you can learn more.
Posted on Oct 21, 2021 at 6:07 AM0 comments
Anser Advisory has completed an acquisition of its own seven months after the company's private equity owner at the time was absorbed into another PE firm.
Sterling Investment Partners backed Anser's purchase of Markon Solutions, terms of which were not disclosed. But the companies said Oct. 12 that their combined enterprise will have more than 650 employees.
Markon will initially operate as a subsidiary of Anser. Over time, the companies intend to create a more fully-integrated organization under the Anser brand.
Sterling Investment Partners acquired Round Table Capital Partners in March, which then gave the former ownership of Anser.
With Markon, Anser is adding more expertise and customers in the federal market and particularly with the intelligence community. Markon also brings more of a presence in the Northern Virginia region. Anser has footprints in the aviation, transportation, water, education and energy sectors.
Markon provides services around acquisition, facilities, finance, security, technology and training. That company holds spots on the OASIS contract vehicle, GSA Schedule and Seaport-e.
Anser worked with financial adviser Houlihan Lokey and legal counsels Dechert LLP, Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Morrison & Foerster LLP.
Markon's advisers were KippsDeSanto & Co. on the financial aspects and Greenburg Traurig regarding the legal matters.
Posted on Oct 21, 2021 at 12:52 PM0 comments
We are happy to announce the winners of the 2021 Industry Innovator Award winners who's creativity and imagination drive better results for their government customers.
This year’s crop of winners highlight the growing use of leading edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing and cybersecurity that are helping agencies solve mission-critical problems and transform how they do business.
The 2021 Industry Innovator Award are part of a broader program known as the Government Innovation Awards, presented by Washington Technology and our sibling publications FCW, GCN and Defense Systems. You can see the 2021 Public Sector Innovations winners here. This award program recognizes government projects that highlight innovative uses of technology, and the 2021 Rising Stars, which recognizes individuals in their early phase of their careers, can be viewed here.
Together these programs are an opportunity to celebrate the many positive things taking place across the government market as individuals, public sector organizations and private companies work together to address some of society’s most pressing challenges.
The 2021 Industry Innovator Award winners are:
- BeyondTrust and its Endpoint Privilege Management with BeyondInsight solution
- Excella and its HHS Inspector General Grants Analytics Portal
- cBEYONData and its CFO Control Tower
- Aveshka Inc. and its Candor Platform for artificial intelligence
- Iron Mountain for its Iron Mountain Insight for data analytics
- CACI International for its laser communications transmitters and modems
- Intelligent Waves LLC and its GRAYPATH secure communications solution.
- ID Technologies and Archon, a device security solution
Look for more coverage in the coming weeks as we dive deeper into each of those Industry Innovators to learn more about their solutions.
Posted on Oct 20, 2021 at 1:11 PM0 comments
It’s easy to focus on the many things that have gone wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic: issues with supply chains, the divisiveness and weaknesses it exposed with our health and educational systems.
But for Perryn Ashmore, the pandemic has exposed some great strengths that often get lost. Ashmore was chief information officer for the Health and Human Services Department during the pandemic's height.
“The federal collaboration was amazing,” Ashmore said at our WT Power Breakfast on Friday discussing HHS. “This was a whole of government response.”
For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (part of the Homeland Security Department) began working with HHS to get critical supplies to hospitals. HHS is now working with over 6,000 hospitals in over 3,000 counties.
At HHS, there was a unified effort from the secretary’s office to the budget office to senior procurement officials as the most federated department had to set up systems, share information and collaborate. Stealing the phrase from a colleague, Ashmore called it “pulling modernization forward.”
HHS created an employee portal for all of the department that includes the Food & Drug Administration, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Public Health Service.
“This was one of the first times we did something where employees from across the department could ask us questions,” Ashmore said.
HHS approached its response to the pandemic and its impact on operations from a risk perspective, which meant IT leadership had to work closely with the business leadership, Ashmore said.
“We documented everything from a risk perspective,” he said. “What’s the risk here? How should we approach this? Hey, what could happen here and let’s talk about that.”
The lesson for Ashmore is that the government and its industry partners can deliver and deliver quickly.
“And substantive stuff. Not just a website, but data platforms, modeling platforms, artificial intelligence, communications,” he said.
Ashmore sees collaboration as one of the great strengths of the pandemic response, but also put it at the top of his list as an area to focus on going forward, particularly what he calls electronic collaboration.
“We've all built security into our individual solutions so much so that collaborating across government on the shared platform was really difficult,” he said.
Simple things such as Microsoft Teams web conferences across departments can be a heavy lift, he said. Each agency allows different things in their environment. At times, HHS and its government and private sector partners built systems just to get around those roadblocks.
Ashmore left HHS in May and joined Oracle in September. While he’s six months removed from HHS, he said the department’s focus on its modernization roadmaps from a cloud perspective will continue. But the focus on cyber will continue to grow as it will across government. Things like-two factor authentication sound simple but aren't.
“You are going to see all the departments on the civilian side wrestle with how to make that happen,” he said. “What does it mean to be zero trust? What does that roadmap look like? What does it mean to have a zero data loss target? That’s where the departments are going.”
As industry approaches the government with their solutions, the pitch should focus on a few simple concepts.
“It’s got to be a discussion about what is this going to save me -- cost avoidance, time, people, energy, whatever it might be,” Ashmore said.
“Then how does it get back to the American people? That's what industry has to do.”
Posted on Oct 19, 2021 at 3:03 PM0 comments
Earlier this month, Peraton landed a big fish by winning a potential $2.7 billion cloud migration services contract at the Homeland Security Department.
Now an unsuccessful bidder has filed a protest to no surprise. General Dynamics IT is arguing that the evaluation was unfair and that GDIT would have one if the evaluation was conducted properly.
The $2.7 billion Data Center and Cloud Optimization Support Services contract has a 10-year performance period if all options are exercised.
More protests are possible as GDIT and Peraton are just two of seven bidders. The former Perspecta submitted a proposal for the DCCO contract before that company was absorbed into Peraton in May.
DHS currently has two main data centers that house its IT and data assets -- Data Center 1 and Data Center 2.
The agency's plan is to first migrate everything in Data Center 1 into a new hybrid cloud computing environment, then turn to Data Center 2 and do the same. The current contracts are held by GDIT for Data Center 1 and Peraton/Perspecta on Data Center 2.
DHS envisions that environment as including a data center, colocation sites, and access to commercial and private cloud services. That is a direction other agencies are considering, which makes the DCCO competition one of the bigger opportunities to hit the market and the winner an advantage for future contracts like it.
GDIT filed its protest on Oct 12 and a decision is expected on Jan. 20.
Posted on Oct 18, 2021 at 5:43 PM0 comments
Deloitte Consulting’s protest of a $250 million Navy contract to modernize management of its weapons and ordinance supply chain has paid off.
The Navy added Deloitte as an awardee alongside three other companies that were the original winners: McKinsey & Co., BCG Federal and Grant Thornton
After the first awards, Deloitte filed its protest challenging the evaluation process the Navy used.
The Navy agreed to take a second look at Deloitte’s evaluation after seeing the protest. That second look led the Navy to add Deloitte to the contract.
Awardees will compete for task orders for strategic services to help transform logistics operations, supply chain, and technology across the enterprise.
The contract will run through March 2027 if all options are exercised.
Posted on Oct 18, 2021 at 6:11 PM0 comments
DISA is apparently rethinking a $600 million contract for communications support after it was hit by several bid protests by disappointed bidders.
The agency first awarded the contract to Trace Systems to provide support under a contract called Communications Technical Support Services – Southwest Asia, which will primarily support the Air Force.
One issue DISA is trying to address is the challenge of Air Force personnel rotating in and out every six months. A long-term communications contract would provide stability to support Operation Resolute Support and Inherent Resolve in Southwest Asia, including the fight against terrorist organizations such as ISIS, according to solicitation documents collected by GovTribe.
The winning contractor will provide telephone switch operations and maintenance, satellite communications, network administration, communications security, and video teleconferencing. There also are several task areas including program and project management, communications engineering, cyber systems operations, and logistics.
Trace won the contract in early September. Protests followed from General Dynamics IT, Vectrus and Salient CRGT. All three claimed that the evaluation was unreasonable.
DISA has decided to re-evaluate the proposals and revisit its selection decision. The agency apparently saw something in the protests that made them realize they likely made a mistake.
No word on when DISA will make a new decision. It usually takes several months.
Posted on Oct 17, 2021 at 6:21 AM0 comments
The Defense Department is looking to bolster the IT capabilities of the inspector general’s office.
A new sources sought notice explains how DOD is looking to see if there are small businesses that could provide the services. If enough small businesses respond and they have the right capabilities, the contract will likely become a small business competition.
The contract will cover networks and IT support services such as maintenance and operations, installation, and support for IT systems and communications for 1,800 users in the DOD IG's office.
Because of how the IG operates independently, it needs the full spectrum of IT support services -- network security, infrastructure, enterprise architecture, information governance and business system development. The IG also will need unified communications, asset management, project management, budget and help desk.
The IG’s office also provides applications and services to the armed services and combatant command IG offices. This contract will support that work as well.
Respondents to the notice should describe their experience and capabilities in the following areas:
- Systems design and engineering support
- Application development
- Cybersecurity
- Enterprise architecture
- Data visualization and dashboard services
- Original Equipment Manufacturer proprietary product engineer for commercial tools -- Vormetric, TeamMate, Cloudera, Tableau, Footprings, F5, Forcepoint and others.
- Defense Case Activity Systems, Enterprise
Potential bidders will also need a Top Secret Facility Clearance and be a Microsoft Gold Partner.
Responses are due Oct. 28.
Posted on Oct 15, 2021 at 12:18 PM0 comments
As we reported would happen earlier this week, has released the final solicitation for a small business contract to acquire training and content development services in support of personnel working at CMS call centers.
Known as the CMS Contact Center Training and Content or CTC contract, the vehicle will likely be a single award. But CMS has said it reserved the right to make the vehicle a multiple-award contract. There is no cost estimate yet for the contract.
Proposals are due Nov. 19.
CMS wants to hire a contractor to develop and maintain training content and materials for CMS customer service representatives at its 1-800-MEDICARE call center and the call center for the health insurance exchange.
Contact center representatives have a wide range of scripts the use to help calls. There are 44 different topic areas that include the appeals process, home health, hospice, medical necessity, eligibility and enrollment, and referrals.
The awardee would provide services around content development, training, continuous improvement, and program management.
CMS is using a two phase evaluation format. In phase one, bidders would submit information on their experience and answer training and content challenges.
Bidders that CMS determines have a chance to win the contract will move to phase two. Those companies then submit their technical proposals, staffing and management approaches, past performance, and cost models.
The contract will have a one-year base with four one-year options.
Posted on Oct 14, 2021 at 12:21 PM0 comments
Newly-minted 8(a) companies aren’t widely known as active acquirers of other businesses in the federal market, but the Strategic Innovation Group stands out here and could be setting a new standard.
The company gained its 8(a) status in July and now has closed its purchase of fellow small business 3e Services LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Strategic Innovation Group was founded last year Vikram Agarwal, who left behind a real estate and law career to launch a government contracting firm. His law career had a government contracting focus, among other areas.
SIG offers a variety of technical and professional services including legal and financial services, digital transformation support and software development.
The addition of 3e grows SIG's portfolio of strategic and technology consulting services and particularly around cloud transformation, governance strategy, DevSecOps, enterprise operations. The Federal Aviation Administration is a major customer of 3e.
Posted on Oct 14, 2021 at 1:21 PM0 comments