Navy launches 'Spiral 4' recompete of wireless contract
Gettyimages.com / Weiquan Lin
By
Ross Wilkers
A final solicitation is now live for this program that is not exclusive to the Navy and involves all three of the U.S.' major carriers.
The Navy is now ready for wireless carriers to start working on their proposals for the next iteration of the service branch's go-to contract vehicle for acquiring products and services from those companies.
Bids are due by the close of business on Feb. 29 for what the Navy is calling Spiral 4 of its Wireless and Telecommunications Services vehicle, which will have a $2.67 billion ceiling over 10 years.
At least two carriers will be selected for Spiral 4 through a lowest price technically acceptable source selection process, the Navy said in its Wednesday notice to release the final solicitation.
It is worth noting that the request for proposals heavily emphasizes the word "commercial," an indicator of which companies the Navy is looking to tap into through this program.
The current Spiral 3 contract has an estimated completion date of June 2 with all three of the U.S.' major carriers involved: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. MetTel won an award via an on-ramp in the fall of 2019, which took place two years after the initial round of awards.
The Navy has obligated approximately 89% of Spiral 3's $993 million ceiling to-date, according to Deltek data.
AT&T is the largest recipient of that spend at $397 million, Verizon is next at around $370 million and T-Mobile is third at approximately $115 million. When rolled together, that represents substantially all of the Spiral 3 order spend.
Spiral 4's structure will be similar to its predecessors, in that it will comprise of both delivery and task orders. The delivery orders are for the mobile devices themselves and other related supplies, while task orders will focus on service plans and other necessary support to make the devices work.
Other federal agencies can place orders against the contract, including buyers in the Defense Department and civilian organizations. The Veterans Affairs Department has placed approximately $91 million in orders against the Spiral 3 vehicle, for instance, or around 9% of the ceiling.
The Army and Navy have respectively taken up 34% of the ceiling each, while the Air Force represents 7%.