Navy chooses 7 for $2.7B 'Spiral 4' wireless contract
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By
Ross Wilkers
Each of the U.S.' "Big Three" carriers is an incumbent that will continue on the new iteration of this vehicle for devices and services.
The Navy has awarded seven companies positions on a potential 10-year, $2.67 billion contract that covers the supply of commercial wireless devices and services for soldiers and civilian employees.
Eight contractors in total bid for this fourth iteration of the Wireless and Telecommunications Services vehicle, also known as "Spiral 4," which means all but one offeror was selected.
Awardees will vie for both delivery and task orders over the total performance period that includes one base year and up to nine individual option years, the Pentagon said in its Friday awards digest.
Every incumbent and member of the U.S.' so-called "Big Three" wireless carriers made the cut for Spiral 4 – AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
MetTel is the fourth incumbent that will continue onto Spiral 4. The newcomers are Hughes Network Systems, Real Mobile and WidePoint.
Spiral 4 will continue its predecessors' structures that designates the delivery orders as for the mobile devices themselves and other related supplies. The task orders will focus on service plans and other necessary support to make the devices work well for users.
The current Spiral 3 contract has a scheduled completion date of June 2 and has seen $993 million in obligations go through it, according to Deltek data.
AT&T has been the largest recipient of that spend at $406.9 million, followed by Verizon at $377.9 million and T-Mobile at $118 million.
Other federal agencies can place orders against the contract, including buyers in the Defense Department and civilian organizations. The Veterans Affairs Department represents around 16% of the Spiral 3 activity to-date.
The Army makes up for 34% of the spend, the Navy is at 32% and the Air Force represents 8%. DOD agencies outside of the service branches are the remaining 10%.