FORT BELVOIR, Va., 8 Sept. 2005. Leaders in the U.S. Army are soliciting bids for the IT Enterprise Solutions-2 Services (ITES-2S) contracting vehicle, worth $20 billion over nine years.
The ITES-2S is being established by the Army's Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems, to succeed its existing ITES vehicle, which was established in 2003. The new contract entails a wider range of services from business process re-engineering to enterprise design, integration and consolidation. It is being created to provide performance-based IT support for soldiers across the Army enterprise throughout the United States and overseas.
The PEO-EIS division develops, acquires, and deploys tactical and non-tactical information technology systems and communications, with the ultimate goal of providing infostructure and information management systems enabling the U.S. Army to achieve victory through total information dominance.
It has developed products directly contributing to the war in Iraq, supporting soldiers in the field in many ways, from enabling communications systems to providing better medical care in the field.
Programs developed in this office include:
* Defense Communications and Transmissions Systems (DCATS)
* In-Transit Visibility - Automated Identification Technology (ITV/AIT)
* Transportation Coordinator - Automated Information for Movement Systems II (TC-AIMS II)
* Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4)
* Movement Tracking Systems (MTS)
* Automated Logistics and Integrated Systems (ALIS)
* Defense Messaging Systems - Army (DMS-A)
* Army Human Resources System (AHRS)
For more information, see https://my.eis.army.mil/pws/index1.htm.
One company bidding for the contract is Lockheed Martin, which has assembled a team of defense and information technology companies including CACI International Inc., ManTech International Corp., SRA International, Inc., and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Together, they hope to earn one of the contracts the Army will establish for large companies under its new Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle.
Lockheed Martin and its four major partners will be joined in the pursuit by several small businesses with niche Army IT expertise. These include BLACKHAWK Management Corp., CORDEV Inc., Daston Corp., Dynamix Corp., and SMS Data Products Group, Inc. The team also includes vendors who will provide solutions as well as services. They include Dell, Cisco Systems, Inc., McAfee, Inc., and Sophos.
Dr. Sonia Schmitt, capture manager for Lockheed Martin Information Technology, said, "As an incumbent ITES contract holder, we have learned lessons about choosing the right team. We have been selective in choosing firms that contribute strong past performance in Army IT contracts and our teammates truly understand how to be successful in performance-based contracting."
The team includes more than 20 small businesses. "Lockheed Martin is committed to helping small businesses grow and in coaching them in areas of vehicle marketing, designing technical solutions, and managing task orders," said Gerald Miller, director for Army IT Programs for Lockheed Martin Information Technology.
"Small businesses are not only critical to enhancing our team's knowledge of the Army, but in enhancing our ITES-2S expertise."
By Ben Ames
Senior Editor, Military & Aerospace Electronics
