Page 28 - FCW, August 15, 2016

NETCENTS-2
CDW-G DELIVERS
NEW AIR FORCE CONTRACT AIMS HIGH
The Air Force and other defense agencies should find working with the new contract vehicle an easier and more straightforward process.
IR FORCE AND OTHER Defense agencies working with the Air
Force were a little wary of the NETCENTS-2 contract vehicle
when it first became available in 2013. While it provided a
wider array of products and services than its predecessor,
along with many more vendors and better pricing,
it also became a “mandatory use” contract for the Air Force.
According to Air Force Enterprise Services Branch Chief Robert Smothers, enforcing a mandatory use policy was the best way to ensure the service will be able to manage IT requirements at the enterprise level, enforce network standardization, and ensure future advances are interoperable with each other. The Air Force shouldn’t be overly concerned about the mandatory use requirement, according to Randy Harris, Vice President, Program Management, Capture & Services Delivery at CDW-G. The contract has an expanded list of qualified vendors and is focused on ensuring access
to the best technologies at competitive prices.
NETCENTS-2, a portfolio of seven-year ID/IQ contracts with 77 vendors, is currently split into three categories: Net-Centric Products, Application Services, and Network Operations and Infrastructure (NetOps). The contract supports missions requiring voice, data
and video communications by making available a wide range
of enterprise-wide net-centric products, infrastructure, applications and services. It aims to provide those products and services not offered by other mandatory-use DoD or Air Force contracts.
Because NETCENTS-2 leverages the Air Force’s collective
buying power and is based
on competition, it does well maintaining price points as low as possible. Also, there is no service fee with this contract and it endeavors to meet or beat required delivery timeframes. Smothers estimates NETCENTS-2 consistently saves buyers at least three percent.
All products and services under NETCENTS-2 must comply with applicable Air Force and DoD standards; including the DoD Information Network (DoDIN) architecture, Defense Information Infrastructure (DII), IC Information Sharing environments and Air Force and Defense Communications Systems infrastructure for computer and telecommunications network mission areas. Compliance with these standards helps strengthen network security.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE PRODUCTS
NETCENTS-2 product contract
has received the lion’s share of contract awards. Instead of issuing a product catalog like many other contracts, NETCENTS-2 leaves it up to buyers to either specify exactly what they want or describe what they need to accomplish. Then the bidders suggest specific products and services to meet those requirements. This helps the buyers reap the benefits of competition and price breaks that usually occur at the end of each product year or
NETCENTS-2 In a Nutshell
While the products section of NETCENTS-2 is the largest in terms of task orders, there are two other important areas where agencies can benefit:
Application Services: Provides application services across the lifecycle including sustainment, migration, integration, training, help desk support, testing and operational support. It includes application services support to mission areas overseen by portfolio managers, Communities of Interest (COIs), project offices and program offices.
Network Operations and Infrastructure: Provides a full range of services and solutions for network operations, production, research and development, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) mission capabilities. Services include development, acquisition, integration, test, deployment and sustainment of Air Force infrastructures. Unlike Application Services and Products, this category of services is open to all federal agencies, even if they are not working with or for the Air Force.