Page 5 - FCW, May 2017

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also been successful, resulting in a ceiling increase last December.
The Products IDIQ also saw a 34 percent growth in the number of task orders awarded in FY16. The Air Force has allowed NETCENTS-2 services primes procure off the NETCENTS products contract, which has provided some continuity in the program, says McCurnin. This lets prime contractors go directly to the source—the NETCENTS-2 product contract—without having to go out and compete.
INCREASED DEMAND
AND VARIETY
Demand for NETCENTS -2 has grown over time, says McCurnin. The product offerings have also evolved as new technology
such as cloud computing and cybersecurity tools have emerged in the market. “There has been
an increased demand for security products, particularly network security,” says McCurnin. “With more than 1,800 manufacturers
in our catalog we have the capability to put those products on the contract as the customer requests them.”
CDW-G is proactively reaching out to its manufacturing partners and continues to promote NETCENTS-2 as an easy and fast way to procure products. One
of the company’s strengths is
its supply chain strategy. The company has increased its transportation providers to meet the customers’ demand for a clean supply chain from manufacturing all the way to delivery, says McCurnin. “Customers have specific needs and prefer certain transportation providers and we
can accommodate that. We are really listening to what our customers want.”
Efficient communication between customers and vendors is important, particularly as agencies develop their requirements. “We want to help them make sure they get the right solutions to meet
their needs,” says Amy Kosatka,
Air Force program manager for CDW-G. “It helps when we can get involved as early as possible.”
In 2016, CDW-G saw a 42 percent increase in its NETCENTS-2 contract. Much of that is due
to getting a better handle on customer needs. The company uses a system to manage and track contracts, and has a field sales team that stays in close touch with its customers and their needs. “Customers like to buy from a company they know and trust,” she says.
It is also important to note that
Air Force has made improvements to its AFWay portal. The portal is the mechanism through which vendors access and respond to RFQs posted by Air Force organizations. Upgrades made over the last
year have made the portal more user friendly, which helps vendors respond faster to requirements.
“It’s less labor intensive on our side to review the RFQs, and easier to communicate with our account managers who can respond quickly to the customer,” says Kosatka.
PLEASE CONTACT CDW-G FOR YOUR IT SOLUTIONS NEEDS. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO VISIT THE NETCENTS WEB PAGE WWW.NETCENTS.AF.MIL.
NETCENTS-2 BENEFITS
NETCENTS-2 has saved Air Force organizations time, effort and money and helped them comply with DOD and Air Force IT and net-centric policies. It has specifically:
• Reduced IT support costs by leveraging $24b in IT requirements for best pricing, and fewer configurations to maintain
• Increased interoperability through common standards and configurations, reducing network risk by ensuring only compliant products are procured
• Reduced procurement overhead and delivery time since customers compete a task order versus a full source selection.
Source: Air Force
UPTICK IN ORDERS
Interest in the NETCENTS-2 products category has been growing. Specifically, the Air Force has seen increased sales in the following areas:
• Telephone, video teleconferencing, and IP-based radio products
• Thin/zero client computing devices
• Storage appliances for cloud implementation and server virtualization
• Software licenses and maintenance for server virtualization, cloud implementation, firewall applications, and encryption
Source: Air Force