Page 7 - Federal Computer Week, May/June 2019

“In many ways we find ourselves being a trainer
for the contract, and the advocate for the customer in how to use the contract.”
– SHERYL MCCURNIN, SENIOR MANAGER FOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS AT CDW·G
Great expectations
Transitional challenges notwithstand- ing, overall expectations for ITES-3H are nonetheless high. Its predecessor, ITES-2H, ended its performance in
June 2016, reporting total business on the contract of just under $7.5 billion. That figure includes purchases made during a four-year extension to the original five-year contract period.
To date, the combined value of busi- ness on ITES-3H totals $1.6 billion, from just under 700,000 task orders, according to GovTribe, a company that collects and collates government procurement data.
The good news is that there is
room to grow. For that to happen, companies such as CDW·G will have to take on a major educational role and help Army buyers fully understand what ITES-3H involves when it comes to buying complete IT solutions, Giannini says.
“In many ways we find ourselves being a trainer for the contract, and the advocate for the customer in how to use the contract,” McCurnin says. “Simply put, most government customers are accustomed to transactional business. We want
to help the customers to procure
the whole integrated solution, and understand that ITES-3H is the vehicle for the Army to do that.”
Securing the Supply Chain
ITES-3H all but requires contractors to secure their supply chains.
At a time when government is pushing contractors to comply with a Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) that requires use of trusted suppliers, integrity of the supply chain is becoming vital, says Sheryl McCurnin, senior manager for federal programs at CDW·G.
CDW·G has put in place a rigorous process for procuring equipment from an authorized supplier or original equipment manufacturer (OEM), securely transporting it to a CDW·G warehouse, and integrating it
using technicians certified to work on the equipment.
“We want to make sure we don’t ‘piece part’ it out and risk having counterfeit equipment in any solution we are offering,” she says. “We can also get it to the customer via secure transport and delivery. The last thing we want is to compromise an OEM’s reputation because something goes wrong.”
CDW·G ensures supply chain security, end-to-end, she says, adding that the company only works with trusted OEMs and suppliers that have a commitment to equipment and supply chain security integrity.
For more information: http://www.cdwg.com/ites-3h