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“I believed it when it was originally stated. As time has worn on, I’ve lost faith in it”.
— DAVE YOUNG, CENTURYLINK
“Agencies are saying, ‘Now we’ll do like for like,’ but they’re also asking \[vendors\] to tell them how to get to the next-generation tech”.
— DIANA GOWEN, METTEL
said some agencies are also planning to move to voice over IP, unified communications and software-defined wide-area networks.
Others see signs of interest in modernization, just not in agencies’ near-term plans. “Agencies are saying, ‘Now we’ll do like for like,’ but they’re also asking \[vendors\] to tell them how to get to the next-generation tech,” MetTel Senior Vice President Diana Gowen told FCW.
The need for better guidance
Some industry observers, however, say competition could be suffering as agencies initially seek to support existing networks with like-for-like replacements. Bob Woods, president of Topside Consulting Group and former commissioner of GSA’s Federal Technology Service, said agencies that focus on basic functionality with the goal of incorporating modernization later tend to structure their EIS contracts around services provided by their incumbent carriers.
The Justice Department’s contract, for example, was light on bidders and modernization, he said. Multiple sources also told FCW that the contract appears to have been written to align closely with incumbent carrier AT&T. Among other services, the contract brought 120,000 users of CenturyLink’s and Verizon’s managed voice services over to AT&T’s IP voice services. (AT&T declined com- ment for this article.)
According to the Federal Procurement Data System, there were two bidders among the nine EIS vendors for the $1 billion solicitation. That “shows competition walk- ing away” from EIS contracts that vendors don’t think they have a chance of winning, Woods said.
Young said agencies need more guidance on EIS so the contract vehicle can have maximum impact. He and Woods both said the Office of Management and Budget could help agencies develop competitive solicitations that incorporate modernization.
Young said agencies should consider breaking their
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