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their entire requirement outside of the contract, noted Nico Fisher, principal research analyst at Deltek, a software and information solutions provider. Fortunately, there is no cap on ITES-SW2.
There are plenty of other reasons
to consider the ITES-SW2 contract
for software requirements. Like other ITES contracts, it is administered by the Army’s Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS), experts in category management with a long history of expertise with best-in-class contracts. CHESS contracts have long been held up as a gold standard in innovation. CHESS specializes in simple, no-fee contract vehicles for cost-conscious agencies. Its reverse auction capability, for example, increases competition among vendors to produce the lowest price for agencies. CHESS also provides resources to help agencies track their spending on software products.
Benefits, multiplied
CDW·G, which already holds ITES contracts for hardware (ITES-3H) is
a recent awardee of the ITES-SW2 contract. This affords agencies the opportunity to choose one provider for all requirements related to a full solution. That means agencies with large or multiple requirements can get all of the technology and surrounding services and solutions they need from one place, and help ensure that all components are compatible.
While the ability to get all products and services necessary to create a full solution might be seen as a great convenience, it’s much more than that, says Jack Nichols, Chief Technology Officer, Federal – Civilian at CDW·G.
“If an agency needs a complex solution that requires hardware components, software components and services, it’s possible to cobble all of these things together across different contracts, but it can be very complex because different parts of the solution are being delivered from multiple sources. That means someone has to sort it all out and make sure it aligns with all requirements,” he explains. “It’s
a tremendous time drain, and it can be messy mixing different contract vehicles together.”
Choosing a provider with multiple contracts from the same source simplifies matters. Because CDW·G holds multiple ITES contracts, for example, its experts can efficiently assess and identify the specific software, hardware and integration services required and make sure the full solution works seamlessly, covers all requirements and sets the agency up well for success.
For agencies addressing cyber- security challenges, CDW·G has developed a proprietary solution called Security Management Infrastructure (SMI) which is a modular platform specifically designed to combat insider threats. Through “persistent and intelligent monitoring,” SMI analyzes and correlates data, using pattern recognition to isolate aberrational access and data handling behavior.” Using the ITES-SW2 contract, agencies are able to select from
a menu of tools and providers to create the solution that works best for their mission.
As citizen expectations heighten and priorities continue to shift,
there has never been a better time to take stock of current software and surrounding infrastructure. The ITES family of contracts—and CDW·G— has it covered.
Up Next: ITES HW-4
The ITES family of contracts continues to grow and mature with ITES-4H, the follow-on to the very successful ITES-3H hardware contract. Like ITES-3H, it supports the Department of the Army and is administered by CHESS. It has a ceiling value of $10 billion over a 10 year period of performance and will be open to the Army, DoD, and other federal agencies.
ITES-4H will include seven product catalogs for IT equipment:
• ITES Catalog I – Servers
• ITES Catalog II – Workstations, Thin Clients, Desktops and Notebooks • ITES Catalog III – Storage Systems
• ITES Catalog IV – Networking Equipment
• ITES Catalog V – Imaging Equipment
• ITES Catalog VI – Cables, Connectors, and Accessories
• ITES Catalog VII – Video Equipment Products
Visit www.cdwg.com/federal to learn more about CDW·G, our capabilities and contracts. Contact us at 800.808.4239 to orchestrate a secure solution customized to your agency’s needs.