Monadnock Research - 18 February 2010

ARMONK, N.Y. - The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded IBM a services contract to modernize the system that federal agencies and their suppliers use to source equipment, supplies, information technology (IT), and telecom services.

The award has a contract value of $74.4 million over eight-years. Northrop Grumman, Vertex Information and Computer Consulting Services (VICCS), Inc., and Collins Consulting, Inc., will work with IBM on the project.

IBM will work with the GSA to design and develop a standard IT architecture that will support the agency's Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE), which is used by hundreds of thousands of civilian and defense employees, as well as companies doing business with the U.S. federal government and other interested parties.

The project will include the integration of nine key GSA applications into a single system - based on open source software - designed to simplify the entire acquisition and procurement process. This integration will allow the GSA to provide a one-stop online resource where federal agencies and suppliers can access information ranging from approved products and services and existing GSA contracts to contractor registrations and certifications, project reports, and federal business opportunities. The modernization effort is part of an ongoing effort by the GSA to use innovative technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the quality and accessibility of services to federal clients. By streamlining and consolidating current IAE applications into the new standard architecture, the GSA expects to realize significant operating cost savings.

"The GSA continues to play a central role in transforming the government's procurement process, making it easier and more cost-effective for federal agencies to acquire products and services," said Charles L. Prow, Managing Partner, IBM Global Business Services, Public Sector. "IBM is very pleased to support this important initiative."

IBM release

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