The General Services Administration’s ambitious new telecommunications contract passed the Office of Management and Budget’s rigorous performance test to receive a “Best-in-Class” designation, the agency announced April 25, 2018.
The Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, which is intended to provide a vehicle for agencies to acquire modern telecommunication solutions and to replace the old Networx contract vehicle, was awarded to 10 companies in July 2017. Agencies have until early 2020 to transition from the old vehicle to the new EIS portfolio.
“This EIS BIC-designated contract represents a preferred governmentwide solution and provides a unique opportunity to leverage the government’s buying power,” the GSA announcement of the designation said.
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“The EIS BIC designation allows acquisition experts to take advantage of pre-vetted, governmentwide contract solutions; supports a governmentwide migration to solutions that are mature and market-proven; assists in the optimization of spend within the governmentwide category management framework; and increases the transactional data available for agency level and governmentwide analysis of buying behavior.”
Best-in-Class contracts must satisfy five criteria to receive the designation:
- Rigorous requirements definitions and planning processes;
- Appropriate pricing strategies;
- Data-driven demand-management strategies;
- Category and performance management practices; and
- Independent validation and reviews by category teams.
The EIS contract joins 31 other BIC contracts, including GSA’s Alliant and Schedule 70 IT contracts.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
