Source: http://netcentsii.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=233
Timestamp: 2014-07-26 05:06:02
Document Index: 390419407

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 121', '§121', '§121', '§ 121', '§ 121', '§ 121', '§ 121']

NETCENTSII – An Industry Information Portal Home
Register NowWelcome to the NETCENTSII Industry news site. The U.S. Air Force's Network Centric Solutions 2 (NETCENTSII) contract consists of a collection of acquisitions that will replace the current NETCENTS contract vehicle with seven separate indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. The total value of NETCENTSII is $24+ billion over a seven-year period. NETCENTSII is managed by the AFPEO Business Enterprise Services (BES) at Gunter Annex, Maxwell AFB.
Final Four NETCENTSII NETOPS SB Protests DeniedPosted Jul 22 2014 in NETCENTSII with 0 Comments As expected, GAO denied, Monday, the protests of EMW Inc.; Futron, Inc.; VMDn, LLC; and Pragmatics, Inc.
4Outcome: Denied
Outcome: Sustained
CDO Technologies, Inc.,
bacus Technology Corporation
Tribalco, LLC,
GAO Bid Decisions Site Listings for NETCENTSII NETOPS ProtestsPosted Jul 16 2014 in NETCENTSII with 0 Comments Solicitation Number: FA8771-09-R-0019
D&S Consultants, Inc. File Number: B-409686.12 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
Abacus Technology Corporation File Number: B-409686.14 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
CDO Technologies, Inc. File Number: B-409686.5 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
D&S Consultants, Inc. File Number: B-409686.6 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
Abacus Technology Corporation File Number: B-409686.2 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
D&S Consultants Inc File Number: B-409686.3 Outcome: Sustained Date Decided: Jul 15, 2014
Tribalco, LLC File Number: B-409686.9 Outcome: Withdrawn Date Decided: Jul 10, 2014
Pragmatics Inc. File Number: B-409686.13 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
EMW, Inc. File Number: B-409686.11 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Pragmatics Inc. File Number: B-409686.7 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Futron Inc. File Number: B-409686.8 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
VMDn, LLC File Number: B-409686.10 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
EMW, Inc. File Number: B-409686.4 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Intelligent Decisions, Inc. File Number: B-409686.1 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Four NETCENTSII NETOPS Protests Have Been Partially Sustained, Denied, and DismissedPosted Jul 16 2014 in NETCENTSII with 0 Comments Protests filed by Intelligent Decisions, Abacus Technology Corporation, D&S Consultants, and CDO Technologies have parts sustained, denied, and dismissed. Remaining Protests to be resolved by July 23rd.
This GAO statement was provided to NETCENTSII.com by GAO’s Research team.
“WASHINGTON (July 15, 2014) – The following is a statement from Ralph O. White, Managing Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law at GAO, regarding today’s decision resolving four separate challenges to the Department of the Air Force’s award of contracts under the small business set-aside portion of its Network Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTS-2) acquisition. The decision is captioned: Intelligent Decisions, Inc.; Abacus Technology Corporation; D&S Consultants, Inc.; CDO Technologies, Inc., B-409686, et al. , July 15, 2014.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office sustained in part, denied in part and dismissed in part, protests filed by Intelligent Decisions, Inc., of Ashburn, Virginia; Abacus Technology Corporation, of Chevy Chase, Maryland; D&S Consultants, Inc., of Eatontown, New Jersey; and CDO Technologies, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio, challenging the evaluation of their proposals under request for proposals (RFP) No. FA8771-09-R-0019, issued by the Department of the Air Force to acquire a wide array of information technology services and products under the small business set-aside portion of the agency’s NETCENTS-2 acquisition.
Our decision of today addresses the issues raised by four separate protesters who filed protests challenging the Air Force’s March 2014, award of 12 contracts to small businesses. (Four other protests of the NETCENTS-2 small business awards are still pending before our Office, and will be resolved no later than July 21, and July 23, the respective due dates for those protests.)
In each of the protests resolved today, the protesters challenged the agency’s evaluation of their respective proposals, and the protests filed by Abacus and D&S Consulting also challenged the agency’s source selection decision. GAO sustained an evaluation challenge raised by D&S Consultants, and also sustained the challenges to the agency’s source selection raised by Abacus and D&S Consultants. GAO denied or dismissed the challenges raised by Intelligent Decisions and CDO Technologies, and the remaining evaluation challenges raised by Abacus and D&S Consulting. GAO recommends that the Air Force reevaluate proposals and make a new source selection.
GAO’s decision expresses no view as to the merits of the firms’ respective proposals. Judgments about which offeror will most successfully meet the governments needs are reserved for the procuring agencies, subject only to such statutory and regulatory requirements as full and open competition, and fairness to potential offerors. Our bid protest process results in a legal determination about whether procuring agencies have complied with those statutory and regulatory requirements. The full text of today’s decision was issued under a protective order because the decision contains proprietary and source selection sensitive information. We have directed counsel for the parties to promptly identify information that cannot be publicly released so that we can expeditiously prepare and release a public version of the decision. As soon as a public version of the decision is available it will be posted to the GAO website at: www.gao.gov.
Prediction: This App Services F&O Award will be protested!Posted Jul 15 2014 in NETCENTSII with 0 Comments Harris IT Services loses out. Five firms added. There were six protestors to the original award: CAC Applied Technologies, InfoReliance, Northropo Grumman Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, HP Enterprise Services, General Dynamics Information Technology. Awardees IBM and CACI did not even protest the original award.
29 July 2013 NETCENTS-2 Application Services (Full & Open) contract awardees:
Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions, Owego, N.Y., (FA8732-13-D-0001);
TYBRIN Corp., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., (FA8732-13-D-0002); (acquired by Jacobs Technology)
Harris IT Services Corp., Dulles, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0005);
SRA International, Fairfax, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0003);
Raytheon, Garland, Texas, (FA8732-13-D-0006);
L-3 National Security Solutions, Reston, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0004)
15 July 2014 Awardees:
Lockheed Martin Corp., Gaithersburg, Maryland (FA87732-13-D-0001);
Jacobs Technology, Fort Walton Beach, Florida (FA8732-13-D-0002);
SRA International, Fairfax, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0003);
L-3 National Security Solutions, Reston, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0004);
Raytheon, Garland, Texas (FA8732-13-D-0006);
InfoReliance Corp., Fairfax, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0026);
CACI-ISS, Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0027);
Northrop Grumman Information Systems, Herndon, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0028),
General Dynamics Information Technology, Needham, Massachusetts (FA8732-13-D-0029);
International Business Machines Corp., Reston, Virginia (FA8732-13-D-0030)
Ten NETCENTSII App Service F&O Awards AnnouncedPosted Jul 15 2014 in NETCENTSII with 0 Comments The Air Force has announced Awards for the NETCENTS-2 Application Services (Full & Open) contract. The awardees are:
The Air Force announced that these firms are being awarded a $960,000,000 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for Network-Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTS-2) Application Services. This contract vehicle will provide services such as sustainment, migration, integration, training, help desk support, testing and operational support. Other services include, but are not limited to, exposing data from Authoritative Data Sources to support web-services or Service Oriented Architecture constructs in Air Force enterprise environments. This contract vehicle is the mandatory source for all USAF units purchasing services that fall under the scope of the contract. Because this is an ID/IQ contract, the location of performance is not known at this time and will be cited on individual delivery orders. The period of performance is 10 years. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition; offers were solicited electronically through FedBizOps and 21 offers were received. The contract ceiling for NETCENTS-2 Application Services Full and Open remains the same at $960,000,000. NETCENTS-2 is a set of five categories of contract capabilities spanning Netcentric Products, Network Operations and Infrastructure Solutions, Applications Services, Enterprise Integration and Service Management, and Information Technology Professional Services. Link to the Defense.gov Contracts announcement
One Down. Tribalco’s NETCENTSII NETOPS SB Protest WithdrawnPosted Jul 11 2014 in NETCENTSII The GAO Bid Protest Docket page updated today show that one of the thirteen protests on the NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business contract awards has been withdrawn.
MITS 2014: PEO-BES Director Enterprise Services Briefs Net-Centric Solutions IIPosted May 27 2014 in NETCENTSII The Director for Enterprise Services Division – PEO-BES, Mr. Herb Hunter briefed industry and Air Force attendees at the Montgomery IT Summit last week in Montgomery, Alabama.
Ten NETCENTSII NETOPS Protests Listed At GAO SitePosted Apr 16 2014 in NETCENTSII According to the GAO Protest Docket for Solicitation Number: FA8771-09-R-0019, six more firms filed protests on April 14th. This was the last possible day that firms who received their Debrief on April 4th could file a protest (ten day window).
Washington Technology Blogger Off The Mark AgainPosted Apr 12 2014 in NETCENTSII In a ‘behind-the-paywall’ blog entry not really worth reading, Washington Technology blogger Nick Wakeman tries again to take a shot at the Air Force about the NETCENTSII contract protests. While making several factual misstatements, his obvious effort to say something something timely about NETCENTSII by attempting to connect problems with the NETCENTSII Products contract acquisition falls short. He only betrays a lack of any real knowledge or insight. The structural problems that existed in the Products contract were not carried over into the NETOPS RFP in any way. It will not be a winning strategy for all fourteen firms who responded to the FPR, but did not receive awards, to file a protest in the singular hope that the USAF will cave to all respondents. It didn’t happen on NETCENTS-2 Application Services (Full & Open) where losing firms were large businesses with real resources. It won’t happen here.
Behind-the-Paywall link not worth providing!
EMW Joins Protestors, Now There Are FourPosted Apr 11 2014 in NETCENTSII EMW, Inc.
File Number: B-409686.4 Due Date: Jul 21, 2014 Status: Case Currently Open
NETCENTSII NETOPS Contract Action Suspended – Three Protests filed Within 5 Day Suspension PeriodPosted Apr 9 2014 in NETCENTSII NETCENTSII.com sources at awarded firms indicate they’ve received notice of contract suspension from the Air Force and that three firms filed within the suspension window.
NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business Protests Begin: Intelligent Decisions Files FirstPosted Apr 8 2014 in NETCENTSII This early filing likely made within five days of their Debrief.
Protestor: Intelligent Decisions, Inc.
File Number: B-409686.1
Filed Date: Apr 7, 2014
Due Date: Jul 16, 2014
Debriefs Being Scheduled for NETOPS Small Business SubmittersPosted Mar 29 2014 in NETCENTSII Debriefs are being scheduled, now, for the NETOPS Small Business contract submitters. With the first occurring this week, it is expected to take three business weeks to conduct Debriefs of all or most of the 29 submitters.
Firms have ten days from their Debrief date to file a GAO Protest. NETCENTSII.com understands several firms have been planning their protest for some time, in advance of the final award and debriefs.
Twelve NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business Awards MadePosted Mar 29 2014 in NETCENTSII The Air Force sent Notice of Awards to twelve firm late last Thursday, March 27th. The following information appears at Defense.gov.
The Air Force has awarded twelve firms from a pool of 29 submissions. There are no changes from the Notice of Apparently Successful Offeror list released last November. These awards mean that American Systems Corp, STG, Epsilon Systems, and MicroTechnologies survived their SBA Size Standard Challenges filed.
The Centech Group Inc., Falls Church, Va.,( FA8732-14-D-0010)
Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., San Diego, Calif., (FA8732-14-D-0011)
Smartronix Inc., Hollywood, Md., (FA8732-14-D-0012)
SMS Data Products Group Inc., McLean, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0013)
Indus Corp., Vienna, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0014)
Technica Corp., Sterling, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0015)
Telos Corp., Ashburn, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0016)
Sumaria Systems Inc., Danvers, Mass., (FA8732-14-D-0017)
BTAS Inc., Beavercreek, Ohio, (FA8732-14-D-0018)
American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0019)
STG, Inc., Reston, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0020) and
MicroTechnologies LLC, Vienna, Va., (FA8732-14-D-0021)
These twelve firms have been awarded a maximum $5,790,000,000 multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for Network-Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTS-2) network operations and infrastructure solutions. This contract vehicle will provide solutions to support network operations, core enterprise services and infrastructure development and operations, includes network management/defense, services oriented architecture infrastructure, enterprise level security/management and implementation/operations, telephony infrastructure and services.
This contract vehicle is the mandatory source for all Air Force units purchasing services that fall under the scope of the contract, and it is available for use by Army, Navy, other department of defense and federal agencies. Funding and the location of performance will be cited on individual task orders issued against this IDIQ. Each company will receive a minimum guarantee of $2,500 at award. The ordering period is a three year basic period with four 12-month options, if exercised, resulting in seven years of ordering. Task orders are limited to five years of performance, and performance may extend three years beyond the expiration of ordering.
This award is the result of a small-business competition offers were solicited electronically through the Hanscom Electronic Request for Proposal Bulletin Board and FedBizOpps, and twenty-nine offers were received. The contracting activity is Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HICK, Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Ala.
Link to Defense.gov Contracts Announcement
SBA Delays Impacting Air Force Efforts To Award NETCENTSII NETOPS Small BusinessPosted Feb 11 2014 in NETCENTSII Conversations with Air Force personnel over the last two days reveal frustration with the extended time being taken by the Small Business Administration to complete their Size Standard Determination following a protest in November 2013.
Federal Acquisition Regulations seem pretty clear in specifying the time SBA is to respond within – (§ 121.1009) “After receipt of a protest or a request for a formal size determination, the SBA Area Office will issue a formal size determination within 15 business days, if possible.”
The Size Protest was sent to the SBA on December 17th, reportedly.
Once the SBA determination is received, there is a month or more expected for review and reporting to external parties, such as Congress, that must precede public announcement of awards.
SURPRISE – Even More Delays for NETCENTSII – NETOPS F&O and SB, App Services F&OPosted Feb 9 2014 in NETCENTSII On the eve of the February PEO-BES Vendor Exchange Days, the Air Force has released a new delayed NETCENTSII Award Schedule labeled 3 February 2014. All remaining NETCENTSII contract award dates have been delayed again.
NETOPS Small Business award date – April 2014.
Application Services Full & Open award date – April 2014.
NETOPS Full & Open – November 2014
ITPS remains “on Hold.”
Just last week USAF personnel stated NETOPS Small Business award would be made before the end of February.
More Delays for NETCENTSII – NETOPS SB and App Services F&O moved out into 2014Posted Dec 17 2013 in NETCENTSII The Air Force has stealthily released a new delayed NETCENTSII Award Schedule labeled 10 December 2013.
NETOPS Small Business award date – February 2014.
Application Services Full & Open award date – February 2014.
NETOPS Full & Open – October 2014
Protests Begin: NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business ContractPosted Dec 11 2013 in NETCENTSII There have been Size Standard protests received following the notice of Apparently Successful Offerors on Monday, 25 November 2013. There was a five day period wherein size standard protests could be filed.
NETCENTSII looked to the SBA site to understand what might have happened or will happen next. We reference SBA website page Small Business Size Standards where a definition of Employees for size standard determination can be found.
Employees – The number of employees of a concern is its average number of persons employed for each pay period over the concern’s latest 12 months. Any person on the payroll must be included as one employee regardless of hours worked or temporary status. That is, it is a “head count.” The number of employees of a concern in business under 12 months is based on the average for each pay period it has been in business.
Any party to a procurement may protest the self-certification of a bidder as a small business. The protest must follow certain procedures and shall include the specific reason(s) why the protester believes the challenged firm is not a small business. A protest must be sent to the contracting officer, who transmits it to an SBA Office of Government Contracting Area Office for a size determination of the challenged firm. Procedures for protest and appeal of size determinations are detailed in 13 CFR §121.1001 through §121.1010.
§ 121.1001(b)Request for Size Determination
(9) For purposes of validating that firms listed in the Central Contractor Registration database are small, the Government Contracting Area Director or the Director, Office of Government Contracting may initiate a formal size determination when sufficient information exists that calls into question a firm’s small business status. The current date will be used to determine size, and SBA will initiate the process to remove from the database the small business designation of any firm found to be other than small.
§ 121.1004 governs the time periods wherein a size protest can be filed.
Protests regarding size certifications made for contracts must be received by the contracting officer prior to the close of business on the 5th day, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of notice (including notice received in writing, orally, or via electronic posting) of the identity of the prospective awardee or award.
A protest must include specific facts or it will be dismissed. (§ 121.1007)
After receipt of a protest or a request for a formal size determination, the SBA Area Office will issue a formal size determination within 15 business days, if possible. (§ 121.1009)
NETCENTSII NETOPS Size Standard Under NAICS 517110 Is 1500 EmployeesPosted Nov 27 2013 in NETCENTSII Twelve Companies Are Apparently Successful Offerors on NC2 NETOPS Small BusinessPosted Nov 26 2013 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Contracting office sent notices Monday to NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Small Business Companion offerors that twelve (12) companies were Apparently Successful.
NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business – Notification of Apparently Successful Offerors Expected 1pm EDTPosted Nov 25 2013 in NETCENTSII Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Air Force is expected to issue a Notification of Apparently Successful Offerors today for FA8771-09-R-0019, NetOps SB Companion. NETCENTSII offerors received an email Thursday from the NETCENTSII Contracting office to be on the lookout for this notice. .
NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Awards Announced, 25 Awards Made.Posted Nov 6 2013 in NETCENTSII The Air Force announced twenty-five (25) awards were made to NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Contract in a briefing on Wednesday at the PEO-BES Vendor Industry Day. According to Defense.gov posting 5 Nov 2013, Federal Networked Systems LLC., Dell Federal Systems L.P., Harris IT Services Corp., Sterling Computers Corp., Force 3 Inc., PCMall Inc., Insight Public Sector Inc., Presidio Networked Solutions Inc., and FCN Inc. have all been awarded a firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a maximum potential value of $6,900,000,000. These nine awards were made in addition to the original eight Awards in April and eight additional awards made in August.
This contract vehicle is mandatory for the purchase of Netcentric products for Air Force customers. This contract vehicle will provide for commercially available off-the-shelf products to support the Internet Protocol Network and will include the following categories of Netcentric products and associated support worldwide: networking equipment, servers/storage, peripherals, multimedia, software (not included on other enterprise licenses), and identity management/ biometric hardware and associated software. Because this is an ID/IQ, the location of performance is not known at this time and will be cited on individual delivery orders. Generally, work will be performed at Air Force facilities.
Offers were originally solicited electronically through Federal Business Opportunities and 26 offers were received, but only 25 awards were made. The contract ceiling for NETCENTSII Netcentric Products is $6,900,000,000. NETCENTSII Netcentric products is one of a set of five categories of contract capabilities spanning Netcentric products, network operations and infrastructure solutions, applications services, enterprise integration and service management, and information technology professional services all included under the broader NETCENTSII program. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HICK, Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Contract# / Task Order#
FA873213D0010
FA873213D0011
FA873213D0012
FA873213D0013
FA873213D0014
ACE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS LLC
FA873213D0015
FA873213D0016
FA873213D0017
FA873213D0018
IMMIX GROUP, INC
FA873213D0028
FA873213D0029
FA873213D0030
FA873213D0031
FA873213D0032
FA873213D0033
RED RIVER COMPUTER COMPANY INC
FA873213D0034
INTEGRATION TECHNOLOGIES GROUP INC
FA873214D0001
FA873214D0002
FA873214D0003
FA873214D0004
FA873214D0005
FA873214D0006
FA873214D0007
FA873214D0008
FA873214D0009
When discussing the Netcentric Products awards, Herb Hunter, Director, Enterprise Services Division, explained that CPARS will their ‘Consumer Reports style’ reporting tool to communicate the capabilities and performance of suppliers. He said they “tried” to select only offerors who demonstrated capability to perform, but protests prevailed. CPARS will be used to report performance. The Products contract period of performance is three years with three one-year options. Presumably, firms who not not perform according to contract requirements will not receive option year awards.
NETCENTSII Award Schedule Updated, Now Set For ThanksgivingPosted Oct 30 2013 in NETCENTSII The Air Force released a new NETCENTSII Award Schedule on October 25th.
NETCENTRIC Products award date – Thanksgiving 2013.
NETOPS Small Business award date – Thanksgiving 2013.
Application Services Full & Open award date – Thanksgiving 2013.
NETOPS Full & Open – slips six (6) months to October 2014
All NETCENTSII NetCentric Products Contract Protests Dismissed, Everyone Gets An AwardPosted Oct 16 2013 in NETCENTSII According to a Washington Technology article released on October 1, 2013, all of the protests filed against the third round of awards have been dismissed and the USAF intends to take corrective actions that will include awards to all bidders on the contract. Previously, 16 contract awards have been announced. An article in GOVCONWIRE on 27 August 2013 stated there were twenty-six offerors who submitted proposals. Therefore, a total of 26 awards are now expected.
The protestors listed on the GAO Bid Protest Docket site include: Harris IT Services Corporation, Global Technology Resources, Force 3, Inc., Sterling Computers Corporation, Integration Technologies Group, Inc., Global Technology Resources, Inc., Blue Tech, Inc., Insight Public Sector, Inc., UNICOM Government, Inc., Presidio Networked Solutions, Inc., FCN Inc., Red River Computer Company, Inc., immixTechnology, Inc., M2 Technology, Inc., Dell Federal Systems L.P., and MicroTech, LLC.
Eight of these firms were not awarded in the August 26th “Sweet Sixteen” announcement: Force 3, Inc., Sterling Computers Corporation, Insight Public Sector, Inc., Presidio Networked Solutions, Inc., FCN Inc., Dell Federal Systems L.P., Harris IT Services Corporation, and Global Technology Resources, Inc.
There has not been an official announcement or confirmation from the Air Force.
NETCENTSII Products Debriefs Complete – Protests BeginPosted Sep 6 2013 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Multiple Award, ID/IQ contract awards were announced August 26th. There are now five protests filed with GAO.
Presidio Networked Solutions, Inc., File Number: B-405389.38
Filed Date: Sep 5, 2013
Due Date: Dec 16, 2013
PCMG, File Number: B-405389.37
Filed Date: Sep 3, 2013
Due Date: Dec 12, 2013
Force 3, Inc., File Number: B-405389.36
Sterling Computers Corporation, File Number: B-405389.35
FCN Inc., File Number: B-405389.34
Sweet Sixteen: Eight More firms Awarded NETCENTSII Netcentric Products ContractPosted Aug 27 2013 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Multiple Award, ID/IQ contract awards were announced August 26th. In addition to the eight awardees announced in April 2013, eight additional firms were announced as awardees: immix Technology, Inc., McLean, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0018); M2 Technology, San Antonio Texas, (FA8732-13-D-0028); Blue Tech, Inc., San Diego, Calif. (FA8732-13-D-0029); Unicom Government, Inc., Herndon Va., (FA8732-13-D-0030); Global Technology Resources, Inc., Denver, Colo., (FA8732-13-D-0031); Micro Tech, Vienna, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0032); Red River Computer Co., Claremont, N.H., (FA8732-13-D-0033); and Integration Technologies Group, Falls Church, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0034).
The April 2013 Products contract awardees were: FedStore Corporation Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0010
Rockville Maryland 20850-6252
Intelligent Decisions Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0011
21445 Beaurneade Circle
World Wide Technology, Inc. Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0012
58 Weldon Parkway
CDW Government LLC Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0013
Ace Technology Partners, LLC Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0014
CounterTrade Products, Inc. Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0015
7585 W. 66th Avenue
Arvada Colorado 80003
General Dynamics IT Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0016
Iron Bow Technologies, LLC Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0017
PEO Business Enterprise Services Vendor Exchange Days ScheduledPosted Aug 22 2013 in NETCENTSII The next Business and Enterprise Systems (BES) Vendor Exchange Forum (VXF) is scheduled for 27-29 Aug. This event will feature workshops, a small business forum, vendor presentations and open forum discussions.
The theme for the forum is: “Feeling Good about IT.” The stand-up of the new Enterprise Application and Integration division (HIQ) within BES has brought a more standardized approach to how BES acquires, operates, sustains and enables enterprise IT capability. Discussions will focus on how this new division is helping BES better provide war-winning IT capability to the Air Force and the DoD, according to the PEO BES announcement.
An opportunity to provide capability presentations/ demonstrations to interested government personnel are being scheduled on the 27th and 29th of August as in past Vendor Days. Also, on 27 August, BES is holding a discussion with its industry partners focusing on its Process Integration Board and Metrics IPT. On 28 August, BES will hold open forum technical workshops involving its integration, developmental planning initiatives, lifecycle management tools and a common computing environment implementation baseline.
The morning of 29 August features a Small Business forum in the morning and afternoon will be available for vendor capability presentations.
If you miss this event, the next one will be the Vendor Industry Days scheduled for 6-7 November 2013, according to the BES Vendor Communications website,.
Link to BES Vendor Communications website
Northrop joins Protest on NETCENTSII Application Services Full & OpenPosted Aug 14 2013 in NETCENTSII Northrop Grumman joined Booz Allen, HP, and GDIT, yesterday, in the Protest of the NETCENTSII App Service F&O contract awards. Stay tuned for more …. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
File Number: B-408694.4 Due Date: 21 Nov 2013
File Number: B-408694.2 Due Date: 20 Nov 2013
File Number: B-408694.3 Due Date: 20 Nov 2013
File Number: B-408694.1 Due Date: 18 Nov 2013
Target 80 Awards: 48 Remain for NETOPS Small Business, NETOPS F&O, and ITPS.Posted Aug 9 2013 in NETCENTSII According to NETCENTSII PMO Gerry Smothers at Feburary’s “Straight Talk About NETCENTSII” briefing when discussing the number of awards column in a ‘NETCENTS In A Nutshell” slide he displayed, “If you do the math and think fast-forward, I think it wouldn’t be unreasonable to have eighty (80) of you folks on these contracts.”
So, Hypothetical Scenario #1 assumes the long delayed ITPS contract will eventually be competed as it is a Small Business category contract and that both NETOPS contracts competitions will be awarded. This scenario also assumes the Air Force awards to substantially all Products contract submitters as a timely resolution to the ongoing protests.
Hypothetical Scenario #2 (low probability) recognizes that the current resource/staffing issues are not resolved due to Sequestration pressures and the NETOPS Full & Open contract is eliminated with a slightly expanded NETOPS Small Business award base. Even with the expanded number of Products awards, the total award count drops below the eighty (80) discussed by the NETCENTSII PMO.
The analysis above is purely hypothetical with no input or information from any Air Force source. It’s as likely to completely dead wrong as it is to be right.
NETCENTSII Application Services Full & Open Awards AnnouncedIndustry Shocked That Only Six Awards Were Made.Posted Jul 29 2013 in NETCENTSII According to DEFENSE.GOV, the Air Force has selected six (6) awardees for the NETCENTSII App Services Full & Open contract from 21 responses received. Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions, TYBRIN Corp., Harris IT Services Corp., SRA International, Raytheon, and L-3 National Security Solutions have been awarded a multiple award, indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.
Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions, Owego, N.Y., (FA8732-13-D-0001)
TYBRIN Corp., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., (FA8732-13-D-0002)
Harris IT Services Corp., Dulles, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0005)
SRA International, Fairfax, Va., (FA8732-13-D-0003)
Raytheon, Garland, Texas, (FA8732-13-D-0006)
This contract vehicle will provide services such as sustainment, migration, integration, training, help desk support, testing and operational support. Other services include, but are not limited to, exposing data from authoritative data sources to support web-services or service oriented architecture constructs in Air Force enterprise environments.
This contract vehicle is the mandatory source for all Air Force units purchasing services that fall under the scope of the contract. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition; offers were solicited electronically through Federal Business Opportunities website and 21 offers were received. Some of the unsuccessful bidders include: SAIC, General Dynamics (incumbent), Northrop Grumman, NCI (incumbent), CSC, and CACI.
The period of performance is seven years, and the ordering period is a three year basic period with four 12-month options, if exercised. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HICK, Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Ala., is the contracting activity.
The Air Force states the Notional Schedule released in June (listed below) remains valid for all other NETCENTSII contract awards. However, two Air Force sources state the NETOPS Small Business awards are expected in October 2013.
GovWin Reports NETCENTSII App Services Full And Open Not AwardedPosted Jun 19 2013 in NETCENTSII According to GovWin, the Air Force Contracting Office stated that the NC2 Application Services Full and Open effort has not yet been awarded. ”A new schedule is anticipated to be released in a couple of weeks,” accordingly to their latest update on their NETCENTSII Opportunity page.
Déjà Vu All Over Again: GAO Protests Dismissed As Air Force Agrees to Take Corrective ActionPosted May 20 2013 in NETCENTSII A quick check of the GAO Bid Protest Docket reveals that the fourteen protests to the NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Awards were listed as “Dismissed” on 17 May 2013. The GAO confirmed that the protests were dismissed since the Air Force is seeking to take corrective action. There has been no notice or statement from the Air Force posted to their NETCENTS website.
5/22 UPDATE: A DEFENSE SYSTEMS article yesterday indicated the Air Force “seeks to take corrective actions on the contract related to the Trade Agreements Act, which prevents the procurement of components from certain countries.”
NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business Final Proposal Revisions Due 16 MayPosted May 16 2013 in NETCENTSII NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business RFP respondents were notified on 10 May that their Final Proposal Revisions were due 16 May. The May 10th letter from NETCENTSII Contracting Officer, Randi Williams, notified offerors that discussions where closed and invited respondents’ Final Proposal Revisions. The letter also notified companies that they were in the Competitive Range.
Three More Makes Fourteen Protests Filed on NETCENTSII Netcentric ProductsPosted May 9 2013 in NETCENTSII UNICOM Government, Inc.
File Number: B-405389.32 Insight Public Sector, Inc.
File Number: B-405389.31
File Number: B-405389.30
One More Makes Eleven Protests Filed on NETCENTSII Netcentric ProductsPosted May 3 2013 in NETCENTSII FCN Inc.
File Number: B-405389.29 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Five More Protests Filed on NETCENTSII Netcentric ProductsPosted May 2 2013 in NETCENTSII Blue Tech, Inc.
File Number: B-405389.24 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.25 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.26 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.27 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.28 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
There must be a great acronym in this … I like “N2P3.”
And Now There Are Five, Protests That Is!Posted May 1 2013 in NETCENTSII We all knew they were coming and Force3 was the first. Four more firms has joined in as of this morning. Stay tuned for more ….
Solicitation Number: FA8771-08-R-0016
File Number: B-405389.19 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.20 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
Dell Federal Systems, LP
File Number: B-405389.21 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.22 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
File Number: B-405389.23 Outcome: Not Decided Status: Case Currently Open
The April 20 Award notice for Netcentric Products contract was ahead of the mid-May Award date briefed to industry in February. But the App Services (Full & Open) Award was not made in April as forecast.
Eight firms Awarded NETCENTSII Netcentric Products ContractPosted Apr 20 2013 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Netcentric Products Multiple Award, ID/IQ contract awards were announced April 19th. The Products contracts with a ceiling of $6.9 Billion were awarded to:
FedStore Corporation Contract Number: FA8732-13-D-0010
Four of these firms were among the nine announced awardees in April 2012: Fedstore, Ace Technology Partners, GDIT, and Iron Bow. Five of the nine original 2012 awardees (Red River Computer Company, M2 Technology, GTSI Corp, Global Technology Resources, and Blue Tech) were not among the awardees announced Friday.
Link to FBO Announcement
NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business Evaluation Notices Sent OutPosted Feb 16 2013 in NETCENTSII NETCENTSII.com has confirmed that NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business RFP submitters have received ENs. This supports the update provided at the recent PEO-BES Vendor Exchange Day briefing by the NETCENTS PMO, Gerry Smothers, on the shift of source selection resources to the NETOPS Small Business procurement. The Award Date for the NETOPS Small Business contract is early August 2013 as indicated in the graphic shown below.
The firms we spoke with indicated they had until early April to respond to the ENs received. We do not know whether all submitters received notices or not.
NETCENTSII Awards Pushed Out AgainNETOPS and Infrastructure Full & Open Award Date Slips Another Twelve Months to December 2013Posted Feb 16 2013 in NETCENTSII The new Enterprise Services Director, Herb Hunter, introduced the new “Face of NETCENTS,” Mr. Robert ‘Gerry’ Smothers in a late morning session yesterday. Mr. Smothers appeared confident and at ease as he addressed the packed auditorium who came to hear “Straight Talk About NETCENTSII.” He displayed a new award timeline slide showing:
Application Services Full&Open award date – April 2013.
Products award date – May 2013.
NETOPS Small Business award date – August 2013.
NETOPS Full&Open award date slips one year to December 2013
“Because of the planning that goes on in advance, we’re just now seeing the crest of RFIs going out to to contracts (EISM and App Services) that have been awarded. Things are starting to move along.”
Regarding the number of awards column in a ‘NETCENTS In A Nutshell” slide shown, “I’ve heard the grumbling and complaints from industry but if you look at our estimated number of awards , that’s “a much higher number of vendors/contractors and capabilities [compared to NETCENTS] so we’ll have a better pool to support the Air Force.””If you do the math and think fast-forward, I think it wouldn’t be unreasonable to have eighty (80) of you folks on these contracts.”
NOTE: The number of awards column showed “6-9? for the seven contracts displayed.
Mandatory Use Policy – tremendous value for the Air Force that is recognized by the MAJCOMs. Waivers to the Mandatory Use Policy will have to go through Mr Shofner, PEO NETCENTS, on their way through the process. Mr. Smothers has a high degree of confidence that the Products contract is going to be awarded as they’ve learned from the protest to date.
NETOPS Full & Open: “Straight talk, we’ve taken our resources away from the NETOPS Full & Open effort and put those on the Small Business side understanding the emphasis from top levels on small business, I have a high degree of confidence that its coming out [in August 2013] and will be awarded.”
Regarding App Services Full & Open, Mr. Smothers said protests were upheld and our processes and team are in-order such that he has a high degree of confidence in the date [slide shows April 2013]. Regarding the ITPS contract, it remains on-hold due to a lack of resources to run another procurement.
There will not be an extension of the NETCENTS(1) past September and there will be a two year period of performance past September 15th. On-ramps continue to be part of the NETCENTSII strategy as a methodology to increase small business participation and continue to get access to new technologies. But it is manpower dependent.
2013 NDAA Section 866 – Mr Smothers said the important word is “eligible”, NETCENTSII will not a Seaport-E contract. He believes the Section 866 intent refers to NETCENTS(I) and the that the multiple contracts/multiple awards of NETCENTSII meets the requirement already.
PEO BES Carl Shofner: “Three [NETCENTSII] Contracts In The Next Six Months”Posted Feb 13 2013 in NETCENTSII The Air Force PEO BES, Mr. Robert Carl Shofner, who is now PEO NETCENTS welcomed a packed auditorium at Gunter Annex this morning. With the theme “Straight Talk about NETCENTS-II,” more than 250 people from 132 companies signed up to attend this Vendor Exchange Forum. Mr. Shofner offered “good NETCENTSII news” saying there would be three contract awards in the next six months, but wouldn’t disclose which contracts those were. He stated that the NETOPS Full & Open Contract was pushed out to “prevent a gap in capabilities for our users.”
Mr. Shofner discussed the executive support for the Mandatory Use Policy of NETCENTSII coming from Air Force CIO, Gen. Basla, and Gen Davis as SAF/AQ.
Other topics discussed included training initiatives, managing expectations, and a goal to “recapture the Center of Excellence for business enterprise systems capability. When asked about ECSS Lessons Learned during the Q&A he mentioned a number but stated the critical ones were infrastructure impact, a need to embrace business process reengineering, and acquisition skill sets.
NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Full and Open Contract “On Hold Until Further Notice”Posted Feb 6 2013 in NETCENTSII A prospective prime for the NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Full and Open Contract reports that they received notification Monday that the NETCENTSII Source Selection Authority (SSA) has placed that solicitation On Hold Until Further Notice.
Link to NETCENTSII Award graphic at netcents.af.mil
NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Full and Open Contract “On Hold Until Further Notice”Posted Feb 6 2013 in NETCENTSII A prospective prime for the NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Full and Open Contract reports that they received notification Monday that the NETCENTSII Source Selection Authority has placed that solicitation On Hold Until Further Notice.
SEC. 866. PLAN TO INCREASE NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS ELIGIBLE FOR CONTRACTS UNDER AIR FORCE NETCENTSII CONTRACTPosted Nov 21 2012 in NETCENTSII A 25-line segment of the National Defense Authorization Act gives the Defense Department six months to submit a plan for increasing the number of contractors eligible to be awarded contracts under NetCentsII.
SEC. 866. PLAN TO INCREASE NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS ELIGIBLE FOR CONTRACTS UNDER AIR FORCE NETCENTSII CONTRACT.
(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a plan to increase the number of contractors eligible to be awarded contracts under the Air Force’s Network-Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTSII) indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.
(b) CONTENT.—The plan required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
(1) A recommendation and rationale for a maximum number of contractors to be eligible for contract awards under NETCENTSII to foster competition and reduce overall costs associated with hardware and operation and maintenance of Air Networks.
(2) The methodology used to periodically review existing eligible NETCENTSII contractors and contracts.
(3) A timeline to increase the current number of eligible contractors under NETCENTSII and dates of future ‘‘on-ramps’’ under NETCENTSII to assess current eligible contractors and add additional eligible contractors.
Link to Pg.571 of the NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013
PMO Turnover, NETCENTSII Award Dates UPDATEDPosted Nov 15 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Executive and Program Management offices are undergoing change. AFPEO BES Enterprise Services Division Chief, Debra Foster, briefed industry at the PEO-BES Vendor Exchange Day held last week at Gunter AFB. Ms. Foster announced her own retirement and replacement by Herb Hunter. Ms Foster briefed three additional changes:
Steve Davis who has been the NC PMO for 4 years is being replaced by Gerry Smothers (formerly Deputy PMO).
Management continuity will be provided by Ardis Hearn, Engineering branch and Cynthia Crews, Contracting branch. The award time line for both the NETOPS Full & Open and the Small Business contracts are being “reevaluated.” ( no longer March 2013).
NOTE: The NETCENTSII Awards timeline graphic on the USAF site continues to show March 2013 for both NETOPS contracts.
In other sidebar discussions at the Vendor Exchange Day, BES personnel indicated it was likely that the NETOPS Small Business contract would be awarded before the Full & Open category contracts. This would be consistent with the renewed emphasis on Small Business utilization signed off by USAF senior executives earlier this year.
NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business Companion RFP Amendment 009 ReleasedPosted Oct 29 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Contracting Officer, Randi E. Williams, released Amendment 009 Monday afternoon, 29 Oct 2012, for the NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions – Small Business Companion Contract RFP.
“All amended proposal volumes shall be due 7 November 2012, 12:00 PM (CST).”
Link to FedBizOps notice
RFP Amendment 0006 Released For NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business CompanionPosted Oct 7 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Contracting Officer, Randi E. Williams, released Amendment 0006 Friday afternoon, 05 Oct 2012, for the NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions – Small Business Companion Contract RFP.
The Memorandum For Offerors encourages careful reading of the many changes but especially Section L & M requirements. Ms Williams offers the following schedule for the Amendment 6 respondents:
Questions are due back to the Government by 12PM CDT, 11 Oct 2012
Government will publish answers on or about 18 Oct 2012
Revised proposals are due 12PM CDT, 31 Oct 2012
Interestingly, there was also: “Offers are not limited in their response to revisions required by the amendment. Replacement data will supersede the previously provided information.”
RFP Amendments Coming For NETCENTSII NETOPS Small Business CompanionPosted Sep 25 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Contracting Officer, Randi E. Williams, released a Memoradum For All Offerors on 25 Sep 2012 for the NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions – Small Business Companion Contract RFP.
The Memorandum states that an RFP Amendment can be expected in early October 2012 that will incorporate some of the elements of previous Full & Open amendments and also provide some further clarifications. Ms Williams offers the following schedule for the anticipated RFP Amendment 6:
2 October 2012 – Release Amendment 6 for FA8771-09-R-0019
9 October 2012 – Offeror Questions Due
16 October 2012 – Cumulative Questions and Answers posted on FedBixOps
26 October 2012 – Revised Proposals Due
The NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions (F&O) RFP had amendments addressing issues with the Sample Tasks, WBS, Pricing, Past Performance Period, and other clarifications. Some of these were addressed before release of the Small Business Companion RFP so it’s difficult to predict what remains to be clarified or corrected in this Amendment.
AFNCR IT Services Acquisition: Move to ALLIANT Means Lockheed WINS, Small Business LosesPosted Sep 1 2012 in NETCENTSII The Air Force provided no explanation in the recent announcement that it had made a strategic decision to transition the contract authority for the Air Force National Capital Region Information Technology (AFNCR IT) Services requirement from the Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate (AFDW/PK) to Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). AFDW had previously slated the requirement to be competed under NETCENTSII’s NETOPS contract. The recent significant delay in the Award dates for NETCENTSII NETOPS contract is believed to have been a factor in this decision. (see article below)
The prospect of AFNCR IT Services being competed on the NETCENTSII contract had offered hope that small businesses could play a major role in the recompete of this ten year contract. ”The AFNCR requirements is work performed by small businesses every day for the Air Force. They’re not building rocket ships!” A quick analysis of DISA/DITCO Contracting Officer’s Letter announcing the Draft RFP and use of the GSA Alliant contract reveals that more than seventy-seven percent (77.4%) of the work areas were reserved for large business and less than twenty-three percent (22.6%) reserved for small business. The incumbent has to be very pleased with this decision for many reasons. It could also be argued that this is a WIN for small business in that twenty plus percent of the requirements are being reserved for and competed on Alliant Small Business. True enough. The contract vehicle change means a large segment of businesses who are small under NETCENTSII’s 517110 NAICS will likely not get an opportunity to participate.
NETCENTS Contract Extended / Ceiling Increased to $10.45BPosted Aug 1 2012 in NETCENTSII “Based on the current release schedule of the NETCENTS II IDIQs and the trend analysis, an increase of $1.45B is required. The Air Force intends to increase the ID/IQ contract ceiling to $10.45B and extending the ordering period to a period of approximately six months, commencing on 10 September 2012 and ending on 31 March 2013 for the eight NETCENTS contracts. The performance period of task orders written against these ID/IQ contracts may go beyond the ordering period for a maximum of two years, ending on 30 March 2015.”
Link to full text FBO notice
NETCENTSII Award Dates Delayed Again – Pushed Out Six MonthsPosted Jul 31 2012 in NETCENTSII V. This latest update was simply a PowerPoint slide showing the new award schedule (see below). There are three MAJOR changes:
NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions Full & Open contract award is delayed until Dec 2012
NETCENTSII NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions Small Business Companion contract award is delayed until March 2013
NETCENTSII Application Services F&O contract award is delayed until March 2013
No other categories are affected at this time. There has been no explanation provided for the new delays.
An explanation for the new delays presumably comes from the DefenseSystems interview with Major General Craig Olson, AFPEO-Business Enterprise Services, on July 24th: “In the case of Products, during debriefings and subsequent protests, it became apparent that offerors may have inconsistently interpreted the requirements of the RFP as it related to completing contractual documentation and – in some aspects – the technical and price requirements.”
“In regards to Application Services Small Business, I cannot comment at this time due to litigation sensitivities. The government was notified of three protests just last week and is still evaluating them.”
“There are three more NETCENTSII contract sets we expect to award in 2012 and 2013: Application Services Full and Open (March 2013); Network Operations Full and Open (December 2012); and Network Operations Small Business (March 2013).”
“We are also planning for an IT Professional Support set of contracts that is currently on hold. To mitigate any potential support gap due to protests or other delays, we are taking steps to extend the original NETCENTS both in ceiling and period of performance.”
Link to DefenseSystems article
DELTEK GOVWIN’s Sloppy Reporting Confused About NETCENTSII ContractsPosted Jul 13 2012 in NETCENTSII NETCENTSII aspirants’ Capture Teams were jolted awake over their first cup of coffee this Friday the 13th of July morning by DELTEK GOVWIN’s erroneous reports that NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions SB had three GAO protests filed against it.
A quick fact check of the GAO Bid Protest website revealed three protests have been filed by Insignia-Specturm, LLC, Software Engineering Services Corporation, and Ace Info Solutions, Inc on the NETCENTSII Application Services (Small Business Companion) acquisition. All three cases are listed as “open” with a due date of 17 Oct 2012 on the GAO site.
There are no protests on-file against the NETCENTSII NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions Small Business Companion contract. Time for that second cup of Newman’s Finest.
NETCENTS Contract Ceiling raised to $9.95BPosted Jun 25 2012 in NETCENTSII The Air Force has announced an extension and ceiling increase for the eight year old NETCENTS contract. “Based on the current release schedule of the NETCENTS II IDIQs and the trend analysis, an increase of $950M is required. The Air Force intends to increase the ID/IQ contract ceiling to $9.95B and extending the ordering period to a period of approximately six months, commencing on 10 September 2012 and ending on 29 March 2013 for the eight NETCENTS contracts.”
The performance period of task orders written against these ID/IQ contracts may go beyond the ordering period for a maximum of two years, ending on 28 March 2015.
NETCENTSII Application Services Small Business Companion Contract Awards AnnouncedPosted Jun 22 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Application Services Total Small Business ID/IQ contract awards were announced June 22nd. The App Services contracts with a ceiling of $960 Million were awarded to:
Datum Software Inc. FA8771-12-D-1001
Digital Management, Inc. FA8771-12-D-1002
Diligent Consulting Inc. FA8771-12-D-1003
Diversified Technical Services, Inc. FA8771-12-D-1004
DSD Laboratories Inc. FA8771-12-D-1005
Excellus Solutions, LLC FA8771-12-D-1006
Exeter Government Services, LLC. FA8771-12-D-1007
IndraSoft FA8771-12-D-1008
Segue Technologies FA8771-12-D-1009
SI Systems Technologies FA8771-12-D-1010
Array Information Technology, Inc. FA8771-12-D-1011
ActioNet, Inc. FA8771-12-D-1012
Is a NETCENTSII NETOPS SB announcement imminent?Posted Jun 7 2012 in NETCENTSII Just posted today on FBO:
FA8771-09-R-0019
NETCENTSII SOLUTIONS
(NetOps) – Small Business Companion
The Government is currently in the process of completing Initial Proposal Evaluations for Solicitation FA8771-09-R-0019, NETCENTSII Network Operations and Infrastructure Solutions (NetOps) Small Business Companion.Offerors should continue to monitor the NETCENTS website, http://public.gunter.af.mil/aq/NetCents/default.aspx and/or subscribe to announcement alerts on FedBizOps, www.fbo.gov , to be kept informed of future updates and announcements.
Link to FBO
Air Force Blames Industry For NETCENTSII Products Award ProblemsPosted May 31 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Program contracting officer issued a Corrective Action Memorandum yesterday that stated: “During debriefings and the subsequent protests, it became apparent that offerors may have inconsistently interpreted the requirements of the RFP as it related to completing contractual documentation and – in some aspects – the technical and price requirements.”
The May 31, 2012 memorandum issued by Contracting Officer Francine Nix outlined the evaluation steps committed to the GAO:
Open discussion with all offerors in the competitive range;
Offerors in the competitive range will be offered a chance to submit their RFPR (REALLY Final Proposal Revisions);
New award decisions will be made, if needed
Next Step: Issue Amendment 12 requiring completed Trade Agreements Certificates and a signed SF30 by June 6th.
Link to Corrective Action Memo on FBO
NETCENTSII Program Updates Provided At AFPEO-BES Industry DayPosted May 25 2012 in NETCENTSII The AFPEO-BES Industry Day started with a NETCENTSII Program update by Mr. Eddie Upshaw, Chief of Contracting and Organizational Senior Functional, Enterprise Information Systems Directorate.
Mr. Upshaw indicated there was a “problem in understanding on one particular issue” and others raised through protests that would be addressed through ENs and another evaluation round. 14+ protests.
He indicated there were 3-5 challenges to size of announced awardees that has been sent to SBA for resolution. Two SBA regions are working it. He expects the size challenges to be investigated and awards made promptly following the SBA response. NETCENTSII.com understands there may be as many as twelve firms who’ve received Notice to Awards. NETOPS & Infrastructure Solutions F&O
There is a protest (he was not specific) that related to a misunderstanding of the last amendment issued that ‘will’ be addressed and reissued. Another Review round is expected so the June award schedule will likely slip. He was asked and indicated he was not sure whether the F&O RFP issue was present or affected the NETOPS Small Business Companion effort.
Mr. Upshaw indicated there is no NC1 extension that has been requested but there is a NC1 ceiling increase prepared but it’s not likely to find approval (in this climate).
Washington Post Article Doesn’t Offer Much NewPosted May 6 2012 in NETCENTSII The Washington Post article on Sunday added nothing of substance to the discussion of the NC-2 Products contract award fiasco. They enclosed a nonsensical graphic for the sake of having a graphic, I guess. The author, Brendan McGarry, appears to know so little about NETCENTS or the NETCENTSII acquisition that he introduces LCMO into the article even though they had no part in this bid.
Why not provide something not previously reported like: “What happens next?”, “How will this impact all the remaining NC-2 contracts in Source Selection?”, and “Should we expect more program delays?”
GAO dismisses Thirteen ProtestsPosted May 4 2012 in NETCENTSII The GAO Protest Docket website confirms the dismissal of thirteen protests to the April 16th Awards of the NETCENTSII NetCentric Products contract. It appears that WWT and Microtech withdrew their protests.
Scathing Washington Technology Questions: Air Force “Gutless or Incompetent?”Posted May 4 2012 in NETCENTSII Washington Technology Daily blogger, Nick Wakeman, asks today, “Should the Air Force fire whoever was in charge of making the bid decisions or ran the evaluation team? Shouldn’t someone be held accountable for fouling up a $6.9 billion contract?”
“In my mind there are two possible scenarios that led to the Air Force’s decision, both of which make the service look bad.
Scenario 1: The Air Force is gutless and caved to the pressure of having to defend its award decision when 11 companies filed bid protests.
Scenario 2: The Air Force is incompetent because its award decision couldn’t survive the scrutiny of 11 bid protests.
So now the Air Force is reopening discussions with the bidders and allowing them to submit another round of final proposal revisions. But doesn’t that give the protestors an advantage over the winners because they know why they lost and why the winners won? “
“This is a $6.9 billion contract that has had some delays already and is part of a $22 billion program for goods and services. It’s the Air Force’s biggest and most important IT contract and is a follow-on to the very successful NetCents I. “
“You’d think that the Air Force would have made sure the reasoning behind its award decisions was bullet proof. Or at least bullet proof enough to go through the GAO review process. Shouldn’t you make awards on a contract this big and this important with the confidence that you can withstand a protest? “
“Protests have become so commonplace that they seem to be part of company growth strategies. A case like this makes me think that a smart company should protest any losing bid because you’ll automatically get an extra shot.”
“I don’t agree with some commenters who called the protesters cry babies. No, sir, they aren’t. They are doing what’s necessary to hang onto business.”
“What does this mean for the rest of the NetCents II program? More protests and more delays, I guess.”
Four Protests filed of $6.9B NETCENTSII Products awardsPosted May 1 2012 in NETCENTSII Four companies have filed protests with the Government Accountability Office after they failed to win spots on the $6.9 billion NetCents II contract.
Integration Technologies Group Inc.
Sterling Computers Corp
Sterling was the first to file, submitting its paperwork to GAO on April 23, according to the agency’s website. A decision on its protest is due Aug. 1.
Integration Technologies Group and MicroTech, filed their protests on April 27, with a due date of Aug. 6. Dell filed on April 26 and also expects a decision by Aug. 6.
Commercial products to be sold through the contract include networking equipment, servers and storage, peripherals, multimedia, software, and identity management/biometric hardware and associated software.
Not To Be Left Out – It’s Now Nine Firms Protesting NETCENTSII Products awardsPosted May 1 2012 in NETCENTSII Washington Technology reports that nine companies have filed protests with the Government Accountability Office after they failed to win spots on the $6.9 billion NetCents II contract.
Harris IT Services Corp
immixTechnology Inc.
NETCENTSII Products was supposed to be a Least Price, Technically Acceptable competition.
NETCENTSII Products Awards Announced YesterdayPosted Apr 17 2012 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII NetCentric Products Contract Awards were announced yesterday: “Ace Technology Partners, LLC, Arlington Heights, Ill.; Blue Tech Inc., San Diego, Calif.; FedStore Corp., Rockville, Md.; General Dynamics IT, Needham, Mass.; Global Technology Resources, Inc., Denver, Colo.; GTSI Corp., Herndon, Va.; Iron Bow Technologies, LLC, Chantilly, Va.; M2 Technology, Inc. San Antonio, Texas; and Red River Computer Co., Claremont, N.H., are being awarded a $6,900,000,000 firm fixed price, multiple award, indefinite delivery, and indefinite quantity contract for the purchase of netcentric products for Air Force customers.”
April NETCENTSII Awards May Be Coming TruePosted Apr 12 2012 in NETCENTSII Confirmed but unofficial reports of NETCENTSII Application Services Small Business and yesterday’s announcement of NETCENTSII Products Awards support earlier statements by Air Force officials that NETCENTSII will be awarded this month. Last week, unconfirmed reports of twelve (12) Awards in the NETCENTSII Application Services Small Business contract category suggested the award schedule was being moved up. The App Services contract was scheduled for Award in May ((see graphic below). NETCENTSII.com has confirmed that one of the twelve companies has received a “Notice of Intent to Award.”
Air Force Forecasting 4th Year Of Declining Small Business UtilizationPosted Mar 25 2012 in NETCENTSII Officials from the Air Force Small Business Programs Office describe the multi-year decline in utilization of Small Business in contracting opportunities at several AFCEA or MAJCOM Industry day events this Spring. Mr, Eugene Toni, Director, Socio-Economic Programs, SAF/SB, used the following chart on March 8th to describe the projected continued decline in FY12. With half the fiscal year gone, it appears to be a sound projection as there are, apparently, no projected contracting awards to reverse the trend until NETCENTSII Small Business Companion contracts come on-line in FY13.
This slide identifies a reduction in the AF FY12 Small Business Utilization Goal to 16.9%.
Defense Systems article “Network Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTSII) Done-Done in April’Posted Mar 23 2012 in NETCENTSII Reporter Kimberly Johnson reports that a “top service official” stated that the much delayed NETCENTSII contract will be completed in April. The article goes on to quote Stephen Davis, Chief of the Enterprise Systems Branch of the Air Force Program Executive Office-Enterprise Information Systems (AFPEO-EIS) “We’re projecting awards for those beginning in April, with the last one in September of this year.” This latter statement is consistent with the last schedule release for the NETCENTSII program from December of this year.
We noted two themes weaved into the story (full text below). Mr. Davis is quoted as saying the NETCENTSII contract will make the Air Force more agile and Small Business friendly. Ms. Johnson did not question these statements.
We hope her opening paragraph statement comes true.
Air Force Official Says NETCENTSII Contract Will be Awarded This YearPosted Jan 22 2012 in NETCENTSII by Amber Corrin
“One of the Air Force’s chief goals in 2012 will be to complete award of the $24 billion Network-Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTSII) contract in the second and third quarters of 2012, David Van Buren, the Air Force service acquisition executive, said Jan. 20.
“This year is the year,” Van Buren said at an AFCEA Northern Virginia event in McLean, Va. “Robust competition is what’s caused the delay. So many people that bid on these programs and expressed interest that it was a huge task to go through the source selection. We fully intend to award these contracts in the second and third quarters of this calendar year.”
NETCENTSII is the follow-on to the Air Force’s original Network Centric Solutions program, a broad, five-year, $9 billion procurement program for a range of network-centric supplies and services, including hardware and software for networking and various engineering, software development, system integration, security and telephone services.
The program has been dogged by delays, going back at least as far as September 2009, when NETCENTS was set to expire and was subsequently extended by a year.
But Van Buren said progress is being made. Initial NETCENTSII awards for strategic advisory and assistance services in the areas of enterprise integration and service management were made in November 2010 and are in source selection, he said.
Close to half of NETCENTSII?s value — $11 billion – is available to small business. Contracts that aren’t small business set-asides require a minimum of 23 percent small business subcontracting, Van Buren said. There also are two small business companion contracts, in network operations and application services, he said.
According to Van Buren, the use of small business is a key part of the partnership between government and industry – and also critical to innovation and broader Air Force transformation in 2012.”
WOW! Slide Right Continues for NETCENTSII Award DatesPosted Oct 25 2011 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Award schedule has been updated. This latest update was simply a PowerPoint slide showing the new award schedule (see below). There are two changes:
NETCENTSII Products contract award has pushed to April 2012 (from March 2012)
NETCENTSII NetOps F&O contract award has pushed to June 2012 (from May 2012)
FLASH: DHS Connections II Awards MadePosted Oct 21 2011 in NETCENTSII A bit of a departure as this news is not NC2 related, but Connections II Award announcements were made on October 17/18 to selected Primes. The awardees have not been publically announced so we’ll not break the confidence. Good News: If your firm or Connections II team got the call, congratulations. Bad news: If you haven’t heard yet, better start focusing on ITES-3H!
AFITC Briefing focuses on NETCENTSII Mandatory Use PolicyPosted Sep 2 2011 in NETCENTSII For NC2 devotees there was no new information provided by Stephen Davis and Ardis Hearn at the NETCENTSII briefing held at AFITC this week in Montgomery. The presentation was clearly aimed at Air Force users, not industry, in focusing on the Mandatory Use Policy, its rationale, governance, and waiver process might be used. Stephen Davis is the Chief, Enterprise Systems Branch, AFPEO-EIS, and Ardis Hearn is the Chief Engineer, NETCENTSII, Enterprise Services Division. The Mandatory Use Policy was signed out in May (2011) by SAF/A6 and SAF/AQ.
In a departure from previous AFITC briefings, Mr. Davis took questions from the packed session from both industry and NC-2 Users. A question was asked about the postponement of the NETCENTSII ITPS contract competition which was answered as a resource availability issue, not a change in the requirement or commitment for the ITPS contract competition. An Air Force user brought up a problem he encountered on the awarded EISM contract in pursuing a Waiver whose delay resulted in lost funding. A question was asked about how the NETOPS contract Task Orders would be assigned to either the Unrestricted or Small Business Companion contract given that the RFP requirements were identical; would there be a DELEX Decision/Rule of Two type determination made centrally? Mr. Davis answered by saying the Contracting Officer at origin would make that determination. Ardis Hearn added that the two efforts were not identical as the Unrestricted competition required a “CMMI or ISO Qualification.” (ED: The Small Business Companion RFP also required CMMI or ISO qualiifications to bid.)
Slide Right Continues for NETCENTS-2 Award DatesPosted Aug 26 2011 in NETCENTSII On the eve of the AFITC 2011 conference in Montgomery, the NETCENTSII Contract Award dates for NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions were moved out one quarter. The NETOPS Unrestricted contract award is now scheduled for May 2012 and the Small Business Companion contract award date is now August 2012. The Service Disabled Veteran set-aside ITPS contract has been postponed indefinitely; the Air Force offered “resource constraints” to explain the postponement.
Dayton IT Symposium Update for NETCENTSIIPosted Jul 5 2011 in NETCENTSII The NETCENTSII Update provided by Stephen Davis, Chief, Enterprise Systems Branch, AFPEO EIS, highlighted four “Notable Aspects” for the NETCENTS-2 contract:
Mandatory Use Policy Approved 16 May 2011
Small Business Graduate Transition (AKA Off-Ramp)
The approved Mandatory Use Policy makes NETCENTSII mandatory for all USAF units (exception ITPS contract) which will support the “big” Air Force efforts to track and control IT spend. It is intended to ensure adherence to the AF Enterprise Architecture. There will be a Waiver process but it is designed to require substantial justification (read: a disincentive). Mr. Davis highlighted the support for Small Business contracting in the two SB Companion contracts (NetOps, Appsvs) and the ITPS set-aside for Service Disabled Veteran businesses. Small business primes who experience organic growth will be offered an opportunity to transition to the unrestricted contract while small business primes who fail to recertify due to merger or acquisition will “graduate OFF” the NETCENTSII contract. This effectively means “no buy-ins” post award as Harris Corp did of NETCENTS Small Business prime Multimax on the existing contract. There will be “On-Ramps” as needed to augment the Small Business contract pool to ensure adequate participation and competition by small business. Mr. Davis stated the same RFP process and evaluation criteria will be used for On-Ramps.
NETCENTSII EISM Awards AnnouncedPosted Dec 16 2010 in NETCENTSII The contracts for the Network-Centric Solutions II (NETCENTSII) Enterprise Integration and Service Management (EISM), Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) category have been awarded on 30 November 2010. This acquisition will provide users with services to enable 1) enterprise integration, and 2) service management support for both infrastructure and mission capabilities. This will include services to integrate capabilities within a domain and between domains within the enterprise.
TechTeam Government Solutions, Inc. (now known as JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC)
This is a multiple award IDIQ with a ceiling of $460 Million.
RFP Release Schedule Delay Announcement Expected At NEW HORIZONStPosted Jan 14 2010 in NETCENTSII The current scuttlebutt on NETCENTSII RFP schedule delay is that all have been pushed back a month to February. A Program source attending the AFCEA CyberSpace 2010 conference in Colorado Springs this past week indicated that an announcement regarding the NETCENTSII schedule would be made at the upcoming New Horizons Symposium in Boston (January 26,27th). The CyberSpace 2010 conference was very well attended with approximately 750 registrants according to AFCEA Rocky Mountain chapter sources.
“OOPS, They Slid it Again …”Posted Nov 23 2009 in NETCENTSII The Maxwell-Gunter Annex located NETCENTSII Contracting Office released an update late Monday stating the first RFP releases will be delayed, again. The release identified the Netcentric Products and Enterprise Integration and Service Management (EISM) as being the first RFPs to be released. They are now “rephased” to December 2009. This means the primes for the other six categories can breathe a bit easier over the Holidays as those RFPs release won’t come until late January 2010.
Original link to HERBB article has been retired. NETCENTSII Q&A’s ReleasedPosted Nov 16 2009 in NETCENTSII NETCENTSII Contracting Office released Questions and Answers on November 13, 2009. The Contracting Office anticipates an RFP for this requirement will be released in December 2009.
Let the games begin: NETCENTS-2 MIRT/OSD PEER Reviews COMPLETEPosted Nov 6 2009 in NETCENTSII NETCENTS-2 Contracting Officer, Francine Nix, update states the Air Force Multi-functional Independent Review (MIRT) and OSD Peer Reviews were completed in October, as planned, for Products, NETOPS Infrastructure Solutions, Application Services, and Enterprise Integration and Service Management (EISM) categories with a team currently incorporating comments from those reviews and Business Clearance.
NETCENTS-2 Acquisition Plan APPROVEDPosted Oct 9 2009 in NETCENTSII NETCENTS-2 Contracting Officer, Francine Nix, indicates the formal Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy approval for NETCENTS-2 acquisition strategy was received 6 October 2009.
The Air Force’s Multi-functional Independent Review Team review and Peer Review for Netcentric Products and NetOps & Infrastructure Solutions are scheduled this month of October.
NETCENTS-2 RFP Releases Sliding ‘Right’Posted Sep 30 2009 in Uncategorized An update posted on HERBB today indicate there are further reviews required resulting in another slippage in the release date.
Current proposed schedule release for Application Services (Full & Open) and Small Business Companion RFPs will be no later than November 2009.
Current proposed schedule release for EISM RFP will be no later than November 2009.
Current proposed schedule release for NetOps and Infrastructure Solutions RFP will be no later than December 2009.
Current proposed schedule release for Netcentric Products RFP will be no later than,December 2009.
NAICS Code Shopping and Small Business Concerns highlighted in FederalComputerWeekPosted Aug 29 2009 in NETCENTSII The August 28, 2009 online article by Matthew Weigelt quotes an un-named owner of an 80 employee small business who believes “They’re basically shopping the NAICS codes” in a way that disadvantages small business owners in favor of larger firms under the new NAICS code chosen by the Air Force.
Link to the full article at FCW
The dispute revolves around the NAICS code picked for the NetOps and Infrastructure Solutions small business companion contract. Under the wireless telecom carriers code, small businesses are defined as those having fewer than 1,500 employees, while other category size code set the standard as less than $25 million in annual revenue.
“NetCents 2 contract dogged by code-shopping allegation”
The charge was repeated in a Washington Technology blog the next day also written by Matthew Weigelt. In the article, code shopping is described as the practice of choosing NAICS codes that allow favored or larger companies to bid as small businesses, rather than those that most fairly apply to the contract’s scope of work.
NETOPS Small Business ON/OFF Ramp StrategyPosted Jan 16 2009 in NETCENTSII The common theme in the many discussions with NETCENTS Primes and NETCENTSII hopefuls attending and exhibiting at last week’s CyberSpace 2010 conference was that the delay in NETCENTSII RFP release was due to PEO level questions on the NETOPS and Infrastructure Solutions Small Business strategy surrounding ON/OFF Ramping companies who grow out of the size standard. The alternative theme was that the GAO/Delex Decision – “Rule of Two” planning was the delay. At the December Air Force IT Day hosted by AFCEA NOVA, the 754th ELSG Technical Director indicated the Delex Decision/Rule of Two was not part of NETCENTS strategy as DOD Acquisition Authority had not provided specific direction on the ruling.
NETCENTSII Award Schedule Updated A Thanksgiving to Remember.Posted Oct 30 0201 in NETCENTSII The Air Force released a new NETCENTSII Award Schedule on October 25th.
Products award date – Thanksgiving 2013.
NETOPS Full&Open – slips six (6) months to October 2014
Oops! Redo. Air Force to Re-Open NC2 ProductsPosted May 3 0201 in NETCENTSII Washington Technology reports that the Air Force has asked the Government Accountability Office to dismiss a group of bid protests over its recent NetCents II awards because the service is rethinking its award decisions.
Connect with: Latest NewsFinal Four NETCENTSII NETOPS SB Protests DeniedJuly 22, 2014GAO Bid Decisions Site Listings for NETCENTSII NETOPS ProtestsJuly 16, 2014Four NETCENTSII NETOPS Protests Have Been Partially Sustained, Denied, and DismissedJuly 16, 2014
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