IBM Wins Government Contract To Modernize IT Procurement System

IBM Corp. said it has won a contract to modernize the system that federal agencies and suppliers use to procure IT equipment and telecommunications services, an award worth $74.4 million over an eight-year period.

The vendor said that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded it the contract. The GSA buys equipment, supplies and services for the federal government.

The project, based on open source software, calls for IBM to integrate nine core GSA applications into one system, the vendor said.

Under terms of the contract, IBM is tasked with developing a standard IT framework to support the GSA’s Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE), a procurement and information system used by civilian and defense employees and companies doing business with the federal government.

IBM said that the GSA’s goal is to provide a one-stop online resource from which federal agencies and suppliers can access information on approved products, services, existing GSA contracts, contractor registrations, certifications, project reports and business opportunities with the federal government.

IBM said it will partner with Northrop Grumman, Vertex Information and Computer Consulting Services Inc. and Collins Consulting Inc. to fulfill terms of the contract.

Vertex, an IBM Business Partner, has a 20-year history of partnering with the vendor on Defense Information Systems Agency and Department of Defense (DISA/DOD) contracts.

Collins, based in Englewood, FL, has worked on GSA contracts since 2001, the company said. It is a certified SBA Small Disadvantaged Business and a Service-Disabled Veteran Business.

Northrup Grumman provides global security equipment and services to government agencies and commercial customers in the aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services sectors.

IBM said that the project not only will streamline and consolidate IAE applications, it also will save the GSA money and improve efficiency. The vendor did not provide GSA estimates of 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.