CenturyLink announced this week that it has won a $1.6 billion network services contract with the U.S. Department of the Interior, to support IT modernization for the federal agency’s enterprise network, covering areas including SD-WAN, network security and Wi-Fi access.
The Department of the Interior operates in more than 2,400 locations and has more than 65,000 employees, as well as a network of 280,000 volunteers.
The task order covers two areas. The first is managed core network services, which covers the design and engineering, operating and maintaining of the DoI’s enterprise network “from end to end,” including managed security services; and implementation of software-defined wide area networking, virtual private networks, private line and Ethernet transport services, CenturyLink said. The second area is for managed access services, including Wi-FI and secure cloud connectivity.
The two work areas have a combined maximum value of $1.6 billion, with 11 one-year options that run through 2032, according to CenturyLink. The telecom provider won the work under the General Services Administration’s 15-year, $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) program, a multiple-award federal contract vehicle via which federal agencies can purchase IT and telecom infrastructure services and migrate to more modern systems that meet government security standards.
CenturyLink says it was the first supplier to be granted authority to operate under the EIS umbrella, in March of last year. A month after that, it won its first award under EIS, to provide NASA with core backbone network services of up to 100 Gbps over a nine-and-a-half-year period.
“The Department of the Interior selected CenturyLink to deliver secure, modern network services that will help the agency achieve its mission to conserve and manage our nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people,” said David Young, CenturyLink senior vice president, public sector. “This award from DOI shows that government agencies are increasingly turning to CenturyLink as their trusted provider to help them with their IT modernization efforts so they can focus on their mission.”
In related news, KBR has won a three-year federal law enforcement contract to connect the Department of Defense’s military police. The company will implement and operate an end-to-end service for the Mobile Federal Law Enforcement Enterprise Technology Service (M-FLEETS) and its work will including installing dash cameras and providing digital video recorders and ruggedized computers, as well as mobile communications for military police vehicles. Those devices will be connected to KBR’s devices will be connected to its a cloud-based evidence collection and management system.
KBR said it has partnered with Panasonic, Microsoft and other platforms in its work. Initially, it will be connecting 10 U.S. Army installations and 100 police vehicles used by about 500 military police officers and supervisors. and supervisors. KBR added that over the course of the contract, it may ultimately serve more than 40 DoD installations, 1,600 vehicles, and in excess of 5,000 officers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
