GSA seeks industry input on NS2020

The General Services Administration has issued its first request for information for the huge new telecommunications program that will replace the Networx vehicle.

The RFI covers Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS), which falls into one of six areas the agency is considering for the Network Services 2020 (NS2020) contracting vehicle.

The goal is twofold, according to GSA. The RFI seeks information on certain aspects of the EIS acquisition strategy and solicits comments from industry on the proposed strategy. It was released on April 8, and comments are due by May 8. The agency plans to solicit bids for NS2020 in fiscal 2015.

The RFI is part of GSA's effort to develop a comprehensive framework and acquisition strategy for NS2020, which will become the federal government’s strategic sourcing center for network-based and network-enabled services.

"Understanding telecommunications technology and markets, including regional, national, and worldwide markets, is key to identifying the integrated portfolio of services as part of the NS2020 strategy," the RFI states.

To meet federal agencies' widely varying telecom needs, GSA plans to divide the NS2020 portfolio into Infrastructure Solutions, Satellite, Mobility/Wireless, Advisory Services, Emerging Technology and Services, and Government Shared Services.

EIS is part of the Infrastructure Solutions program area and includes a wide variety of voice and video services, data services, data center services (including cloud), dedicated hosting, managed hosting, managed services, cabling and call center services, among others.

According to the RFI, the goal of the EIS initiative is to allow agencies to buy comprehensive solutions through the EIS ordering process without having to integrate procurement actions across multiple contract vehicles.

Note: This article was updated on April 15 to correct the deadline for RFI comments. The RFI itself had incorrectly listed the date, and is also being corrected.