B2G Blog

Agencies Reach 34% of Data Center Consolidation Goals

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:15:00 -0400

The 24 agencies participating in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) have achieved close to 34% of their goals for the number of data center closures. However, despite this progress, it appears that agencies will not hit the 2015 target. On top of that challenge, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has yet to assess agency efforts in terms of cost savings.

The consolidation initiative set a target to close 1,253 of the 3,133 federal data centers (roughly 40%). planned data center to be closed. By the end of December 2012, agencies had closed over 400 data centers. Close to another 400 are planned to be closed by the end of September 2013, followed by another 150 before the end of 2015. Despite this progress, it looks as though they’ll fall short of the target goals by over 280 closures.

According to testimony delivered to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, OMB has not identified a consistent and repeatable method for measuring agency savings resulting from data center consolidation efforts. While agency data center consolidation will be reported to OMB as part of PortfolioStat reviews, agencies would provide information through an information resources management strategic plan, an enterprise roadmap, and a data collection channel. This shift removes the previous requirement for agencies to submit consolidation plans and it does not call out cost savings goals. PortfolioStat is expected to result in $2.5 billion in savings through 2015 but it’s unclear whether a new savings goal has been established for FDCCI.

Agencies were tasked with a goal of achieving $3 billion in savings through data center consolidation by 2015. When agencies reported expected cost savings in their 2011 consolidation plans, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that collectively agencies expected to save $2.4 billion by 2015, but they noted that the projections were incomplete and unreliable. At that time, many agencies were still completing inventories and identifying additional targets for closure. Since closing facilities are a major driver for the savings associated with these efforts, it’s likely that the full extent of savings will not be realized until after 2015. As of November 2012, savings were not being tracked but thought to be minimal, due to the upfront investments for new facilities and upgraded systems and reinvestment of savings into ongoing consolidation efforts. Currently, a timeframe has not been established for when tracking cost savings may begin.

Originally published for Federal Idustry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of them competition by discovering more about GovWinIQ. Follow me on twitter @FIAGovWin.

CADE 2: An IRS Success Story

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:04:00 -0400

With so much talk of failed IT projects and waste in federal spending, it’s occasionally nice to celebrate federal IT success stories, such as the IRS Customer Account Data Engine 2 (CADE 2) initiative.

The CADE project was meant to convert taxpayer data from the old Individual Master File (IMF), which was based on 1960s era software, to a modernized relational database. However by 2008 the CADE 1 project was years behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget. That year, IRS’ new commission Doug Shulman brought in Terry Mulholland, with IT experience from Boeing and Visa, as CIO to get the project back on track.

Some experts might say that converting a flat file to a relational database was possible one to two decades ago. But the complexity and size of the IRS’ databases presented challenges, as well as the difficulty of working within federal government parameters.

According to a 2004 GAO report, CADE 1 was 30 months behind schedule and $37 million over budget. GAO cited a number of problems, such as inadequate definitions of systems requirements, project scope creep, and inaccurate cost and schedule projects. CADE 1 was an instrumental part of the overall IRS Business Systems Modernization (BSM) program.

When Shulman became commission, he and his team decided to scale back the BSM program and focus on the CADE portion, and to bring management of the program in-house. Milholland believed IRS had become too dependent on outside contractors. They needed to be accountable for their own technology and processes.

GAO listed CADE 2 on its 2011 listing of successful major IT acquisitions across government. GAO attributes the turn-around to strong management and oversight, and executive-level attention and leadership.

Since the implementation of CADE 2, the IRS has increased electronic filing and processing to 78% which improves accuracy and speeds up the time it takes for taxpayers to receive their refunds, while also saving the IRS money.

The IT Dashboard shows a CIO project rating of five for CADE 2 from October 2012 to date, up from a score of four in August of that year. CADE 2’s Exhibit 300 indicates that in 2013 the project will deliver a database feed to the Integrated Data Retrieval Systems (IDRS) which will allow online updates to taxpayer account data by customer service representatives, more current and timely account balance information and improved opportunities for compliance. The IRS is requesting funds to design and develop a number of applications that expand the capabilities of the CADE 2 relational database in 2014.

With appropriate leadership and oversight, the correct balance of in-house vs. outsourced management and development, adequate performance measures and business metrics, along with stakeholder involvement, other struggling federal IT projects have a chance at success.

GovWin Recon - May 21, 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:54:00 -0400

GovWin Recon, produced by Deltek's Federal Industry Analysis (FIA) team, is designed to support awareness and understanding of the issues impacting the government and the contractors that serve it. Recon highlights key developments surrounding government technology, policy, budget and vendor activities.

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

Sequester doesn't add up for IGs

Federal IT:

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Cybersecurity:

Cloud Computing / Data Center Consolidation / Virtualization:

Amazon gets FedRAMP certification

Health IT:

Mobility:

Waste, Fraud and Abuse:

State and local technology shows feds how to cut waste, improper payments

Defense / C4ISR / Embedded Technology:

Contracting / Acquisition:

The noise surrounding LPTA, sequestration masks a deeper shift in the market (subscription required)

State and Local:

AEC News:

Jacobs nabs two more engineering, acquisition services contracts (subscription required)

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

Army Requests $275M for Training-Related IT in FY 2014

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:38:00 -0400

Over the last few years, top Army IT officials have said that one of the goals of the Service’s network modernization is to enable CONUS-based personnel (now a majority in the Army) to “train as they fight.” Major General Alan Lynn, the commander of Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) reiterated this point recently in comments that he made to Army Signal Command Public Affairs. Noting declining Army funding, MG Lynn stated: “What the chief of staff of the Army wants for the future is a live, virtual, and constructive environment. When funding goes down, at some point training stops. With a virtual environment, you can actually have some helicopters flying, with some folks behind a screen; you have some Humvees driving with some folks behind a screen. Everything is happening all at once."

This statement reflects the fact that over the last decade the U.S. Army’s dependency on network services has created an inextricable link between IT and kinetic warfare. Therefore, if the Army is to truly maintain the readiness of its combat personnel, it must spend on the resources and IT infrastructure that its soldiers and commanders require.

This priority is reflected in a portion of the Army’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014, which requests $275 million to fund 39 technology investments related to Army training needs. Of these investments, 11 have associated Development, Modernization, and Enhancement (DME) dollars (See table below) amounting to $212 million, or 77%, of the total funding requested.

The green shading indicates that in 10 out of 11 cases, DME dollars equal 100% of the requested amount for that project. Clearly, the importance of technology to enable training is translating into a goodly amount of development dollars in FY 2014. Development dollars often translate into procurements. It is just a matter of determining which acquisitions are worth paying attention to.

This said, some DME dollars might find their way into the Train, Educate, and Coach (TEACH) services contract vehicle being competed by the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training & Instrumentation (PEO STRI). I suspect, however, that most of the money will either show up in smaller procurements for the individual components on the list above or it will fund requirements currently being fulfilled. The table below provides a list of competitions and awarded contracts relevant to the investments above.

As we can see, most DME dollars are likely going to fund contract efforts that are already in place. This is not necessarily the case for efforts related to the Combat Training Center- Instrumentation System (CT-IS) and the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT), however, both of which have requested 100% DME funding totaling $121 million. Pursuing potential work related to the CTC Military Operations on Urban Terrain Instrumentation System (CTC MOUT IS) is also a possibility, but determining where those dollars are heading will take research beyond the scope of this post. Suffice it to say that in FY 2014 the available business opportunity related to Army IT training requirements amounts to $121 million.

GovWin Recon - May 20, 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:24:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Federal IT:

FOSE proves that, for technology, government is a unique animal

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Cybersecurity:

Cloud Computing / Data Center Consolidation / Virtualization:

Army intell system rising from controversy into the cloud

Health IT:

Mobility:

Transparency and Performance:

White House adds project open data

Waste, Fraud and Abuse:

White House wants to root out copycat programs - starting with STEM

State and Local:

AEC News:

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT DECLINES IN 32 STATES AND D.C. BETWEEN MARCH AND APRIL EVEN AS INDUSTRY ADDS JOBS IN 29 STATES OVER PAST YEAR

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

GovWin Recon - May 17, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:43:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

House bill protects homeland security budget
Sequester Changes Rules on DoD Contractor Background Reinvestigations
Uncertain budgets hit small businesses hard (requires subscription)

Federal IT:

Can less money lead to more creativity?

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Huddle's game plan for government
Inside Catapult's growth strategy (requires subscription)
Serco, Virginia complete negotiations for $355M contract
Jacobs nabs Air Force contract for engineering, acquisition services (requires subscription)
Sevatec wins $117M contract with Federal Highway Administration
BAE wins $37.8M naval air contract (requires subscription)
Twitter acquires big data startup
Uncertain budgets hit small businesses hard (requires subscription)

Cybersecurity:

Cloud Computing / Data Center Consolidation / Virtualization:

Huddle's game plan for government

Big Data / Analytics:

Legislation:

Mergers and Acquisitions:

Twitter acquires big data startup

State and Local:

AEC News:

Sevatec wins $117M contract with Federal Highway Administration
Jacobs nabs Air Force contract for engineering, acquisition services (requires subscription)

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

GovWin Recon - May 16, 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:42:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

Federal IT:

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Cybersecurity:

Health IT:

Transparency and Performance:

Economic effects of open data policy still 'anecdotal'

Defense / C4ISR / Embedded Technology:

Legislation:

A graphic look at procurement reform

State and Local:

AEC News:

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

GovWin Recon - May 15, 2013

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:24:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

Federal IT:

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Kodak unveils 3 cloud-oriented scanners at FOSE
Northrop wins $555M Global Hawk contract (subscription required)
Northrop teams with DHS to expand cybersecurity protections
Three win Navy contracts to support shore networks (subscription required)

Cybersecurity:

Cloud Computing / Data Center Consolidation / Virtualization:

Health IT:

Waste, Fraud and Abuse:

A new approach to oversight

Defense / C4ISR / Embedded Technology:

Contracts for May 14, 2013
Northrop wins $555M Global Hawk contract (subscription required)

Contracting / Acquisition:

GSA to provide help choosing between contracts

State and Local:

AEC News:

What The AEC Industry Can Learn from Steve Jobs, Master of the Interface

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

Continuous Monitoring as a Service Award on the Horizon

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:35:00 -0400

Improved cybersecurity was called out as one of three administrative priorities for FY 2014. Agencies have been inching towards cybersecurity targets, and an upcoming award may ease agency pains of implementing continuous monitoring solutions.

As described in the 2012 FISMA report, continuous monitoring covers three categories: assets, configuration and vulnerability. According to the report, all CFO Act agencies demonstrated the ability to successfully report data feeds to Cyberscope. While agency implementation of automated continuous monitoring increased in FY 2012, 7 out of 24 civilian agencies did not have monitoring programs in place.

According to the agency capability implementation, scores often appear lopsided. Overall, agency implementation would need a 7% improvement in FY 2013 to meet the implementation target. Perhaps, DHS’s continuous monitoring program will provide the boost lagging agencies have needed.

Last year, The Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) announced that it’s developing a Continuous Monitoring as a Service (CMaaS) capability. The result of this effort would be an array of sensors that collects data about agency cyber security risks and presents that information in an automated and continually updated dashboard. This display will allow technical workers and managers to improve an agencies’ view of security, to counter recurring threats more effectively, and to support a data-driven approach to agency risk management.

As we previous explored, the core capabilities for DHS’s continuous monitoring fell into five areas: hardware asset management, software asset management, vulnerability management, configuration management, and anti-virus. The continuous monitoring program outlined several approaches, including a service-based solution.CMaaS solutions will be based upon NIST standards including a number of guidelines set out in NIST’s 800 series of special publications:

“Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments” (SP 800-30)
“Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems” (SP 800-37)
“Guide for Managing Information Security Risk” (SP 800-39)
“Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations” (SP 800-53)
“Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems and Organizations” (SP 800-53A)

DHS plans to shoulder the financial responsibility for this continuous monitoring effort because many agencies lack the resources and expertise. In December 2012, the contracting office released a request for quote (RFQ) that covers both the CMaaS and tools portions of Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM). Responses to the RFQ were due in February 2013. Strategic sourcing is expected to be leveraged using DHS funds to implement sensors (where missing), a federal dashboard, and operating services. The General Services Administration (GSA) will be charging a 2 percent fee to agencies using the broad purchase agreement (BPA). Over 40 vendors have expressed interest in the $6 billion opportunity. The performance period is set for five years. Officials have stated that they expect to issue awards before October 2013. Deltek analysts currently estimate the announcement of the awards in June 2013.

Updates regarding the CMaaS award can be found on GovWin under Opportunity ID 89183 (log in required).

Originally published for Federal Idustry Analysis: Analysts Perspectives Blog. Stay ahead of them competition by discovering more about GovWinIQ. Follow me on twitter @FIAGovWin.

A Look at the Defense Agencies Initiative (DAI) ERP Program

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:34:00 -0400

Since Congress first mandated in 1994 that the Department of Defense achieve full auditability of its financial statements, the DoD has engaged in multiple lengthy and costly efforts to implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently pushed up the date by which the DoD is supposed to be ready for full auditability from FY 2017 to September 2014. Congress then adopted this date into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2013, a development that put considerable pressure on the DoD to accelerate the pace of its ERP deployments. The date changes are beneficial for the contracting community because the DoD is unlikely to meet its updated deployment schedule. This suggests that despite the difficult fiscal climate the DoD will continue funding ERP deployments and all of the related work associated with these systems. Funding means contracts and contracts mean business opportunity.

One of the many systems being implemented is the Defense Agencies Initiative (DAI). Per the FY 2014 Exhibit 300 for the DAI, the program leverages the Oracle E-Business Suite, version 11i, to modernize Defense agency financial management capabilities in 7 process areas: Procure to Pay, Acquire to Retire, Order to Fulfill, Time & Attendance, Budget to Report, Cost Accounting, and Grants Accounting. The DAI is a holdover project from the Business Transformation Agency that is now under the purview of the Defense Logistics Agency. Work on the various elements of the DAI is directed by the DAI Program Management Office (J623) which resides under the Information Operations (J6) Program Executive Office (J62) at DLA.

Background

Implementation of the DAI began at the BTA in 2006-2007 with the award of a 5 year contract to Computer Science Corporation (CSC) for the DAI Financial Business Management Solution. Since that initial award DAI implementation efforts have also commenced at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), TRICARE Management Agency (TMA), Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA), Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), and Washington Headquarters Service (WHS). Readers should keep in mind that this list is limited to those customers for DAI which could be confirmed. According to the DAI PMO, the Defense Applied Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA), Defense Security Service (DSS), and Defense Media Activity (DMA) also have been prepped for the implementation of DAI.

Assuming it is the DoD’s intention to eventually implement DAI across all of the Defense agencies, the following agencies remain potential candidates for DAI deployment, implying that further contract support may be planned.

Contract Support

The following contracts have been identified as related to DAI implementation efforts over the period from FY 2007 to FY 2013. As we can see, a number of these are expiring in FY 2014, 2015, and beyond, providing the potential for follow-on work to be procured, or for new contracts to be competed to perform deployment services and support for the agencies listed above. In addition, the possibility exists that more contractor support for DAI sustainment will be required.

Historical Spending

Historical spending to date on the contracts listed above is as follows. Curiously, there is a considerable discrepancy between the reported base and all options value of these contracts. Likely this is because many of the contracts have remaining option years on them to be exercised. Also, it is possible that spending on many of the contracts remains unreported.

Lastly, the chart below depicts spending on these contracts over the period from FY 2010 to FY 2013. Obligations on these contracts began ramping up in fiscal 2010 to reach a high point in fiscal 2012. Now, in fiscal 2013 it looks as if spending is slowing, probably due to the uncertainty surrounding Sequestration.

Conclusions

Wrapping up, there is good news and bad news. The bad news for the DoD is that much like the challenges facing Army ERP implementations, the Defense Agencies Initiative will likely struggle to hit full deployment milestones for all of the participating agencies by the September 2014 deadline mandated in the FY 2013 NDAA. The challenge of meeting the deadline becomes even more daunting when potential cuts from Sequestration are taken into account. Should Sequestration be imposed in its current form, funding for many of the DoD’s ERP deployments would undoubtedly take a hit. This does not mean that funding will dry up. It will simply be reduced.

The good news is that in chaos there is opportunity. Given the legislative mandates, the DoD is likely to continue spending on ERP implementation. In FY 2014 the budget for DAI is $99M, out of which $52M (52%) is for development, so funding for DAI this fiscal year is not a problem, assuming an FY 2014 budget is passed. Even if the DoD is forced to operate under another Continuing Resolution at FY 2013 baseline numbers, the funding for DAI will be similar (DAI DME funding in FY 2013 is $63M). In short, DoD ERP implementations like the DAI are likely to remain excellent places in the next few years to seek out business opportunity in trying economic times.

Lessening the Blow of Sequestration

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:01:00 -0400

OMB may have found a way to bring $5 billion of the $85 billion sequestration price tag, back into play. The recalculations would free up $4 billion from the Pentagon and $1 billion from other agencies such as NASA and DHS.

When Congress moved money around among various accounts in the Continuing Resolution which took effect in March, it restored $5 billion of the sequestration cuts due to accounting rules that govern the different accounts. According to a quote from a government official in a recent Government Executive article, “Under the law, if [lawmakers] cut those accounts below their post –sequester level, there is a provision that credits back some of the funds.” A 1985 budget law prescribes that funds be restored to accounts that had been deeply cut via sequestration.

Much of the specific calculations and data behind the restoration of funds is still hush hush. According to Associated Press article that broke the story, the process is ongoing and public officials they contacted spoke under the guise of anonymity.

Although much of the dire consequences of sequestration are yet to be felt by most American citizens, public pressure is mounting to decrease the impact of sequestration cuts. Agency budget officials have been working with Congress to permit the transfer of funds between accounts to lessen the blow of the cuts. Some agencies have been able to avoid or shorten furloughs due to this process, such as Department of State, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security. Department of Defense will benefit the most from the new calculations by being able to avoid $4 billion cuts.

GovWin Recon - May 14, 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:10:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

Federal IT:

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Cybersecurity:

Cloud Computing / Data Center Consolidation / Virtualization:

Mobility:

Transparency and Performance:

Analysts Assess Federal Open Data Policy

Defense / C4ISR / Embedded Technology:

State and Local:

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

The business of business development in leaner times

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:57:00 -0400

As talking heads debate how the sequester will affect the economy, companies around the beltway are working to determine how it might damage their bottom line. Will they be directly affected? Will the “trickle down” eventually bite them? It’s very likely that many cannot afford the risk or choose not to take it, so they are looking to cushion any potential blow.

When budgets are tight it is easy to consider Business Development as overhead that should be eliminated; but just like the “trickle down” will eventually bite you, so will reduction of your Business Development resources. Though it may help with short term revenue projections, long-term growth and stability cannot be sacrificed for instant gratification. A thorough understanding of the market, especially when agencies are working tirelessly to rebalance their smaller budgets, is critical in order to get ahead of opportunities and align your internal resources.

Understanding how agencies and their budgets will be affected by the cost cutting and how they plan to absorb these cuts will not only put you ahead of the curve in terms of preparing for upcoming opportunities, but it will also inform you about what has been moved to the backburner. Resources saved are resources earned. For example, as it stands currently, the Navy’s operations and maintenance accounts will be reduced by more than $4B, its IT expenditures will be cut by 25% and at least a half dozen “new start” multi-year procurement projects will be deferred. Anticipating and knowing about these delays will prevent you from wasting business development valuable resources where they are not needed.

GovWin Consulting specializes in understanding each agency’s priorities and can work with your company to help uncover where that department or agency plans to shift its focus and funding. With less budget to go around it is critical to develop an action plan in order to best position your company’s products or solutions. Communicating the values and messages that resonate with your intended audience and understanding their current financial hardships, can be the difference in winning new business. Our team delivers in-depth strategic targeting department and agency solutions tailored to your company’s business priorities and sales goals. For more information concerning GovWin Consulting’s capabilities please visit our website.

GovWin Recon - May 13, 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:15:00 -0400

Headlines beginning with an * include quotes from Deltek analysts.

Sequestration / Budget:

DoD's military construction budget appears safe from sequestration cuts

Agency News:

Vendor News:

Cybersecurity:

Health IT:

Mobility:

FEMA Ramps Up Telework, Mobility

Waste, Fraud and Abuse:

Defense / C4ISR / Embedded Technology:

State and Local:

AEC News:

GovWin Recon is Deltek's daily newsletter highlighting federal government contracting news and analysis from around the government contracting world. Get it delivered to your e-mail inbox, free!

A closer look at Mississippi?s IT hardware term contracts

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:53:00 -0400

With more than 70 statewide term contracts from Mississippi’s IT Hardware Express Products List (EPL), it’s evident that the IT hardware category is a hot one in today’s market. The state took one solicitation and created 70-plus contracts offering a wide range of products including desktop/mobile-based computers, GIS-level workstations, monitors, printers/scanners, servers, storage, and video-conferencing equipment.

Mississippi has 77 approved manufacturers and 99 resellers on the IT Hardware EPL. While there is no confirmed spend value for statewide term contracts since they are based on purchases over the course of a contract, vendors may see large returns; statewide term contracts offer a large range of products and are available for use by all Mississippi agencies, universities, colleges and governing authorities.

The state has a purchase limit for users of $200,000 per project, per fiscal year for the IT Hardware EPL, which notes the anticipated high value. Mississippi also requires customers to obtain quotes from at least two EPL sellers if their purchase will be more than $50,000, which increases vendor competition. Another benefit to the EPL is that new sellers can submit proposals to get in on the action every six months.

Mississippi’s EPL Interactive website provides in-depth contract, vendor and pricing information, specifically for the IT Hardware EPL contract, but is not as robust with spending information. The site allows users to search by category, manufacturer, and seller name. You can also search by manufacturer reseller group, where a manufacturer sets a not-to-exceed price that resellers must obey; from there, some resellers will offer discounts on that manufacturer’s price. They keep this updated as the manufacturer changes any products on their website to make sure it meets state requirements.

Displayed in Table 1 are the different IT hardware categories offered under the EPL. The audio-visual components class is offered by 20 manufacturers and 66 resellers, the most of all categories. Interactive devices, which include whiteboards, voting devices and displays, is a close second with 18 manufacturers and 64 resellers. Some vendors offer both of those top contracts, like the Visix Term Contract. Deltek’s State & Local Term Contract resource has a searchable, saveable, living record for each of the more than 70 Mississippi IT hardware contracts, and 1,200 IT hardware term contracts throughout the United States.

Key take-aways

The IT Hardware EPL contract is set to expire in June 2014, and the state has indicated a replacement RFP will be released in April 2014. If IT hardware vendors don’t want to wait for the new solicitation, they can get on this contract in the next update cycle – the due date for proposals is June 4, 2013.

Forty-six states are using term contracts as an approach to purchase IT hardware. To explore more term contracts and gain insight into competitor contracts and pricing, check out Deltek’s State and Local Term Contracts resource. Not a Deltek subscriber? Click here to learn more about Deltek’s GovWin IQ database and take advantage of a free trial.