Air Force finally details NETCENTS-2 requirements

The Air Force released this week long-awaited requests for proposals for its its Network-Centric Solutions-2 Enterprise Integration and Service Management program designed to support the service's portion of the Global Information Grid.

The March 2 announcement follows several delays as officials sought to closely match contract requirements with program needs in areas such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. 

The Air Force is seeking proposals that would provide a range of cost-efficient information technology services and solutions to support its GIG buildout, Air Force officials said.  

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With the awards for this portion of NETCENTS-2, the Air Force is looking to implement network-centric systems and common standard data within the service and the GIG. Proposals are due to the Air Force Contracting Office no later than 4 p.m. CDT on April 1, 2010. According to a FedSources report, the Air Force plans to award six to nine contracts for the Enterprise Integration and Service Management (EISM) portion of NETCENTS-2. The value of the NETCENTS-2 program is estimated at $24.2 billion, with EISM valued at a maximum of $460 million, the report said.

NETCENTS-2 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 net-centric supplies and services, including hardware and software for networking and various engineering, software development, system integration, security and telephone services.

The original contract was pegged to expire on Sept. 9, 2009, but in August 2009 was extended by a year. According to the NETCENTS-2 release, the first installment has been extended once again, through September 2012,to help bridge the two programs, according to the Air Force.

Both contracts are open to the rest of the Defense Department and other federal agencies.

“This set of contracts will take the Air Force into the next generation of network applications and integration,” said Warren Suss, president of Suss Consulting. “These are the arms and legs and support to supplement and help put everything together – including standards, architecture, technologies, professional support and portfolio management.”