Navy delays NGEN-R contracts, merges domestic and global IT

The Navy  announced a delay in the award schedule of the Next Generation Enterprise  Network Re-compete (NGEN-R) primary contracts, moving the planned award date  from July of 2018 to November and December of 2018.











  The  announcement also cited progress with an ongoing Navy effort to merge domestic  and international IT systems.











  NGEN-R  will provide IT services to Navy Outside of the Continental United States  (OCONUS) users via the OCONUS Navy Enterprise Network (ONE-Net), the service  statement said.











  There  are two primary NGEN-R contracts; one is called End User Hardware covering  hardware-as-a-service and hardware-for-purchase – the other is Service  Management, Integration, and Transport  covering  print services software core build services, service desk and computer network  defense.







 The schedule change allows for the implementation  of a new sprint contract development process that includes significant  interaction with industry through weekly industry conference calls, one-on-one  industry question and answer sessions, and a forthcoming Engineering Day, a  Navy statement said.







The  increased Industry interaction encourages industry input early on in the  process to develop better acquisition documents for government and industry.







Traditionally, domestic data systems have been stove-piped and separated  from overseas data systems closer to a shore-based operational  environment.







The integration of NMCI (Navy Marine Corps Intranet) and ONE-Net brings  standardization of network command-and-control and the way network services are  delivered globally to Navy shore locations, service officials explained.







The plan is to create a uniform global service delivery  model. Merging CONUS and OCONUS environments will be expedited through the  NGEN-R acquisition process, service officials said.







While the integration of IT networks for more than 700,000 CONUS  users with more than 33,000 OCONUS users brings advantages, such as greater  interoperability and faster access to relevant data, service officials said the  Navy has been cautious in its approach to ensure protection of operational  networks.







Merging the two networks will also include converging two  otherwise disparate business models as a way to improve support to operational  commanders in OCONUS environments.







Faster moving IT design teams will allow for concurrent design  efforts and reduce development time by more than 50 percent, Navy program  managers said.