The General Services Administration released a draft request for proposals for Network Services 2020, a set of enterprise telecommunications contracts intended to replace the expiring Networx contract vehicle.
Previously: Draft telecom RFP released
The RFP centers on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) acquisition, which covers virtual private networks (VPNs), Ethernet, voice and managed network services.
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Download: Draft RFP for NS2020 EIS
The request has a focus on virtualization of infrastructure, including network function virtualization — virtualizing hardware like routers and switches — and software defined networks — where software controls are vendor and infrastructure agnostic.
The draft documents also outline specific security and interoperability requirements, as well as transitioning from Networx and other established services.
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The new contract vehicle will differ from its predecessors — Networx and FTS2001 — as a collection of smaller contracts, rather than a few large, all-encompassing contracts, Assistant Commissioner of Integrated Technology Services Mary Davie told Federal Times last year. Davie described NS2020 as more of a strategy than a traditional contract vehicle.
“The goal of the NS2020 Strategy is to become the federal government’s strategic sourcing center for network-based and network-enabled services,” the draft RFP reads.
Responses to the RFP are due by 4 p.m. on March 31. Awards are expected by the end of 2016.
