Naval Enterprise Networks Program Office Manager Captain Shawn Hendricks provided an update the upcoming Next Generation Enterprise Network contract solicitation on Wednesday.
Highlights from the Department of the Navy chief information officer’s office include:
- In an era of declining budgets, Hendricks was adamant that he is looking for “the right product at the right price” and that he is more concerned with “affordability to the taxpayer” than reaching the budget ceiling.
- Hendricks emphasized that the Navy Marine Corps Intranet is not broken, but that the new network will increase competition, leading to savings for both the government and the taxpayer with innovation playing a pivotal role in finding efficiencies.
- He said bidders should respond with offers that drive costs down through reduced staffing requirements and relay on government-wide software licenses.
- The Navy has set a tight schedule for the contract, with the final request for proposals to be released Dec. 21, 2011 and contract award in Dec. 2012. The network transition must be complete no later than April 30, 2014, when NMCI Continuity of Services Contract ends.
- The NGEN contract will only last five years including option years in an effort to keep the department from being locked into a certain technology so it can adapt to emerging technologies in the future.
