Sprint (NYSE: S) may have only won the Enterprise portion of GSA's (General Services Administration) Networx government telecom contract, the smaller and less expensive option, but it believes that it has the right experience to help federal agencies make the leap from the existing FTS 2001 contract to Networx.
Despite losing out to AT&T, Qwest and Verizon for a seat on GSA's Networx Universal contract, Sprint does have considerable government communications experience as it held the former FTS 2001 and FTS 2000 contracts.
GSA's Networx contract may be lucrative for telcos and a welcome technology shift for federal agencies, but the transition from the former FTS 2001, which the government mandates has to be done by mid-2011, has been mired in complexity and delays. Speaking to the House Committee on Oversight and Government, Bill White, vice president of federal programs at Sprint, recommended that the GSA simplify the transition process for federal agencies.
"I am here today to present Sprint's views on ways to expedite the transition in order to save the government time and money and to bring about greater competition in the acquisition of telecommunications services," said White in his opening statement.
Among its many recommendations, Sprint said that GSA should consider combining the Networx Universal and Networx Enterprise contract vehicles into one contract or possibly advise agencies to adopt the lower-priced Network Enterprise option. By simplifying the contract platform, the GSA would not only be able to cut down Networx transition time, but also enable agencies to accelerate their transition to IP-based technologies including unified communications and 4G wireless.
No matter how compelling Sprint's recommendations are, they will likely be met with protest from the existing Networx Universal contractors.
For more:
- see the release here
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