The General Services Administration (GSA) awarded $2.6 billion in Custom Satellite Communications Solutions contracts to eight businesses as part of the Future Commercial Satellite Communications Services Acquisition (FCSA) program, according to an Aug. 23 notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
Americom Government Solutions; ARTEL; DRS Technical Services, a division of Finmeccanica; Hughes Network Systems; Intelsat General, a division of Intelsat S.A.; Segovia, a division of Inmarsat; TeleCommunication Systems; and Vizada, a division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., were each awarded five-year contracts (three base years with two one-year options) worth a combined $2.6 billion.
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is also part of the FCSA program, according to a statement.
The contract award is the second set of indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts designed to allow contract holders to compete for task orders that will provide customized, customer-defined, end-to-end solutions that include satellite bandwidth, teleport access, network management, equipment needed for satellite communications and engineering support such as integration, operations and maintenance.
These awards expand the common marketplace for commercial satellite communications services under the FCSA program by adding additional sources for end-to-end solutions to currently available offerings in transponded capacity (bandwidth) and pre-defined subscription services.
GSA Federal Acquisition Service Acting Commissioner Mary Davie said the COMCSATCOM contracts make it easier and more affordable for federal agencies to get secure satellite services on an as-needed basis.
“We continue to see the great benefits of combining DISA and GSA acquisition expertise and experience to deliver a lower-cost option to federal agencies that need to purchase mission-critical satellite services,” Davie said in a statement.