The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to acquire more standardized computers and related equipment across its enterprise as part of a follow-on procurement to its FirstSource program, the department says in an overview of its acquisition strategy for the upcoming FirstSource II competition.
“As it moves to a more virtualized environment, DHS has a need to have its base computers, laptops and peripherals become more standardized,” DHS says in the FirstSource II acquisition strategy document. “FirstSource II will incorporate a list of salient characteristics for desktops, laptops, peripherals and VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) equipment as part of its base requirements.”
DHS in February 2007 selected 11 small firms to compete for task orders under the five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) FirstSource contract. FirstSource II, like its predecessor, will be a small business set aside for the purchase of information technology commodity products, enabling the department and its contractors to leverage their buying power and obtain better pricing.
A draft Request for Information was released in March for FirstSource II and on Nov. 2 DHS plans to host an Industry Day for the program in Washington, D.C. A draft Request for Proposals (RFP) is expected to be released in early November and the final RFP in early Jan. 2012.
In addition to purchasing IT products, DHS will be acquiring services from the contractors, including configuration consulting and design, systems integration, installation of multi-vendor equipment, customization of hardware and software, training, product technical support, maintenance, and end user support.
DHS says that the pending award “will support the DHS IT community’s transformation to virtualization, mobility and Work Place as a Service.”
As DHS moves to private and public cloud offerings, Work Place as a Service is one of nine private cloud services it is committed to.
“Enabling a mobile workforce is a priority within the department,” Richard Spires, chief information officer at DHS, tells a House Homeland Security Committee panel earlier this month. “We are working closely with the department’s other line-of-business chiefs to modernize how DHS employees work. This offering will provide robust virtual desktop, remote access, and other mobile services over the next 24 months. This capability enables telework and continuity of operations, not only in the National Capital Region but for DHS personnel nationwide. Additionally, we expect to reduce our out-year expenditures on traditional desktop and laptops as we consume more mobile enabling technologies.”
As with FirstSource, the follow-on procurement will also be a multi-award ID/IQ contract.