GSA working to grant EIS transition extension for Justice and Homeland Security
The General Services Administration is working to grant the departments of Justice and Homeland Security two extra years to move IT infrastructure services to the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.
In a blog post on Friday, GSA said it had requested a contract extension from existing telecommunications providers providing services to the agencies.
Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) is a $50 billion contract that was launched to allow federal agencies to transfer telecommunications and IT infrastructure contracts off legacy Networx, Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) 3 and local telecom services contracts.
According to the agency, it has requested the extensions to avert the risk of serious disruption at the two agencies.
Earlier this year, GSA invoked a continuity of service (CoS) clause for three existing IT contracts, following delays in agencies awarding contracts under the solicitation.
In September, of 114 agencies with active services on expiring contracts, 112 informed GSA that they would sign memorandums of understanding.
In its blog post announcing the potential extension, GSA said it expects there are more than 60 contracts that will need extensions after May 21, 2024.
“The approach we are taking is not without risks. For instance, contractors may not agree to an extension,” GSA said. “They can refuse to sign on to extend further and GSA cannot force them to continue providing these services. Further prolonging transition generates risks for agencies, too.”
It added: “The EIS contracts offer benefits to agencies such as cost savings opportunities, avenues for technology modernization, and access to modern cybersecurity capabilities.”
