IBM awarded $74.4 million US GSA contract

The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded IBM a contract of up to US$74.4 million over eight years to consolidate nine databases that track government contract data across all U.S. civilian agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The fixed-price contract will have a three-year base period and five one-year options, the GSA said in a press release. The GSA is the U.S. government's main contracting provider.

IBM will work with GSA to design and develop an IT architecture to support the agency's Integrated Acquisition Environment, which is used by hundreds of thousands of civilian and defense employees, as well as companies doing business with the U.S. federal government, IBM said.

The nine GSA databases will be folded into one system using open-source software, IBM said. The integrated system will allow the GSA to provide a one-stop online resource where federal agencies and suppliers can access information including approved products and services, existing GSA contracts, contractor registrations and certifications, project reports, and federal business opportunities, the company said in a press release.

The project is part of a GSA effort to reduce costs, improve efficiency and improve the quality and accessibility of services to its federal clients. GSA could see a significant cost savings by consolidating the databases into one standard architecture, IBM said.

Northrop Grumman, Vertex Information and Computer Consulting Services and Collins Consulting will work with IBM on the project.