WASHINGTON — The Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and the Treasury announced today the award of second-phase system integration contracts for the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) to General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Ariz. and Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions of Gaithersburg, Md. Today’s award allows the companies to continue on to the third and final phase of the selection process for the IWN systems integrator.
IWN is a collaborative effort to improve federal tactical communications capabilities. IWN will provide a range of secure and highly reliable wireless communications services, such as voice, data, and multimedia, to support federal law enforcement, homeland security and first responder operations. IWN will implement solutions to provide federal agency interoperability with appropriate links to state, local, and tribal public safety, and homeland security entities. IWN also will be integrated with other communication and information sharing initiatives sponsored by each of the participating Departments.
“By providing near-instant communication availability and system response, highly reliable communications, and physical and encryption security features that minimize interception of sensitive communications, IWN will make law enforcement and protective operations more effective, efficient and safe,” said Vance Hitch, Chief Information Officer for the Department of Justice.
The IWN acquisition has been conducted in three phases. As the lead for the IWN acquisition, the Department of Justice awarded the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts to General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin on June 9, 2006 after an advisory down select (phase 1) and an open market competition (phase 2). Phase 3 is a design competition. In the upcoming months, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin will prepare and submit for government review non-proprietary designs and implementation plans for a specific geographic area of the country. At the end of the design competition, the government intends to select one of these firms as the IWN systems integrator.
Federal components expected to utilize the new system include:
-From the Department of Justice — Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Prisons, and Office of Inspector General;
-From the Department of Homeland Security — Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Protective Service, and Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
-From the Department of the Treasury — Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
More information about IWN is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/iwn
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