GSA Awards Wire and Cable Services Contracts

GSA # 9453

December 10, 1997
Contact: Bill Bearden
(202) 501-1231

Washington, DC--The U. S. General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service (FTS) has announced awards of Wire and Cable Services (WACS) Contracts to Engineering and Professional Services Inc. (EPS), Tinton Falls, NJ; GTE Government Systems Corporation, Needham Heights, MA; and Government Telecommunications Inc. (GTI), Chantilly, VA. These non-mandatory contracts are the first of their kind to provide the Federal Government with a comprehensive vehicle to effectively consolidate requirements for telecommunications infrastructure modernization. The WACS contracts are for three years with two one-year options and have a total estimated value of $2.6 billion.

Under the terms of the WACS contracts, vendors must be ready to respond to simultaneous requests for service nationwide. "These contracts emphasize the comprehensive one stop shopping philosophy that the FTS believes in," said newly appointed FTS Commissioner Dennis Fischer. "We anticipate that customers will realize substantial cost savings in addition to the flexibility to either consolidate multiple jobs nationwide or contract for jobs separately, whichever best meets their needs."

Under WACS, customers can determine the use and administration of the contract and avoid the contracting processes associated with large, multifaceted, infrastructure requirements.

"We are pleased to welcome EPS, GTE and GTI to the WACS Program." said Sandra Bates, FTS Deputy Commissioner. "These new partnerships will result in our clients receiving better, faster and less expensive infrastructure modernization service into the next millennium."

WACS contracts are for use by all Federal Agencies, Tribal Governments and other authorized entities in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Some of the services include: provisioning of copper, fiber optic and multi-functional inside and outside wiring and cable systems to include hardware and electronics; outside conduit systems; hardware and software to support fiber optic and multi-functional distribution systems; and management and administration of cable plant through software based systems.

For additional information on WACS call Jonathan Allen on (703) 610-2830, Joseph Romanelli on (703) 610-1649, or visit the FTS homepage at http://fts.gsa.gov.

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