• HOME
• NEWS & EVENTS
• PRESS RESOURCES
• PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

 

GSA AND DISA FORM SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS PARTNERSHIP
NEW CONTRACTS WILL STREAMLINE ESSENTIAL SERVICES

WASHINGTON – The U.S. General Services Administration and the Defense Information Systems Agency are creating a common marketplace for commercial satellite communication services offering significant savings to defense and civilian agencies, as well as state, local and tribal governments.

GSA’s multiple award schedules and indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts will be used and the value is expected to exceed $5 billion over 10 years.

“This innovative partnership will provide customers with a single platform for accessing critical communications services,” said GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner James A. Williams.  “This will result in significant savings for taxpayers.”

Lt. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett, Director of DISA, and Commissioner Williams signed a memorandum of agreement July 28 to combine acquisition efforts in this area.

“Why manage separate contract vehicles that offer essentially the same services when we can combine forces?” said Tony Montemarano, DISA’s Component Acquisition Executive.

The federal government increasingly relies on commercial satellite communications to provide essential, secure communications to disaster recovery teams, domestic emergency responders, and the war fighter.  Services are also used to support distance learning and remote access to global government networks.

After exploring the possibility of merging acquisitions, DISA and GSA ultimately sealed the deal to ensure a common marketplace for satisfying the majority of the federal government’s future commercial satellite communication requirements. DISA and GSA are committed to President Obama’s agenda for cooperation among federal organizations.

GSA provides a centralized delivery system of products and services to the federal government, leveraging its enormous buying power to get the best value for taxpayers.

• Founded in 1949, GSA manages more than 11 percent of the government’s total procurement dollars and $24 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 213,000 vehicles.
• GSA helps preserve our past and define our future, as a steward of more than 480 historic properties, and as manager of USA.gov, the official portal to federal government information and services.
• GSA’s mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and E-Gov travel solutions and management policies, at best value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.

Did You Know? GSA manages the federal relay contract which provides nationwide telecommunications relay service for the hearing and/or speech impaired?

DISA, a Combat Support Agency, engineers and provides command and control capabilities and enterprise infrastructure to continuously operate and assure a global net-centric enterprise in direct support to joint warfighters, National level leaders, and other mission and coalition partners across the full spectrum of operations.