DHS Plans $300M Wireless Recompete for Small Businesses in April

The Department of Homeland Security plans to release a draft request for proposal in April for a follow on to its $288 million Cellular Wireless Managed Services (CWMS) contract, according to an announcement from early March. iSYS LLC, a subsidiary of WidePoint Corp., has held the initial CWMS contract since March 2014.

The recompete will take the form of a single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a single base year and four option years. DHS plans to set aside the award for a small business, according to the notice.

Photo: USACE/ Mark Rankin

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers member using an app on his cell phone

Along with the draft RFP, DHS will host a virtual industry day in April on a date yet to be determined. Like dozens of other federal agencies, DHS has postponed or canceled all in-person procurement events due to concerns surrounding Covid-19, and will convert many into virtual events.

DHS expects to issue a final RFP in June and make an award by the end of October , according to the announcement. However, this timetable may shift if disruptions from the coronavirus persist.

The department initially proposed competing the CWMS follow on as a blanket purchase agreement on Schedule 70. Instead, DHS will compete the requirement as a commercial item acquisition, a procedure designed to streamline agencies’ access to technologies available on the consumer marketplace.

The contract will deliver a range of wireless and cellular services, including:

• Cellular, satellite, and data services;
• A web-based portal for device ordering and management;
• Mobile device management;
• Technical support and help desk services; and
• Services to improve in-building wireless coverage.

DHS seeks to work with a vendor capable of brokering services and licenses from multiple wireless carriers and service providers, rather than working with a single carrier.

Interested parties may submit inquiries to DHS via CWMS2@hq.dhs.gov.

Chris Cornillie is a federal market analyst with Bloomberg Government.

To contact the analyst on this story: Chris Cornillie in Washington at ccornillie@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Snyder at dsnyder@bgov.com; Jodie Morris at jmorris@bgov.com