Joining forces

What do you do when you've just awarded one of the largest information technology contracts in the history of the federal government? You start figuring out how to manage it.

In early October, the U.S. Navy awarded its eight-year, $6.9 billion Navy-- Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) contract for managing the service's shore-based computing enterprise. Electronic Data Systems Corp. of Plano, Texas, won the deal. The selection of EDS over three other bidders brought the curtain down on the opening act of the NMCI drama, which began in June 1999 when Navy officials announced the contract and created a program executive office to manage it. Other aspects of the drama, including the management challenges it will present to the service, are only beginning.

Through NMCI, the Navy is buying voice, video and data services for shore-- based operations, along with personal computers, servers, networks and help desk support. "The infrastructure will be turned over to the vendor," which will own the PCs, servers and other peripherals, says Lt. Col. Robert Baker, the Marine Corps' NMCI liaison. "The government will still [exercise] governance over its information architecture and the infrastructure through which the military business, if you will, is transacted."