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NASA Integrated Communications Service Under Congressional Scrutiny

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
November 19, 2015
Filed under
NASA Integrated Communications Service Under Congressional Scrutiny

Letter from Rep. Sensenbrenner to NASA Administrator Bolden Regarding Acquisition Issues
“I am writing to request information about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) policy with respect to full and open competition in the acquisition process. NASA is in the midst of an up-to ten-year $1.3 billion dollar technology purchase known as the NASA Integrated Communications Service (NICS) contract. Such a large and important technology purchase should follow both the letter and spirit of full and open competition laws, regulations, and Office of Management and Budget guidelines to ensure that NASA, and the taxpayer, get the best value for their investment, as well as the best and most cost-effective solutions to meet mission requirements. … It has come to my attention that, pursuant to NICS, there is an Approved Products List (APL) developed by the contractor. The APL governs which products can be purchased for NASA systems and networks, and likely will impact NASA acquisitions for years to come. Interestingly, every approved product listed on the NICS LAN wired and wireless network APL belongs to a single manufacturer. At the same time, alternate vendors that have supplied network equipment to NASA, and successfully met mission requirements, have not been evaluated for inclusion on the APL for current and future purchases, despite requesting an opportunity to be evaluated.”
Rep. Sensenbrenner Seeks Answers on NASA Contracting Practices
Letter from Rep. Sensenbrenner to NASA IG Martin Regarding Acquisition Issues

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

One response to “NASA Integrated Communications Service Under Congressional Scrutiny”

  1. Daniel Woodard says:
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    So far as I know SAIC is a service provider, not a manufacturer. The letter does not say which manufacturer the products come from; does anyone know? A broader question might be whether a research and development organization really should outsource most of its IT resources, let alone to a single source. This has a tendency to make use of computers in research rather cumbersome. Interoperability in IT is dependent primarily on formats and protocols rather than use of equipment from a single source.