The companies who won eligibility to compete for FCSA CS2 task orders include SES Government Solutions, Artel, DRS Technical Services, Hughes Network Systems, Intelsat General, Segovia, TeleCommunication Systems and Vizada.

   Acting GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Mary Davie said the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract vehicles have helped expedite the process for procuring commercial satellite bandwidth and related services.

   “The FCSA program demonstrates how GSA’s focus on collaboration with our customers has led to a solution that makes it easier and more affordable for federal agencies to get secure satellite services on an as-needed basis,” said Davie.

   The FCSA program is co-managed by the GSA and the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as a contract vehicle. GSA and DISA formed the satellite communications partnership in August 2009. DISA Vice Director and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral David Simpson said the latest award completes a new business model for the government.

   “A primary objective of the FCSA program is to align the U.S. Department of Defense and federal government mission partner requirements with highly qualified industry suppliers in a manner that combines volume and whole of government needs in remote areas to optimize government leverage with industry,” Simpson said in a statement. “The award of the final FCSA end-to-end service area completes the new business model and positions us to acquire comprehensive, technically superior and cost-effective COMSATCOM services in a more competitive manner for partners.”

   The FCSA CS2 program is designed to allow agencies to buy customized, customer-defined solutions that include satellite bandwidth, teleport access, and network management. The program also allows agencies to purchase the equipment needed for satellite communications, and engineering support such as integration, operations, and maintenance.

GSA and DISA extended the FCSA program in February to include four Custom Satellite Communications Solutions–Small Business (CS2-SB) contracts for small businesses. The agencies said the CS2-SB program would increase the government’s reliance on commercial satellite services to provide essential, secure communications to disaster recovery teams, emergency responders, distant learning services and the military.

   The first round award winners were AIS Engineering, By Light, Professional IT Services, Knight Sky Consulting and UltiSat. CS2-SB contract holders can compete for task orders that consist solely of satellite professional support services such as analysis and testing. CS2-SB and the future CS2 award, aim to provide access to customer defined end-to-end solutions that include satellite bandwidth, teleport access, network management and the equipment needed for satellite communications.

   The awards maintain a five-year contract period, or three base years with two, one-year options, and a $900 million ceiling.

  “This phase of awards gives small businesses increased access to the federal marketplace while reducing government costs,” GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steven Kempf said in a statement issued with the first round award winners. “We continue to see the great benefits of combining DISA and GSA acquisition expertise and experience to deliver a lower cost option to federal agencies that need to purchase mission-critical satellite services.”