14 DAY TRIAL // The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) granted contracts for four teams of companies which will compete for up to $300 million. The dead line for the project, named Prime 3.4, will expire in five year time, and, until then, the companies will have to develop and deploy information technology services, including system maintenance, modernization and Internet development support for the USAID.
"The PRIME 3.4 vehicle will be the main mechanism for modernizing USAID as it integrates more closely with the State Department," Martin Hudson, Devis vice president, said in an e-mail cited by Washington Post. Moreover, the Agency's representatives said in a statement that they might extend the five year program in order to achieve the goals.
There are four teams guided by leaders in the technology segment. The first one, the AINS, gathers ASIS, American Systems, Computer Sciences, Oracle and Pillar Systems.
The second one belongs to Devis that has teamed up with Unisys. On the other hand, the BearingPoint team assembled Northrop Grumman, International Business Machines, CACI International and Compusearch Software Systems.
And now comes the top team led by SRA that includes PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pro-Telligent LLC, Sysmatics.com, Customer Value Partners, Delta Solutions, Infoterra, Pillar Systems, Compusearch Software Systems and TKC Communications.
"Federal procurement regulations specify several procedures for measuring companies eligible to receive small-business set-asides. The two small-business prime contractors chosen in this procurement probably will reap a greater share of the profits from each task order they win than their subcontractors, some of which are very large businesses. The prime contractors will also direct and allocate the work they win among their subcontractors," informed Washington Post.
The Prime 3.4 project is an extension of the previous phase named Prime 3.2 that started earlier in May, which was focused on infrastructure issues. The 3.2 project also involved $4 million and other five year contracts.