“To continue to grow, RSIS first must keep our existing customer base, and we’ve done a great job of accomplishing that with wins that total nearly $200 million thus far this year,” said Rodney P. Hunt, RSIS President and CEO.
In the largest of the recompete wins – with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – RSIS actually substantially increases the support it has delivered to DARPA the past five years. In fact, the DARPA win, valued at $111 million, is the largest award RSIS has won as a prime contractor in full and open competition. In winning, the company beat back challenges from several industry giants.
Here are details on some of the contracts won in recompetition this year:
DARPA -- The $111 million award is for a range of technology services for DARPA, a key research arm of the Department of Defense. The award, a service-level objective-based managed seats contract, calls for RSIS to provide high-end information technology services and infrastructure systems.
Based in Arlington, Va., the agency’s mission is to maintain U.S. technological superiority by identifying and supporting breakthrough technologies of interest to the military.
The new contract represents a substantial expansion of work RSIS has done for DARPA the past five years.
Under the managed seats concept, RSIS provides technology assistance and network infrastructure support with various types of workstations, servers and applications. This includes a wide range of IT services, systems infrastructure, and computer network defense support in a secure environment.
The information technology services that support DARPA’s research responsibilities require high-end tools and services, and rapid, flexible response to evolving customer requirements.
“Based on our success with service level, managed seat contracts, DARPA has chosen to continue use of this unique contracting method,” Ron Trowbridge, Executive Vice President, said. “Under this type of contract DARPA establishes acceptable standards and optimal levels of service that RSIS must meet in order to receive award fee payments. This new contract award includes service level objectives that can be revised to meet changing IT capabilities and technologies.”
Trowbridge said RSIS provides a team of 85 IT professionals, led by Program Manager Fleur Ryan, and leading-edge technology to DARPA both at its headquarters and remote locations.
Separately, RSIS has a substantial role as a subcontractor to Raytheon in a contract DARPA awarded a few weeks after the large RSIS contract.
U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps – RSIS was awarded a $27 million contract to again operate the Job Corps Data Center in Austin, Texas. The data center is the sole provider of technical and data services to the Job Corps program, which serves 50,000 students at 124 Job Corps centers and satellite locations nationwide.
“Past performance by our exceptional RSIS team at the data center and satellite offices elsewhere was pivotal,” said John Holman, Senior Vice President of RSIS, Civilian Programs Division.
Holman said the contract calls for the company to provide the data center’s network engineering, systems and software development, voice and data telecommunications maintenance, payroll processing, Internet security, and systems administration and training.
The Program Manager for the 105-person team of RSIS professionals serving the Job Corps is Eric Vazquez.
In addition to Job Corps centers throughout the country, the data center serves network customers, regional offices, outreach and admission counselors, and support contractors throughout the country.
Administered by Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration, Job Corps is an education and vocational training program that helps young people ages 16 through 24 learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED and find a job. Job Corps provides career counseling and transition support to its students for up to 12 months after they graduate from the program.
Office of Naval Research (ONR)—RSIS’ excellent track record at ONR was a critical factor in its choice of RSIS to deliver a broad range of technology services, valued at nearly $28 million, at ONR facilities in Arlington, Va.
Cass Panciocco, Senior Vice President of the RSIS Defense Programs Division, said RSIS is providing integrated information system support, including full system lifecycle development, business process re-engineering, Oracle COTS applications development and integration, and help desk support.
“We have a highly adaptable and agile project team, led by Program Manager Jonathan Peterson, that can meet rapidly emerging ONR requirements,” Panciocco said. “And, by virtue of our seven-year relationship with ONR, the team possesses an end-to-end knowledge of ONR business processes.”
With headquarters in Arlington, ONR manages science and technology research for the Navy and Marine Corps. ONR sponsors basic and applied research in oceanography, advanced materials, sensors, robotics, biomedical science and technology, electronics, surveillance, mathematics, manufacturing technology, information science, advanced combat systems, and technologies for ships, submarines, aircraft, and ground vehicles.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—RSIS has a substantial subcontracting role in a computing and telecommunications services contract the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Electronic Consulting Services, Inc. (ECS).
The contract once was held by RSIS as prime contractor when it was still small enough to compete for small business set-aside work, said Ruth Ann O’Connell, Director of Telecommunications Services in RSIS’ Civilian Programs Division.
As RSIS has grown – it now has nearly 2,000 on staff and the company’s revenues last year approached $370 million – it no longer meets normal federal small business criteria. Thus, it can’t compete as prime contractor on expiring contracts that come up for recompete. As a result, an important part of the company’s business strategy now is to seek out and often mentor impressive small businesses, and team with them in pursuit of the recompeted work.
As a subcontractor, O’Connell said RSIS will support the EPA Office of Environmental Information with several tasks that include video teleconferencing and producing “smart” conference rooms that merges AV and IT technologies in a total network solution.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) —Though it was not a recompete, RSIS was awarded a $25 million contract by FAA, which has given RSIS high marks on the company's two current telecommunications contracts. With the new contract RSIS provides security engineering and management support services to the National Air Space (NAS) system. The NAS is the only non-defense governmental service operating round-the-clock that provides aircraft separation—maintaining distance between aircraft—to all categories of aircraft.
Chris Brandell, Vice President, Government Services Practice, said RSIS staff will ensure that security systems are protected and that agency policies and procedures for security systems are implemented. The program manager is Achuta Rayaprolu.
Under separate contracts, RSIS provides telecommunications services to the FAA NAS, and the company’s Network Operations Center maintains and repairs voice telecommunications for the FAA nationwide.
