Defense

Strategic Services Sourcing
Army Materiel Command

Estimated value: Up to $19 billion
Expected award date: March 2006

The S3 contract, administered by the Army's Com-munications-Electronics Command, is an attempt to award a single contract that will spawn up to 10 IDIQs for services in the areas of engineering, business operations and logistics for C4ISR users.

Encore II
Defense Information Systems Agency

Estimated value: More than $10 billion
Expected award date: March 2006

A follow-on to the successful Encore I IT services contract, Encore II will be an IDIQ contract for worldwide communications services and is expected to be used by Defense and other federal agencies including Justice and Homeland Security, two of the largest non-Defense agencies using Encore I. Like its predecessor, Encore II is expected to have several prime contractors and hundreds of subcontractors. Some experts expect that many of the vendors affiliated with Encore I will end up providing services for Encore II, resulting in a narrower opportunity for vendors trying to break in.

Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-2 Services (ITES-2S)
Army

Estimated value: Up to $20 billion
Expected award date: March 2006

This follow-on contract to Information Technology Enterprise Services is noteworthy for its potential value of $20 billion-20 times larger than the existing ITES contract. In addition to the Army, other Defense and civilian agencies also are expected to use this contract. Like its forerunner, ITES-2S will provide services including network management, information assurance and services related to the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet). But unlike the original contract, ITES-2S is expected to emphasize performance- based contracting. Consultant INPUT ex-pects the Army to make four awards using full and open competition and four awards for small business.