Description
The General Services Administration intends to extend on sole source basis three contracts, in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, to provide continuity of service and support the transition to a new competitive award currently being worked for Region 1 local services. Request for proposal was posted on the Fedbizopps on June 14, 2006. The region currently has three contracts for local telecommunications services which were awarded to Verizon and Southern Bell Company(DBA AT&T) to support services in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The contracts were originally awarded in 2001 and are due to expire in July 2006. The region is currently competing a regional local services contract to consolidate all current local telecommunication services throughout the six (6) New England states. Current contracts: 1. Contract GS01K01BKM0050 was awarded to Verizon on January 26, 2001 to support services in Worcester, Massachusetts, Manchester, Laconia, Concord and Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Montpelier and Burlington, Vermont. The contract period of performance ended on January 25, 2006 and was extended six months in order to compete the new Region 1 Local Services Contract. 2. Contract GS01K01BKM0049 was awarded to Verizon on February 29, 2001 to support services in Augusta, Bangor and Portland, Maine. The contract period of performance ended on February 28, 2006 and was extended six months in order to compete the new Region 1 Local Services Contract. 3. Contract GS01K01BKM0048 was awarded to Southern Bell Company (AT&T) on January 26, 2001 to support services in the state of Connecticut. The contract period of performance ended on January 25, 2006 and was extended six months in order to compete the new Region 1 Local Services Contract. As the incumbent contractors, Verizon and Southern Bell Company(AT&T), are the sole contractors capable of providing continuity of services through the period leading to a follow-on effort without major disruption, loss of functionality and/or features, degradation of services and significant overall cost impact to the federal agencies serviced by this contract. This action effects approximately 6,000 circuits. A lapse in service will have an immediate detrimental effect on the ability of the General Services Administration to provide telecommunications services to federal agencies in the New England region. Approximately 125 Government agencies in the New England region would lose telecommunications service if these contracts ended before the services could be transitioned to the new Local Services Contract. This contract extension will provide a bridge while a competitive acquisition is finalized and services can be transitioned to the new contract. This sole source contract modification extension is to allow sufficient time to transition to the Region 1 Local Services Contract. Services will be mirrored on the three bridge awards to provide for transition to the Local Services Contract. The Statutory authority for other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304 (d)(1)(B). The current contracts expire on/or around July 31, 2006. The proposed Bridge contract extensions period of performance will be from August 2006 to August 2007. The twelve month Bridge contract extensions will continue to provide the minimum services that are currently provided for the requiring agencies.