Navy publishes RFP for NGEN-R hardware contract

The Navy has released the final request for proposals for the end user hardware contract portion of the Next Generation Enterprise Network recompetition, according to a Sept. 17 Federal Business Opportunities notice.

The final RFP's publication is significant because the Navy has made a point of changing the way it develops its solicitation for the NGEN-R competition.

"As opposed to waiting for an entire [request for proposals] . . . to go out for review, we are literally pushing documents out that are being built," Capt. Donald Harder, then principal deputy at the program executive office for enterprise information systems, told reporters last year at a roundtable.

Harder said the concept of "sprint contract development" was inspired by the "agile" method commonly used in software development.

The service had planned to award the NGEN-R contracts this November and December, however, earlier this month, the Navy issued NGEN incumbent Perspecta an extension to the current contract. That modification added "a new option period that will extend the potential ordering period by 12 months from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2019," according to a Defense Department release.

NGEN delivers the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, which spans 2,500 locations and 700,000 users. The recompete contract will split NGEN into two contracts: one for end user hardware and another for service management, integration and transport.

The deadline to respond to the RFP is Nov. 19.