Awards Contracts to Ten Small Businesses

September 22, 2010

NOAA today announced plans to implement a new information technology business model designed to boost efficiency, reduce costs and make better use of taxpayer dollars. Called NOAALink, the model draws upon the innovation and expertise of America’s small businesses to standardize information technologies and solutions across the agency and ensure better, more cost-effective service.

Following extensive market outreach and a competitive acquisition process, NOAA has awarded contracts to ten small businesses, including firms participating in “8a”, the federal Small Business Administration initiative created to help small businesses compete in the American economy and access the federal procurement market.

The NOAALink program will span 15 service areas within NOAA, including end-user services, data centers, application development, disaster recovery, and security. NOAALink will help drive efficiency and economy of scale on many levels, including:

• reducing the number of help desks and high cost of multiple, low-value software applications;
• standardizing computer purchases;
• automating processes to improve IT services and workforce productivity; and
• streamlining ordering to benefit from consistency and volume procurement.      

The NOAALink awards advance President Obama’s and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s commitment to improve federal contracting by applying best practices for better services at reduced prices. “This is the first of several strategic sourcing initiatives that NOAA is taking to strengthen service and cut costs,” said Mitchell J. Ross, director of the NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office. 

“Our goal is to improve agency performance, establish quality relationships with suppliers, and create efficiencies by fully leveraging NOAA’s buying power, and NOAALink does that,” said Joseph Klimavicz, NOAA chief information officer.

Early this year NOAA awarded the initial NOAALink contract to The Ambit Group in Reston, Va., for strategic planning and project management.  Source selection for large firms will continue until Spring 2011.  

Contracts were awarded to the following firms:

• Ace Info Solutions, Inc., Reston, Va.
• ActioNet, Inc., Vienna, Va.
• Aster Engineering, Inc, Silver Spring, Md.
• CyberData Technologies, Inc., Herndon, Va.
• EE Enterprises Global, Inc., Hampton, Va.
• 2020 Company, LLC.,  Falls Church, Va.
• Caelum Research Corporation, Rockville, Md.
• Earth Resources Technology, Inc. Laurel, Md.
• System Integration and Development, Inc., Rockville, Md.
• Think Tank, Inc., Silver Spring, Md.

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