CenturyLink lands $1.6bn network services contract from US Dept of Interior

Helping the agency’s mission to conserve and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage, leading US network provider CenturyLink has won a task order to provide secure network services and IT modernisation solutions to the US Department of the Interior (DOI).

The DOI has more than 65,000 employees, 280,000 volunteers and 2,400 operating locations. The network contract is part of the 15-year, $50bn General Services Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) programme, which was announced in March 2019.

It comprises a multiple-award contract vehicle for federal government agencies to purchase information technology and telecommunications infrastructure services. It gives federal agencies the flexibility and agility to migrate to modern communications and IT services that meet strict government security standards.

In April 2019, CenturyLink became the first supplier to receive authority to operate under the EIS programme in a deal to provide connectivity to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). It is providing to Nasa over a period of nine-and-a-half years a core backbone network services with speeds of up to 100Gbps.

The DOI contract covers two areas and has a combined maximum value of $1.6bn with 11 one-year options that run through 2032. Task area one is for managed core network services to design, engineer, build, secure, operate and maintain DOI’s enterprise network from end to end, including software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN), virtual private network, private line and Ethernet transport services.

It also includes managed security services, such as managed trusted internet protocol services (MTIPS) and implementation of zero-trust networking solutions that meet the government’s strict security requirements. Task area two covers managed access services, including secure cloud connectivity and Wi-Fi.

“The Department of the Interior selected CenturyLink to deliver secure, modern network services that will for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people,” said David Young, CenturyLink senior vice-president for public sector. “This award from DOI shows that government agencies are increasingly turning to CenturyLink as their trusted provider to help them with their IT modernisation efforts so they can focus on their mission.”