Post-FTS politics?

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

The feverish intensity of the battles surrounding the post-FTS 2000 contracts are a sure sign of how big the stakes really are. A new monkey wrench has been thrown into the works. Rep. William Clinger (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, is calling for three-to-five-year contracts for post-FTS 2000 instead of the planned 10-year deals. His letter was also signed by Rep. Steve Horn (R-Calif.), chairman of the Government Management, Information

The feverish intensity of the battles surrounding the post-FTS 2000 contracts are a
sure sign of how big the stakes really are.


A new monkey wrench has been thrown into the works. Rep. William Clinger (R-Pa.),
chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, is calling for
three-to-five-year contracts for post-FTS 2000 instead of the planned 10-year deals. His
letter was also signed by Rep. Steve Horn (R-Calif.), chairman of the Government
Management, Information and Technology Subcommittee.


You can almost hear the lobbying machinery of the long-distance carriers--and the
wannabes--shifting into high gear.


This is a complex issue, all the more so because it has the tinge of politics. Some
insiders are suggesting that Clinger is taking chips off the table in retaliation for
AT&T Corp.'s opposition to the 1996 procurement reforms.


On its face, this is an impossible notion to prove--or disprove. We should all hope it
isn't true, because government contracting should never be used punitively, or, for that
matter, for political reward. Even giant companies have the right to free speech.


Even if it were true, the idea of contracts much shorter than current ones has merit
and is worth discussing.


The telecommunications industry is undergoing tectonic restructuring. The Bell
Atlantic-Nynex and Southern Bell-Pacific Telesis mergers are only the start. Certainly,
the government ought to be able to take advantage of changing conditions, new vendors and
more competition. That ability might be hamstrung by 10-year contracts held by two or
three vendors.


The General Services Administration's original strategy, now shelved, was similar to
that created by the Defense Department for its Defense Information Systems Network: a core
set of contracts for voice with separate vendors handling things like switched data
services and videoconferencing.


But the carriers have a point about risk. Doing GSA telecom business requires a big
investment, all the more risky if there's no mandatory use. And the case can be made that
the periodic price recompetitions and tech refreshment mechanisms keep rates and services
up-to-date and competitive.


GSA doesn't like the idea of short contracts, and it also has a point about the work
involved in contracts of this magnitude. The more time you spend creating and
administering contracts and the services they buy, the less time and product there is over
which to amortize overhead, and the costlier the contracts become.


And anyhow, why did the Hill wait until this late in the game to launch its
three-year-contract blitz? The agency hopes to release final solicitations in August and
award the contract about a year from now.


In the absence of a new law, GSA can do what it wants. Let's hope Federal
Telecommunications Service officials consider the options on their merits, free from
politics.



X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.