Connections II is a federally awarded telecommunications contract that offers global solutions with a ceiling of $5 billion and multiple awardees, including 21 contractors, of which 9 are small businesses. The program emphasizes performance-based contracting and provides a range of telecommunications and networking services while ensuring compliance with supply chain risk management and sustainability requirements. Agencies can access support services and solutions for their telecom needs through a flexible procurement process, enhancing overall communications infrastructure.

1. Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
U.S. General Services Administration. Federal Acquisition Service.
CONNECTIONS II – Global Federal
Telecommunications and Network
Solutions in Buildings and Campuses
Debbie Clark
Connections Program Manager
www.gsa.gov/connectionsii
703-306-6546

2. Federal Acquisition Service
2
HOW CONNECTIONS II MEETS
REQUIREMENTS
 Overview
 Features
 Examples
 Partners

3. Federal Acquisition Service
3
CONNECTIONS II Overview
 Global contract (awarded Oct 2011), ceiling $5 Billion
 Multiple Award ID/IQ (base 3 yrs and six 1-yr options),
FAR 15 acquisition
 21 Pre-competed Contractors
• 9 are small businesses
 Task / Delivery Order Driven
 Fair Opportunity
• Must include all 21 primes – on average 3-5 respond
• For set-aside, must include all 9 small businesses
 Supports Performance Based Contracting Approach

4. Federal Acquisition Service
4
CONNECTIONS II Scope
 Provide connectivity from the user’s desktop to the point
of interconnection of the customer’s network service
providers.
 Increased focus on capability of providing enterprise-wide
solutions.
• Includes all labor, products and solutions necessary to
support the integration of telecommunications, networking
and network-centric applications at the LAN, building,
campus, and enterprise level.
 Network services, including services that provide
transport and access to and between customer sites, are
OUT OF SCOPE.

5. Federal Acquisition Service
5
The “Big” Picture

6. Federal Acquisition Service
6

7. Federal Acquisition Service
CONNECTIONS II – A Better Vehicle
Provides enterprise-wide integration capability from
EXPERIENCED telecom vendors
Geographic scope is GLOBAL
Equipment provided under the contract can meet
Supply Chain Risk Management practices
Sustainability (incorporated Green) Requirements
Davis-Bacon & Service Contracting Act language
incorporated
Task Order Flexibility – ability of vendors to propose
“un-priced items” in task orders –
reduces/eliminates base contract modifications
Complementary to Networx
Task Orders can be fixed price or T&M
Access to Secret, Top Secret & TS/SCI cleared
personnel
Customer choice of Direct Order or GSA Assistance

8. Federal Acquisition Service
CONNECTIONS II Supply Chain Risk Management
 Creating a track-able and traceable supply chain
 Utilizing qualified suppliers
 Verifying genuine ICT (Info and Comm Technology)
products - not counterfeit or illegally modified
 Proper labeling of remanufactured or repaired
products
 Valid licenses for products
 Tracking standards (NIST)

9. Federal Acquisition Service
CONNECTIONS II Sustainability
 Helping agencies meet government energy goals
 Designing a working environment that requires
less energy, is less toxic, with less waste (LEED,
EPEAT)
 Solution longevity - more time to replacement -
extended warranties
 Recycle (De-manufacturing) and Reuse
 Standards (ISO 14001 Environmental
Management) – more efficient operations

10. Federal Acquisition Service
Connections II Complements Network Services Contracts to
Provide Overall Communications and Network Focused Solutions
10
10
Communications and
Networking
● Planning
● Design
● Integration
● Transition
Building/Campus
Facility Preparation
● Cabling/Wiring
● Trenching
● Power Systems
● Construction
Operations,
Administration, and
Management
● Network
Monitoring
● Management
● Repair
Customer Service and
Technical Support
● Help Desk
● Web Design
● Back Office
Support
Network Services Contract Portfolio
Connections II
CNX II Solution
Development and
Integration Capability
Resources
Within CNX II
Contract
(Equipment and
Labor)
Other GSA
Contracts
(i.e., SATCOM II,
Regional
Contracts)
Networx

11. Federal Acquisition Service
11
Skill Sets Examples
 Consultants
 Engineers
 Integrators
 Analysts
 Developers
 Technicians
 Specialists

12. Federal Acquisition Service
12
Examples of Support Services
• Network Management
• Help Desk Operations
• Network Design
• Installation and Testing
• Maintenance
• Configuration
Management
• Inventory Management
• Billing and Account
Management
• Customer Service
• Disaster Recovery
• Network Security
• Acquisition Support

13. Federal Acquisition Service
13
CONNECTIONS II – A Network Transition Tool
 CONNECTIONS II can enhance your transition planning
or relocation efforts
 CONNECTIONS II can provide:
• Equipment: additional end user modems, phones, PBXs,
switches, firewalls, servers, routers, intrusion detection
• Manpower: transition management, support personnel,
qualified technicians
• Solutions: transition planning-execution-documentation-
design of integrated contractor services

14. Federal Acquisition Service
14
CONNECTIONS II - Transition Functions
 Pre-Planning
• Inventory validation, technology analysis
 Strategy
• Organizational scheduling and communications
• Architecture alternatives
• Transition planning – orders and disconnects
 Transition Coordination
• Site surveys, cutovers, reporting, billing verification

15. Federal Acquisition Service
15
CONNECTIONS II as an Integrator
 CONNECTIONS II can be used as an Integrator to:
• Coordinate with access, transport, and equipment vendors
• Monitor end to end performance
– Time to repair, downtime, meeting service levels
– Supply agency with real-time insight into measures
• Coordinate trouble handling/definition
• Look for trends in performance
• Act as single POC with all involved contractors
– Propose procedures to address problems
• Report / Recommend / Develop business cases / Return on Investment
(ROI) analysis
 Might use Networx for IXC, local access/transport, Schedule
70 for equipment (or other combinations)

16. Federal Acquisition Service
Connections II and IPv6 Migration
 OMB deadline looming
 Functions Connections II could perform:
• Migration planning and system analysis
– Inventory/assessment
• Purchase, test and integration
• Pilot deployment on selected LANs
• Full deployment in the production network
 SOW template available soon to provide guidance
• Complete with sample instructions for contractors
16

17. Federal Acquisition Service
17
CONNECTIONS II Prime Contractors
• CONNECTIONS II contractors can add sub-contractors at any time
•Asterick denotes small business
• Please see http://www.gsa.gov/connectionsii for contractor contact information
A&T Systems* General Dynamics Information Technology
American Systems Corp.* Harris IT Services
APPTIS HP Enterprises Services
AT&T Technical Services Netcom Technologies, Inc.*
Avaya Government Solutions Nextira One Federal dba Black Box
BAE Systems Information Solutions Qwest Government Services dba Century Link QGS
Concert Technologies* Science Applications International Corp - SAIC
CRGT (Ciber) The Centech Group, Inc.*
EPS Corp.* Vector Resources*
Futron* Verizon Federal
VISION (GTI)*

18. Federal Acquisition Service
18
HOW AGENCIES MAKE BUYING DECISIONS
 Timeframe to Procure
• Can you get what you want when you want it?
 Price (Best Value)
• Can you get quality at a competitive price?
 Reliability & Credibility of Contractors
• Will you have access to best performing contractors?
Source: GSA FAS Blueprint Survey

19. Federal Acquisition Service
19
CUSTOMER SUCCESSES
 Top Customers
 Successful Projects

20. Federal Acquisition Service
20
Top Customers in Connections I
1. State Department
2. Army
3. Veteran Affairs
4. General Services
Administration
5. Air Force
6. Navy
7. Social Security
Administration
8. Agriculture
9. Justice
10. Homeland Security
11. Transportation
12. DOD
13. Federal Trade
Commission
14. Treasury
15. Health and Human
Services

21. Federal Acquisition Service
21
Customers Won with CONNECTIONS
 State Department
• Operate, manage, maintain existing domestic
Enterprise Telecommunications network
• Nation-wide task order

22. Federal Acquisition Service
22
Customers Won with CONNECTIONS
 General Services Administration
• Maintenance & support of 26 PBX switches
throughout Region 9 (California, Nevada, Arizona,
Hawaii, Pacific territories)
• Approximately 62% cost savings over 5 years
• Task was issued, awarded and implemented in
approximately 3 months

23. Federal Acquisition Service
23
Customers Won with CONNECTIONS
 Federal Trade Commission
• Awarded a 5 year CONNECTIONS task order
• Manage a centralized service call center, supporting
several locations
• Provide on-site end user support to several locations

24. Federal Acquisition Service
24
HOW TO BUY FROM CONNECTIONS II
Procurement Process
Hot Topics
• CONNECTIONS II and Performance Based Contracting
• CONNECTIONS II and “Un-priced items”
Tools and Resources

25. Federal Acquisition Service
25
CONNECTIONS II Procurement Process
 Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO) Ordering Options
• Self-service
– Delegation of Procurement Authority required
 easy, fast, on-line, 48 hour turnaround
• Assisted-service (DPA required for GSA OCOs too)
 Gather requirements
 Develop Task Order / Delivery Order Request (BOM,
SOW or SOO) & other required acquisition documents
 Ensure “Fair Opportunity” throughout the process
 Issue order
 Manage delivery

26. Federal Acquisition Service
26
Request a Connections II Delegation of
Procurement Authority
Warranted contracting officers must fill out this form to request a Delegation of Procurement Authority (DPA) for
Connections II. It takes approximately five minutes to fill out.
Before requesting a DPA
•Before you can request a DPA, you must review these documents:
•Delegation of Procurement Authority Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (PDF, 275k, 04/16/2012)
•Eligibility to use GSA Sources of Supply and Services (PDF, 46k, 10/12/2011)
•Fair Opportunity Guide (PDF, 338k, 04/16/2012)
•Customer Slides (PowerPoint, 3,200k, 10/25/2011)
After requesting a DPA
•GSA will review the form and initiate the Delegation(s) of Procurement Authority;
•You should receive delegation confirmation within two business days; and,
•After receiving the confirmation, you will be able to issue task orders on Connections II.
Information Form Field
First name…
.
.
.
Submit

27. Federal Acquisition Service
27
Performance Based Contracting
 Standards of performance (indicators): Indicators by which
a contractor’s performance is measured
 Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Baseline indicator levels
used to evaluate quality of service
 Incentive arrangements: Incentives are offered based on
whether the contractor’s delivery is meeting the SLAs
Intended to ensure that required performance quality measures are
achieved and that total payment is related to the degree that services
performed meet contract Standards.
Note: Refer to Section 37.6 of the FAR for a more detailed description of Performance
Based Contracting.

28. Federal Acquisition Service
28
Un-priced Items and CONNECTIONS II
 Under the CONNECTIONS II contract un-priced items
were anticipated and are allowable. Information on
proper use of un-priced items is discussed in Section
G.3.1(e) of the contracts. General Information:
• On individual task and delivery orders, un-priced items need
to be evaluated on an individual item basis and labeled
appropriately
• Un-priced items will be governed by the same terms and
conditions of the contract as CONNECTIONS II CLIN items
• Maximum allowable amounts will be established by task
order as outlined by the OCO
• Un-priced items will be on the task order; need not be on
contract

29. Federal Acquisition Service
29
Web Tool
CONNECTIONS II CLIN Checker
• Verify pricing on contract
• Advanced version for searches

30. Federal Acquisition Service
30
CONNECTIONS II One-Stop-Shop Website
 Key Information on Portal
• FAS Points of Contact
• Industry Partner Points of Contact
• CONNECTIONS II Contract
• Delegation of Procurement Authority for OCOs
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Fair Opportunity Guideline
• Statement of Work (SOW) Examples
• Contractor E-mail Addresses for RFQs
• Link to CONNECTIONS II CLIN Checker
• Website: www.gsa.gov/connectionsii

31. Federal Acquisition Service
31
CONNECTIONS II Summary
 Telecommunications and Networking contract
 High degree of flexibility and customer choice
 Equipment, Services and Solutions driven
 21 prime contractors and their subs
 GSA value add with assisted service
 Task Order driven - enhances competitive process
 Dovetails well with GSA transport contracts
 www.gsa.gov/connectionsii

32. Federal Acquisition Service
32
Thank you for your interest and
participation!
CONNECTIONS II is:
Telecom/Networks in buildings & campuses
Pre-competed high qualified contractors
Flexible, easy to use, customer choice
Please
remember:
Email: ITCSC@gsa.gov
Website: www.gsa.gov/connections
Website: www.gsa.gov/connectionsii
1-855-ITAID4U
For more
information
contact:

33. Federal Acquisition Service
33
Questions?
