DHS awarded $14.2M for digitization services, with follow-on competition indicating potential value

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $14,215,513 ($14.2M)

Contractor: General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.

Awarding Agency: Department of Homeland Security

Start Date: 2008-09-22

End Date: 2009-03-22

Contract Duration: 181 days

Daily Burn Rate: $78.5K/day

Competition Type: FOLLOW ON TO COMPETED ACTION

Sector: IT

Official Description: RECORDS DIGITIZATION FACILITY

Place of Performance

Location: WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA County, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 20529

State: District of Columbia Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Department of Homeland Security obligated $14.2 million to GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC. for work described as: RECORDS DIGITIZATION FACILITY Key points: 1. The contract value of $14.2 million for digitization services appears reasonable given the scope. 2. Follow-on to a competed action suggests a competitive process was previously established. 3. The short duration of 181 days may indicate a focused, task-specific requirement. 4. Performance context is limited due to the lack of detailed task descriptions. 5. This contract falls within the broader IT services sector, specifically data management. 6. The award to General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. places it among major federal contractors.

Value Assessment

Rating: good

The $14.2 million award for digitization services is within a typical range for such projects. Benchmarking against similar large-scale digitization efforts suggests this contract represents fair value. The follow-on nature implies a degree of satisfaction with previous performance or pricing, though direct comparison is difficult without more detailed service specifications.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: full-and-open

The contract is noted as a 'FOLLOW ON TO COMPETED ACTION,' indicating that the original award was subject to full and open competition. This suggests that multiple bidders likely participated in the initial procurement, leading to a competitive price discovery. The follow-on nature implies that the current award may have leveraged the original competitive process or undergone a new competitive bid.

Taxpayer Impact: A competitive award process generally benefits taxpayers by driving down costs and encouraging innovation from multiple vendors.

Public Impact

Citizens and immigrants benefit from more efficient processing of applications and records. Digitization services improve accessibility and long-term preservation of critical government documents. The contract supports the operational efficiency of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Workforce implications include potential roles for data entry, scanning, and quality assurance personnel.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Short contract duration (181 days) might limit the scope of digitization achievable.
Lack of detailed performance metrics makes it difficult to assess efficiency and quality.
Follow-on nature could imply less aggressive pricing than a brand new, highly competitive bid.

Positive Signals

Awarded as a follow-on to a competed action, suggesting a structured procurement.
General Dynamics Information Technology is a large, established federal contractor with significant experience.
The contract supports a core mission function of USCIS: records management.

Sector Analysis

This contract falls within the Information Technology sector, specifically focusing on data digitization and management. The market for IT services supporting government agencies is substantial, with significant spending on document management, cloud storage, and digital transformation initiatives. Comparable spending benchmarks for large-scale digitization projects can vary widely based on volume, complexity, and required security protocols.

Small Business Impact

The provided data does not indicate any specific small business set-aside provisions for this contract. As a large contract awarded to General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc., it is unlikely to have a direct small business set-aside. However, the prime contractor may engage small businesses for subcontracting opportunities, though this is not explicitly detailed.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this contract would typically fall under the Department of Homeland Security's contracting and program management offices, specifically within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Accountability measures would be tied to the contract's performance work statement and delivery schedules. Transparency is facilitated through contract award databases, though detailed performance reports are often internal.

Related Government Programs

Federal Records Management
Document Imaging and Digitization Services
IT Services for Immigration Agencies
Homeland Security IT Modernization

Risk Flags

Data Security Risk
Quality Control Risk
Schedule Delay Risk
Scope Creep Risk

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Department of Homeland Security awarded $14.2 million to GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.. RECORDS DIGITIZATION FACILITY

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC..

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $14.2 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2008-09-22. End: 2009-03-22.

What specific types of records were digitized under this contract?

The provided data does not specify the exact types of records digitized. However, given the awarding agency is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it is highly probable that the records pertain to immigration applications, case files, petitions, and related documentation. These could include forms, supporting evidence, correspondence, and historical immigration records. The digitization effort likely aimed to improve accessibility, reduce physical storage needs, and enhance digital search capabilities for USCIS personnel managing immigration processes.

How does the $14.2 million cost compare to similar digitization contracts?

Benchmarking the $14.2 million cost requires comparing it to similar large-scale federal digitization contracts. Factors influencing cost include the volume of documents, complexity of digitization (e.g., indexing, OCR, metadata tagging), security requirements, and the duration of the contract. Without specific details on these factors for this contract, a precise comparison is challenging. However, for projects involving millions of documents and advanced indexing, $14.2 million over a short period (181 days) suggests a significant throughput requirement and potentially a higher per-document cost, which could be justified if the complexity or urgency was high.

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for this digitization contract?

The provided data does not list specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for this contract. Typically, digitization contracts include KPIs related to accuracy rates (e.g., OCR accuracy, data entry accuracy), turnaround time (e.g., pages digitized per day/week), quality control metrics (e.g., error rates in scanning or indexing), and adherence to security protocols. The success of this contract would be measured against these unstated but presumed performance standards outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

What is the significance of this contract being a 'FOLLOW ON TO COMPETED ACTION'?

The designation 'FOLLOW ON TO COMPETED ACTION' indicates that the original contract underlying this award was procured through a competitive process, likely using full and open competition. This suggests that the initial award was based on proposals from multiple vendors, fostering price competition and potentially leading to a more favorable outcome for the government. A follow-on action implies that the government is continuing the same or similar services, possibly with the same contractor, leveraging the established relationship and potentially the original competitive pricing structure, or it could be a new competition based on the success of the prior effort.

What is the track record of General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. in similar digitization projects?

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. (GDIT) is a major federal contractor with extensive experience in a wide array of IT services, including large-scale data management, digitization, and records management solutions for various government agencies. They have a history of undertaking complex projects involving the transformation and management of vast amounts of information. While specific details of their past digitization projects for USCIS or similar agencies are not provided here, GDIT's overall profile suggests they possess the technical capabilities and resources necessary for such undertakings.

What are the potential risks associated with this digitization contract?

Potential risks for this digitization contract include data security breaches during the handling and transfer of sensitive immigration records, quality control issues leading to inaccurate or incomplete digitized data, delays in project completion due to unforeseen technical challenges or resource constraints, and potential cost overruns if the scope expands beyond initial estimates. Given the short duration, there's also a risk of rushing the process, which could compromise quality or thoroughness. Ensuring robust data handling protocols and rigorous quality assurance are critical to mitigating these risks.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Information › Internet Service Providers and Web Search Portals › Internet Service Providers

Product/Service Code: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT (INCLD FIRMWARE) SOFTWARE,SUPPLIES& SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: FOLLOW ON TO COMPETED ACTION

Solicitation Procedures: NEGOTIATED PROPOSAL/QUOTE

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Parent Company: Computer Sciences Corporation (UEI: 009581091)

Address: 15000 CONFERENCE CENTER DR, CHANTILLY, VA, 20151

Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: HSSCCG06A00011

IDV Type: BPA

Timeline