The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded Harris Corp. a follow-on contract worth up to $450 million to continue managing the agency's Crisis Management System, according to a March 19 Harris release.
The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract award is a follow-on to services Harris has been providing in engineering and maintaining CMS hardware, software and systems since 2004. Under the contract Harris supports a secure network used for emergency communications at the highest levels of the government.
"The CMS provides government leaders with video and voice communications, powered by a secure, high-performance network," the release stated. "This enables senior U.S. government officials to exchange high-interest, time-sensitive information for critical decision making during emergency situations."
According to Defense Department documents, the CMS is owned and operated by the National Security Staff, but maintained by DISA under National Security Council direction and a National Security Decision Directive. CMS services include high-tech video teleconferencing, secure IT and voice-over-internet-protocol networks, provided to the president, vice president, U.S. cabinet members, the Joint Chiefs and other top government officials.
"The system functions in both fixed and mobile modes for exchange of time sensitive high interest information which extends the White House Situation Room presence," the documents stated.
"This program is a critical part of our national security infrastructure," Wayne Lucernoni, president of Harris IT Services, said in the release. "Technology plays a vital role in helping leaders make sound decisions and we are committed to giving them the best technology possible, whenever they need it."
