Emergency communicationAT&T selected as TacCom prime vendor

AT&T Government Solutions has been selected as a prime vendor under the Tactical Communications Equipment and Services (TacCom) contract. The TacCom contract, administered by DHS, is a multiple award, Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with an overall value of $3 billion and a base contract period of two years and three, one-year options.

The TacCom contract aims to provide DHS and its component agencies a cost-effective way to purchase a range of tactical communications products, infrastructure, and services to support public safety communications for first responders. AT&T says that as a prime vendor, it can compete against other vendors for individual awards from DHS and its component agencies. AT&T was awarded a position in all five functional categories under the TacCom contract, including Subscriber Units, Infrastructure, Infrastructure Services, O&M Services, and Test Equipment.

“We believe that open standards and the ability to select tactical communications solutions based on performance will provide first responders access to reliable solutions, which are essential to performing their mission,” said Thomas Harvey, senior vice president, AT&T Government Solutions. “Based on our experience with tactical communications deployments at the local, state, and federal level, we believe TacCom provides DHS a strong platform to modernize their infrastructure.”

AT&T notes that recently, DHS announced that AT&T is the first private sector company to attain certification under the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS—Prep). PS-Prep is a voluntary program of accreditation and certification of private entities using standards adopted by DHS that promote private sector preparedness, including disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs.

The standards were announced by DHS secretary Janet Napolitano in June 2010. The program is part of DHS’ implementation of recommendations by the 9/11 Commission to improve private sector preparedness for disasters and emergencies. AT&T says it achieved the certification following months of rigorous audits which measured the company’s ability to manage and maintain operations during emergencies.