DISA Taps Social Media for Reponses to New Network Contract

The Defense Information Systems Agency is urging industry to use a social media site originally established by the U.S. Pacific Command in 2000 to respond to its request for information for its next-generation network. I reported on DISA’s plans in our news pages today.

Though vendors can reply to the RFI with old-fashioned email, DISA told them it would prefer they use the All Partners Access Network, which features a whole bunch of collaboration tools.

DISA said, “Our goal in using this social media tool is to allow for a more collaborative and agile method of getting industry comments,” and provided instructions on how to set up an account.

This marks the first use of social media that I know of for federal contracting, and I wonder if other agencies will follow.