Partnership for Peace update postponed

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Defense Department has postponed plans for a $1 million follow-on contract for a system that would improve the ability of 27 democratic countries to share information.

The Partnership for Peace Information Management System (PIMS) instead will continue using the incumbent contractor—Computer Systems and Communications Corp., a unit of General Dynamics Corp.—for at least the next 12 months.

A request for proposals, issued in August, sought to enhance the existing PIMS to create "reliable mechanisms for articulating interests, sharing information and resolving issues among the member states," according to the RFP. It has an estimated value of more than $1 million, according to Federal Sources Inc., a McLean, Va., consulting firm.

Given the current need for PIMS, it was determined that this was not the time to conduct a full-and-open competition, said Melanie Lewis, acting director of the General Services Administration Federal Technology Service's Center for Information Security Services. The center is providing contract services for the PIMS program office.

The contract will be extended under the "urgent and compelling" provision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which lets agencies make purchases in a time of emergency.

Next fall, the PIMS office and GSA will assess the situation and make a determination about what step should be taken, Lewis said.

The Partnership for Peace is a program that aims to strengthen relationships with friendly, allied and coalition partner nations, through the use of information technology.

PIMS is a cooperative development program, sponsored by DOD, which seeks to extend a dedicated information and communications infrastructure throughout the Partnership for Peace community.

It is designed to provide services in response to the organization's needs through an intranet of shared databases with secure ties to the Internet, the RFP stated.