Pentagon unveils first of two solicitations for its next big cloud contract
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By
Ross Wilkers
The hyperscalers can now start working on proposals for their portion of the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability recompete, while a second contract is in-the-works to cover everything else.
The Defense Department has released the first of two final solicitations for the next iteration of the military’s main cloud computing contract, which is poised to have a much wider scope this time around.
Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft Azure and Oracle are the prime contractors for the current Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability effort awarded in 2022. They are responsible for providing core infrastructure and platform services to DOD organizations, including the military services and administrative agencies collectively referred to as the “Fourth Estate.”
In the final request for proposals released Thursday, the Defense Information Systems Agency is calling the new hyperscaler-focused contract by the name of JWCC Unified Cloud Marketplace Core. It will have a ceiling of $21.6 billion over up to 10 years, inclusive of a five-year base period and a single option for five additional years.
JWCC UCM Core will cover a broad range of requirements spanning infrastructure-as-a service, platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service. The RFP also uses the term “anything-as-a-service” to describe the military’s SaaS needs.
Bids for the Core contract are due by 12 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 6.
DISA is separately working on a companion contract called JWCC Unified Cloud Marketplace Premier, which the agency is setting up to expand what the department can buy for fulfilling cloud needs.
JWCC UCM Premier will have two tiers of services. Tier 2 will include SaaS and PaaS offerings, as well as what DISA calls “non-hyperscale infrastructure-as-a-service.”
Tier 3 is reserved for “Commercial innovators and small businesses,” suggesting this portion will be populated by emerging companies.
“This approach will create a comprehensive marketplace that promotes competition, accelerates access to cutting-edge capabilities, and ensures qualified industry partners can participate equitably,” DISA said in an August sources sought notice on the Premier contract.
DISA’s current acquisition opportunity forecast pegs a final solicitation for JWCC UCM Premier as anticipated for release in the first quarter of calendar year 2027 with awards to follow in the third quarter.
GovTribe data indicates DOD has obligated $1 billion in order volume to-date against the current JWCC contract with Amazon Web Services the top recipient of that spend at 55%, or $564 million. Microsoft is next at 28%, or $291 million. Oracle and Google make up the remaining 17% of the spend.