General Dynamics awarded $876 million for Homeland Security move


General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a task order through the US General Services Administration's Alliant Contract to support the relocation of the US Department of Homeland Security's headquarters.

The task order has a ceiling value of $876 million and duration of seven years if all options are exercised.

"In partnership with GSA, General Dynamics will provide a state-of-the art IT infrastructure that meets the Department of Homeland Security's requirements today, tomorrow and into the future," said Dan Johnson, president of General Dynamics Information Technology.

"The General Dynamics team has unmatched experience and capabilities in providing comprehensive IT infrastructure on this scale, and our goal is to ensure that DHS' plans and vision for the new campus will be achieved on time and on budget. This experience will allow the company to construct an infrastructure for the DHS that is green, modern, efficient, redundant, scalable, configurable and cost-effective."

The DHS will consolidate its key leadership, policy, management, programs and mission execution personnel on the St. Elizabeths Hospital East and West campuses, which are located in southeast Washington, DC. Twenty-two component agencies of DHS will be part of the consolidation. DHS will move approximately 14,000 employees onto the campus over the next seven years from multiple sites around the Washington, DC area.

General Dynamics will install and maintain components that include:

§     Information technology networks and systems, along with data, video and audio/visual equipment;

§     Telecommunications, including telephony and accompanying networks and wiring;

§     Physical security elements such as video cameras, identification card readers and control access points, all integrated for easy monitoring; and

§     Building management systems such as the electronic information boards in parking garages that will need to be operated and maintained.

Once the design phase of the program is complete, General Dynamics plans to hire new employees to execute the installation and configuration phase of the program. The company will partner with employment organizations in the Washington, DC area to hire local residents in the next year.