LAUREL, MD, March 31, 2006 – Aquilent, a leading provider of Web-based procurement and acquisition systems for government clients, has been awarded a five-year, $25 million agreement to enhance and support the nationwide rollout of VA’s procurement system. The Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS) is a Web-based platform for centralized policy management, applying best procurement practices across the department. The VA originally selected Aquilent in December 2003 to develop and pilot an electronic contract management solution. The initial contract awarded was an $11M BPA.
The Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS) provides a fully-integrated electronic acquisition platform that includes the seamless flow of information and data from all stakeholders and systems, from initial requisitioning through closeout. The eCMS solution captures and aggregates requisitions, produces the the solicitation, contract and order documents, announces solicitations to vendors, receives vendor proposal submissions, evaluates vendor proposals based on flexible criteria, and generates awards.
"We are happy to support the Department of Veterans Affairs in its effort to streamline the acquisition process," said David Fout, president and chief executive officer at Aquilent. "The government is starting to synchronize its technology infrastructure with the many acquisition reforms signed into law over the years. Government agencies can take advantage of the benefits of these laws by implementing solutions that improve acquisition efficiency and increase management visibility and control over spending. This solution is a good model for other agencies interested in transitioning to a web-based acquisition solution."
For Web-based acquisition and complex contracting management, Aquilent partnered with Distributed Solutions, Inc. (DSI), whose software was designed specifically for the federal government. For task order management and vendor communication, Aquilent applied its Task Order Management System (TOMS) and Vendor Portal technologies, which were originally implemented for the very successful Naval Sea System Command’s SeaPort procurement portal.
These technologies will improve VA’s internal acquisition effectiveness and enable more visibility over spending, by automating the exchange, tracking and reporting of acquisition information for the full range of products and services purchased by the department. Based on web technologies such as .NET and XML, the Aquilent solution integrates with other federal government procurement systems such as the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG), the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), and the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) systems, all of which are part of the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE).
About Aquilent
Aquilent is an award-winning company with an over 25-year history of providing innovative information technology and web-based services to federal agencies. Aquilent improves the quality and efficiency of service to citizens, employees, and businesses through a suite of solutions and services, including agency web presence, compliance management, enterprise acquisition and finance solutions, and enterprise content management. Additional information about Aquilent is available at www.aquilent.com.
Contact
Peter Fogelsanger
Aquilent, Inc.
301.939.1400
peter.fogelsanger@aquilent.com
