Verizon tapped by Dept. of Labor for $887M network upgrade

Verizon Public Sector snagged five 12-year contracts collectively worth $887 million from the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) to update the agency’s network infrastructure and services.

The task orders include a contract to upgrade the DoL’s IT backbone with a new network architecture that will include a mix of broadband, cloud, fiber and wireless technologies; another to overhaul its audio and web conferencing services; and a third to provide Content Delivery Network Services and build a cloud environment that where the DoL can run infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service.

A fourth contract will see Verizon install Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Service (MTIPS) in the DoL’s seven data centers, while a fifth covers the deployment of unified communications services.

Collectively, the upgrades will touch 1,000 locations and serve 20,000 DoL users.

Jennifer Chronis, SVP for Public Sector at Verizon, said in a statement the awards “further solidify our role as the end-to-end digital solutions provider for our government customers.”

The contracts were distributed through the General Service Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) technology procurement program, through which all telecom purchase agreements are required to be sourced by September 2022.

Earlier this year, Verizon bagged a $78.8 million task order from the Air National Guard as well as a $495 million contract with the Department of Defense. Last week, the operator was chosen to deliver 5G service to seven Air Force installations as part of the government’s Offer to Lease program.

Its rivals AT&T and Lumen have also recently nabbed several EIS orders. Awards granted to the former this year include projects for the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Transportation and Treasury. Lumen, meanwhile, snagged contracts from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy JAG.