Gain a Competitive Advantage with Exclusive Insights into TACCOM III

DHS MGMT Tactical Communications Equipment and Services (TACCOM) III Summary

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Management Directorate (MGMT) Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) Strategic Solutions Office (SSO) may have a continuing requirement for a Multi-Agency Contract (MAC) to provide tactical communications products and services. Potential customers will likely include the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of State (DOS), Department of the Treasury (USDT), White House Communications Agency (WHCA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other agencies will likely have the ability to order off of the forthcoming IDIQ as well. Products such as tactical communications infrastructure, radios, maritime communications equipment, and satellite equipment will be available through this IDIQ. Services will include radio installation, O&M services, and engineering services, among others.

Hot Buttons Vendors Should Outline in Their Proposals for TACCOM III

  • Uncertainty Over Future Management of TACCOM Vehicle

  • Provision of Inventory of Cutting-Edge Communications Products

  • Support for Improvement and Modernization of Wireless Communication Networks

  • Improvement of Ability to Connect to Secure Networks Remotely

    Incorporation of Emerging Technology Such as Internet of Things (IOT)


    * For an in-depth overview and a multitude of direct quoted statements from our discussion with CBP Contract Specialist Claire Breen and Chief Data Officer of DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office Dr. Lon Gowen on the above hot buttons,
    view the full report.

Government’s Perception of the Active TACCOM II Vehicle

AlphaBrook continued our comprehensive outreach and independent research to ascertain the government’s perception of the performance of TACCOM II. During this topic, we spoke with CBP Contract Specialist Claire Breen, and she informed us, “As far as structural changes, I haven’t heard a lot of complaints, to be honest.” However, she continued to elaborate, “I would say that maybe we would be looking at perhaps a broader contract type. One thing I’ve heard is that folks kind of struggle with the determination on whether to go down that TC [Technical Category] 1 track for supplies or the TC 2 track for services because agencies often think that, for example, they are buying a service contract because they want a long term period of performance. They’re talking about a five-year task order and they have performance outcomes that they’re trying to drive, but the cost of the materials ends up outweighing the cost of the service itself. And in our IDIQ, we kind of specify, ‘Well you choose your track based on your estimated split of expenses.’ So, that doesn’t seem to me like it is always working. Now, I rarely hear this kind of scenario, and perhaps it’s just they sorted out their own level, and nobody complains. I certainly haven’t seen anything like a protest on it.” This information suggests that while TACCOM II has overall been satisfactory for stakeholders from DHS and other organizations that have ordered off of the contract, there has been disruptive confusion at times regarding the binary technical categories, particularly where task orders require both goods and services.

Contract Details Recent Developments

AlphaBrook researchers engaged with OCPO Category Manager Christopher Robinson, inquiring whether this effort remains in pre-RFP. To this, Mr. Robinson responded, “There is no solicitation released for TACCOM III yet,” indicating that the RFP may not be released until around late Q2FY2024. In further discussion to determine the likely award date for this effort Mr. Robinson added, "We expect TACCOM II to finish up sometime in May of next year [2024] –– that is when we'd like to have TACCOM III awarded if at all possible." This feedback indicates the customer office anticipates determining an award date based on the current contract expiration timeline, thus it is likely an award for this effort will be made in May 2024.

In a continued conversation with Mr. Robinson as to whether the customer office will likely retain the previously estimated value of $3B, he stated, "Nothing has changed in terms of what is going to be required for TACCOM [III]." Therefore, vendors interested in pursuing this effort can anticipate an estimated value of approximately $3B.

As we continue to monitor the progression of the TACCOM III procurement, we will record all developments within our VoicedIQ platform including quoted updates to contract details, in-depth conversations on current customer pain points, and additional insights straight from the government decision-makers behind this effort. To learn how to stay up-to-date on this effort or other efforts in your pipeline, schedule a pressure-free conversation with us.

Monica Cardona