GAO Recommends Reevaluation of Proposals for $10B NSA Cloud Contract

The Government Accountability Office today called for a reevaluation of the proposals submitted by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft in connection with a $10 billion cloud contract to enhance the National Security Agency's technology environment. From a report: The $10 billion NSA contract, code-named WildandStormy, was awarded to public cloud market leader AWS earlier this year. Rival Microsoft, which also competed for the deal, filed a protest with the GAO shortly after AWS was named the winner. The agency's decision today represents a win for Microsoft. "GAO found certain aspects of the agency's evaluation to be unreasonable and, in light thereof, recommended that NSA reevaluate the proposals consistent with the decision and make a new source selection determination," Ralph White, managing associate general counsel for the Procurement Law Division at the GAO, told Nextgov in a statement. "GAO's decision expresses no view as to the relative merits of the AWS and Microsoft proposals." Microsoft submitted its protest to the GAO on July 21. The company followed up the move on Sept. 2 by sending a document known as a supplemental protest. According to Nextgov, the decision that the GAO issued today in response to Microsoft's filings is under a protective order because thereâ(TM)s classified information involved. However, officials reportedly plan to release an unclassified decision down the line that will be accessible for the public.

A good result for everyone.

[ITRambo]

Jeff "Dr, Evil" Bezos may have gamed the system to get the original award. There is nothing wrong with AWS, if they always play fair. But, lately Bezos acts like the world owes him hundreds of billions of more dollars, even when he (Blue Origin) clearly lost the NASA award to SpaceX. Bezos needs to retrench and do some soul searching, if he still has one. I used to like the guy.

Re: A good result for everyone.

[MADCOWbeserk]

It seemed very political that as soon as Biden got in office they cancelled the Microsoft contract for a defense and a new contract for the NSA got awarded seemingly out of thin air. I do know that a ton has come out about Amazon lobbying and giving jobs to ex government people while streaming that the only reason they didn't get the original contract was Trump. For the record pretty sure Microsoft and Trump weren't exactly besties.

this would be mildly interesting if..

[nickwinlund77]

anyone knew what people at the NSA actually did? They're so secret, it's hard to know what really goes on there.

Greasy Palms and Wet Beaks

[presearch]

$10B can grease a lot of palms, wet a lot of beaks, and buy the nicest berths on the gravy train.
Imagine the number of fat cash packets being passed under the table for this one.

Do you seriously think we're that stupid.

[takionya]

"The Government Accountability Office today called for a reevaluation of the proposals submitted by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft in connection with a $10 billion cloud contract to enhance the National Security Agency's technology environment."

For $10 billion, Amazon and MICROS~1 will give the NSA backdoor access to the “cloud”.