The long-running JEDI battle for the $10 billion contracts to modernize the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) cloud infrastructure – between Amazon and Microsoft, not Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker – has reached a new chapter. Microsoft won the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract in 2019, but its triumph was short-lived after Amazon filed for and secured an injunction in 2020 due to possible presidential influence.
- Announcement: The Pentagon has since declared that the granting to Microsoft was fair, yet it was nevertheless canceled a year later due to a “changing technical environment.” The new Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract will not be a single-vendor arrangement, instead of allowing all service providers to compete for a piece of the technological pie if they match the DoD’s standards.
- Details: In a statement from the Pentagon, further details were revealed: “The Government anticipates awarding two Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts – one to Amazon Web Services and one to Microsoft – but intends to award to all cloud service providers that demonstrate the capability to meet the Department of Defence’s requirements.”
- Performance: “Each IDIQ contract, under which task orders will be placed, is intended to be for a period of performance of one 36-month base period with two 12-month option periods. The Department is still evaluating the contract ceiling for this procurement, but anticipates that a multi-billion dollar ceiling will be required,” the statement continued.
- Capability: “At a high level, the JWCC requirements include providing capability and parity of service at all three classification levels, integrated cross-domain solutions, global availability of tactical edge environments, and enhanced cybersecurity controls”, Danielle Metz, Department of Defence deputy CIO, said.
- Providers: In practice, Oracle and Google are the only two potential cloud providers who may vie for a spot on the contract, while the Pentagon has indicated that only Amazon and Microsoft can fully meet its requirements.
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