G2X TAKE: Building on a $62M Application Hosting Support task this CDC CIMS Prime was awarded at CDC this time last year, NTT Data just beat out three bidders to pick up a $9.6M task to provide IT support services to CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response (OPHPR) Division of Strategic National Stockpile (DSNS), which is charged with overseeing the nation’s largest supply of potentially life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency. Global Technology solutions provider, NTT Data purchased Dell Services nearly 18-months ago as part of a $3.1B acquisition, taking over several key Prime contract positions, to include CIO-SP3, CDC CIMS and Alliant (now Alliant 2). This latest 45-month task award will not in itself go a long way to justifying that transaction, but it does show that this group continues to be viewed as a strategic partner to CDC. With CDC CIMS, the CDC’s primary IT contract vehicle, set to expire in 2020 and CDC likely to rely on GSA and/or NITAAC contract vehicles for future acquisition needs, we expect firms to start eyeing up expiring contracts at CDC and looking to develop relationships in Atlanta. Those CDC players, such as NTT Data, who maintain relationships at CDC and positions on multiple GWACSs will naturally be better positioned to win both recompete and new contracts in the years ahead.