VA awards contract for mobile device management

The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a $4.4 million contract for mobile device manager software to Firstview Federal Technology Solutions LLC, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business in Rockville, Md.

Through this contract, the VA can ramp up the number of mobile devices it can securely manage on its network and enable employees and physicians to bring their own devices, such as Apple iPhones, according to Roger Baker, the VA's CIO at a Sept. 26 briefing.

Firstview is a current vendor on the VA’s Transformation Twenty One Total Technology, or T4 contract, which is a $12 billion multiple-award contract that allows the VA to order IT support services off of it up to that sum and the 14 vendors on it can compete for the task orders. This type of contract vehicle aims at speeding up the federal acquisition process.

Firstview won the task order for the mobile applications collaborative environment and device manager, which supports the VA's New Models of Care effort.

Baker has said that the VA's “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy will set limitations on personal devices for information security and to protect veteran information. But the BYOD policy will be a boon for thousands of medical students who practice annually at VA hospitals, he said. With the MDM, they will be able to use their own mobile devices if they agree to certain restrictions.

The purchase of more mobile devices will be based on a business case for productivity and savings, he said.