--Wired telecommunications services

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, plans to award a sole source purchase order to CenturyTel for wired telecommunications services, including local and long-distance telephone service, at multiple locations along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This procurement, conducted under the authority of FAR 6.302, is intended as an interim measure until an ACE-IT contractor assumes responsibility for the services. CenturyTel has historically provided these services for several years, and the government has determined that switching providers at this time would not be in its best interest. As a result, the solicitation is not open for competitive bidding, although other firms may notify the Contracting Officer within three days if they believe they can meet the service requirements; any such input will be evaluated solely to decide if a competitive procurement is warranted. The contract is identified under solicitation number W91278-09-T-0003 and falls within the NAICS code 517110, pertaining to wired telecommunications services. The contracting office is located in Mobile, Alabama, within the Department of Defense structure. This acquisition is specifically focused on maintaining continuity of telephone services while the transition to a new contractor is underway, emphasizing operational stability and minimizing disruption for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway communications infrastructure.