Arlington-based Qwest Government Solutions received another government contract this week, in a year filled with significant wins in the public sector.
The company announced it was chosen to provide D.C. government agencies with high-speed Internet service over a fiber-optic telecommunications network.
Recommended Stories
Though the three-year contract itself is small at $540,000, Qwest hopes it will be a springboard for other major work for D.C., spokesman Tom McMahon said Tuesday.
“When you think about who the competitors are in this space, Qwest is not the first company you think of, so I think it just shows we are a Tier 1 communications company,” McMahon said.
The company has become an emerging player in the federal services market. Its biggest splash this year was being one of the companies chosen on both Networx contracts administered by the U.S. General Services Administration, which have an estimated worth of $20 billion.
“Qwest has been working hard in the last couple of years at growing their public-sector business, and they are now seeing the fruits of their labor,” said Ray Bjorklund, senior vice president of FedSources.
Qwest was the first to receive a task order under the contract, McMahon said. It will do $3 billion in work for the Railroad Retirement Board, creating a new call center for the agency. Qwest is pursuing other work under the contract, such as a project from the Department of Homeland Security.
In a recent report, Compass Intelligence analyst Stephanie Atkinson commented on Qwest’s growing government business, saying it is working with 50 federal agencies and gaining an edge over other companies in terms of pricing and unique service offerings.
“Qwest has proven itself to be a top performer of global telecom services, even against its larger competitors,” the report said.
