Navy Marine Corps Intranet : an analysis of its approach to the challenges associated with seat management contracting

Abstract

Since 1997, Government agencies have been implementing seat management approaches to information technology contracting. Also known as desktop outsourcing, seat management is a process whereby agencies outsource all maintenance and ownership of their desktop computers, including all required hardware, software, network support, maintenance, and help desk services with pricing computed an a per user - or per seat - basis. The Navy Marine Corps Intranet - or NMCI - is arguably the largest and most complex seat management effort undertaken to date. It is designed to eventually cover approximately 360,000 Navy and Marine Corps users. This thesis explores the seat management method of contracting and the challenges inherent in this method of acquiring desktop computing power. Such challenges include benchmarking technical performance requirements, establishing performance measures, creating effective incentives, preparing for the transition to seat management, and managing the required culture change. The NMCI program's approach to addressing these challenges is analyzed and recommendations are provided as to where improvements can be made in order to increase the likelihood that NMCI will achieve its expected benefits.