MetTel Gets FEMA Contract for Emergency Wireless Services

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has chosen MetTel to provide emergency wireless services under a multi-vendor, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract through the MetTel federal portal, built on Bruin, an intelligent communications platform.

MetTel also was named to the General Services Administration’s $50 billion, 15-year enterprise infrastructure solutions contract, which provides federal agencies with telecommunications, infrastructure, cybersecurity and information technology services.

MetTel’s Diana Gowen

Diana Gowen, MetTel‘s general manager and senior vice president of federal program, tells Channel Partners that her company’s carrier partners, such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, will benefit from this because they have an additional channel through which to sell to FEMA.

FEMA is the first IDIQ mobility contract awarded to MetTel.

“For example, Sprint does not hold a contract with FEMA,” she said. “Therefore, any business that MetTel were to win with FEMA creates a new business opportunity for the organization. This contract would not result in new business for Verizon and AT&T because they are already a part of this new work. Additionally, we have a paging partner — and all business acquired through our FEMA contract results in new business for them.”

While the primary purpose of the contract is to support FEMA’s nationwide disaster-recovery efforts, the agency also reserves the right to issue task orders for non-emergency wireless services.

Under the new FEMA contract, MetTel will provide wireless service plans as well as the supporting mobile devices, such as phones, tablets, SIM cards and related accessories. FEMA will issue task orders as needed and award projects based on technical acceptability, price and wireless network coverage. Each task order period of performance will vary.

The FEMA IDIQ contract has a base period of one year with four one-year options that can be exercised at the discretion of the agency.

FEMA has a permanent national preparedness goal to respond to events such as natural disasters, disease pandemics, chemical spills and other man-made hazards, terrorist attacks and cyberattacks.

“For the nation’s official crisis response agency to rely on MetTel to support its critical, life- saving work is a responsibility we take very seriously,” said Marshall Aronow, MetTel’s CEO. “With our nimble responsiveness, customer-focused philosophy and agnostic approach to best-in-class technology and connectivity, MetTel is well-suited to assist FEMA in its core mission.”