STARCOM 21 Resurfaces

Deltek Analyst Joanna Salini reports.

The state of Illinois’ STARCOM 21 project that roared with controversy earlier this year has resurfaced once again. A lot of backlash resulted from STARCOM 21’s $114 million soul-source contract to Motorola, awarded in May, but that hasn’t stopped the project from expanding. Illinois recently decided to contract out radio equipment compatible with the STARCOM 21 network through a new invitation for bid (IFB) released on September 13, 2011.

Initially, Harris Corporation filed a formal protest alleging the awarded Motorola contract was a monopoly and bypassed open competition between vendors. The STARCOM 21 network services more than 18,000 subscribers and is owned and operated by Motorola. The intention of the past state procurement was to allow continued use of the existing STARCOM 21 network in order to maintain infrastructure and leverage the original investment.

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