Inactive

Mobile phone and data services for US Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan. The current AWCC cellular and E1 telephone services contract covered the base year and one option year. In the two years that this con... Mobile phone and data services for US Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan. The current AWCC cellular and E1 telephone services contract covered the base year and one option year. In the two years that this contract has been active, AWCC has undertaken steps at all levels to accelerate infrastructure deployment of cellular services to all Mission customers. To meet the Embassy’s demands, their networks have had to evolve requiring more capacity. AWCC has complemented existing cell towers by densifying wireless networks, providing additional towers in and around the Kabul Embassy compound and installed miles of fiber optic cabling all with the end goal of ensuring the Embassy’s life-safety-security and that communications requirements are met in a country where violence is commonplace and getting worse. Additionally, AWCC is also the provider of the Embassy’s main 4 E1 trunk lines required to connect the Embassy IP/PBX system to the local PSTN at the Embassy and at nearby Camp Alvarado. Due to limited time constraints of the current contract expiring on 2-29-2020, and the magnitude and complicated work to change from one cellular and E1 service provider to another in a terrorist and high threat environment. At this juncture in Afghanistan, more specifically, in Kabul, making a change from the AWCC provider to a different local carrier provider is problematic. Firstly, Embassy Kabul, all off-site locations and Camp Alvarado, are supported by the Embassy PBX utilizing a 7000+ direct inward dialing (DID) plan consisting of a 4-digit extension plan/system. In Kabul, these 4-digit extensions are not only found in offices, but also in all Staff Diplomatic Apartments in and around the compound, something no other embassy in the world utilizes. Embassy Kabul has a GSM Gateway from AWCC that provides the PBX system with SIM chips that are used to make local cellular calls from the main Kabul telephone system. Any new provider would need to provide their SIM chips as well, and extensive programming would be required, causing significant downtime. Finally, the Embassy’s E-1 connections provided by AWCC to the Avaya/Nortel CS1000 systems are very complicated. With changes to a new provider, changes are extremely complicated and time consuming. If a new provider cannot provide post with our current dialing plan, performing digit manipulation to convert incoming phone numbers to match customer four-digit extensions takes extensive programming and causes significant downtime within the Embassy, nearby sites and at Camp Alvarado. This downtime and lack of communications increases the vulnerability of the Embassy, its staff and the mission and jeopardizes the life-safety-security of all Chief of Mission personnel. Finally, In my 1 ½ years in Embassy Kabul as the Contracting Officer Representative for this contract, I can categorically state that the contractor, AWCC, has performed “Exceptional” in their ability to provide their communications services at all levels and on a 24/7 basis with an average up time of 99% over the last year; an extraordinary achievement in a country beset by constant terrorism and instability.