Migrating a 20-year contract to create a cohesive technology division under budget

Operating in hot spots around the globe, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) combats crime and corruption in every major region including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. To improve IT services, support, and cost effectiveness, INL sought a single, cohesive technology division that required transitioning its existing IT services infrastructure support contract from a large business incumbent who had held the contract for over 20 years. 

The transition had to be executed in six months without service interruption, reducing the total cost of ownership while sustaining and enhancing service levels. During and after the transition, program-defined service-level agreements (SLAs) and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) had to be consistently achieved, not only in a contiguous U.S. (CONUS) environment, but also in numerous locations outside the continental United States (OCONUS).

Working together with executive leadership, Tsymmetry developed a transition plan to migrate from the incumbent contractor and unite IT services scattered across various organizations. We implemented new program tools and continuous improvement initiatives from our transition services toolkit, including readiness checklists, health scorecards, risk registers, and organizational assessments to achieve program SLAs and AQLs.

Given the sensitive and critical nature of the complex transition, we mitigated risk by designing and developing performance measurement tools tailored to meet INL’s unique priorities. Through integrated processes, methods, tools, and metrics based on IT service management (ITIL/ITSM) best practices and the Managing State Programs (MSP) methodology, we standardized the delivery framework to align INL/A technology services fellow bureaus and offices at the U.S. Department of State.

Tsymmetry met or exceeded performance work statement (PWS) requirements, delivering services approximately 7% under budget. Commended by INL/A leadership, our transition plan roadmap is now the transition model for future contractor transitions. Meticulous planning and a careful approach ensured continuous operations of INL’s global network and all associated IT systems and supporting functions, including the transition of all OCONUS locations. Through continuous improvement initiatives, Tsymmetry has increased executive-level program visibility, reduced incident response time, eliminated redundancies, and improved quality and satisfaction. Our optimization efforts resulted in multi-million-dollar savings, making funding available for other high-priority initiatives.

Today, Tsymmetry provides all of the technology division (TD) support for INL’s Aviation program (INL/A). In addition to traditional data center support, application development, and procurement services, Tsymmetry provides around-the-clock hardened infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to support rapid deployment of lightweight technology capabilities to remote and austere locations in the wild (e.g., jungle, desert, and mountain environments) and to withstand natural disasters. With support from Tsymmetry in active regions including Afghanistan, Iraq, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Uganda, and Kenya, INL is able to complete high-risk aviation operations such as aerial eradication and interdiction of narcotics, countering illegal mining and logging, and supporting embassies in high-threat areas.