Government and industry stakeholders agree: Federal agencies need to get their Enterprise Information Systems solicitations out sooner rather than later to avoid higher costs and stagnant technology.

"Just do it," said Diana Gowen, MetTel's general manager and senior vice president for federal, urging agencies to get their fair opportunity solicitations for the contract out even though they may not be letter perfect.

In remarks at FCW's Oct. 10 Modernization Summit, Gowen said agencies should take a lesson from the Social Security Administration, which pushed out the first EIS solicitation this past spring. "Amendments and questions followed," she said, but "they're well ahead" of the deadline.

Bill Zielinski, the General Services Administration's EIS lead who also spoke at the FCW event, similarly urged agencies to move ahead with an EIS fair opportunity solicitation.