National Local Exchange Carrier Services for the Enterprise Next Generation (NLEC-NG)

The Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center established a multiple-award Master IDIQ for National Local Exchange Carrier services on September 28, 2020, with a shared ceiling of $721.9 million and ordering authority through September 27, 2035 — approximately 9 years and 2 months of remaining ordering life. The vehicle is unrestricted; all 42 awarded task orders carry no set-aside designation.

Activity has slowed considerably in the past two years. The vehicle issued 11 orders in 2021 and 19 in 2022, then dropped to 1 order in 2023, 4 in 2024, and 1 through September 2025. To date, 42 task orders have been awarded with a combined potential value of $116.7 million against the $721.9 million shared ceiling, with $108.9 million obligated (93% of the potential value already committed).

The work is straightforward: delivery orders procure LEC services—telecommunications, data, long-distance, and toll-free capability—for VA facilities across 1,500 locations nationwide. Task orders are structured as firm-fixed-price contracts with base years and option periods, typically running 2–5 years in duration. Recent awards range from roughly $45,000 to $5.7 million in ceiling value; one mega-order to AT&T (36C10B20D0029-36C10B21N0004ATT) carries a $37.9 million ceiling and represents the largest single task order.

Competition concentrates heavily among five firms. AT&T Enterprises holds 8 orders totaling $53.4 million in potential value, roughly 46% of the portfolio. Lumen Technologies Government Solutions ranks second with 7 orders and $25.2 million; Windstream Communications third with 4 orders and $18.1 million. Granite Telecommunications and Manhattan Telecommunications each hold roughly 10 and 7 orders respectively but trail in dollar value. These five firms account for 86% of all task orders and 99% of combined potential value; a long tail of three additional primes shares minimal activity. All orders fund the VA Technology Acquisition Center exclusively; customer concentration is absolute.

The vehicle's ordering pace has deteriorated markedly since 2022, and the bulk of potential value is already obligated, suggesting the customer has stabilized its LEC services commitments under these primes and is unlikely to award additional orders at historical volume. Pursuit makes sense only for firms already on the IDIQ or those capable of displacing an incumbent through direct customer solicitation.

Telecommunication, data, long distance and toll free services known as LEC services.