News

Google Gets Second Chance on Fed E-Mail Contract Won by Microsoft

  • By Matthew Weigelt
  • January 05, 2011

The Interior Department can't  award a noncompetitive contract to Microsoft, a federal judge has ruled. 

"Interior violated the Competition in Contracting Act and relevant [Federal Acquisition Regulation] provisions and that such violation was prejudicial to Google's interests," U.S. Federal Claims Court Judge Susan Braden wrote.

UBraden ruled on Jan. 3 that negotiations for a sole source contract with Microsoft "commenced many months prior to July 15, 2010," when department officials decided Microsoft's software was their standard for e-mail and computer operating systems. Meanwhile, Google had been trying to get considered for the work as well.

The contract is a first step in establishing a framework that could result in the department adding more than 80,000 e-mail mailboxes as well as other messaging and collaboration services.

Despite limiting the competition, Interior officials knew Google had the means to do the work and was interested in competing for it, the judge held. By July 22, Interior officials were aware that Google had a government-only version of the Google Apps software and claimed it had obtained the necessary information security certifications, according to the court's decision filed Jan. 4.

"Interior violated the Competition in Contracting Act and relevant [Federal Acquisition Regulation] provisions and that such violation was prejudicial to Google's interests," Braden wrote.

Google sued last October, asking for a preliminary injunction on awarding a contract. The company has been frustrated several times in its efforts to compete against Microsoft for cloud offerings.

Braden added that there was no wrongdoing on Microsoft's part, but actions that "show only competitive zeal and interest in customer satisfaction."

Interior officials declined to comment because the litigation is ongoing. 

According to a TechFlash article, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer personally met with Department of Interior officials before Microsoft initially secured the contract win.

About the Author

Matthew Weigelt is acquisition editor for 1105 Media's Federal Computer Week.

Featured

  • IBM Giving Orgs a Governance Lifeline in Agentic AI Era

    Nearly overnight, organizations are facing brand-new challenges caused by self-directed AI systems (a.k.a. agentic AI). Big Blue is extending them some help.

  • Microsoft Launches Integrated E-mail Security Ecosystem for Defender for Office 365

    Microsoft is expanding its e-mail security capabilities with the launch of a new Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES) ecosystem for Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

  • Microsoft Joins Workday's AI Agent Partner Network

    Microsoft has become a key partner in Workday's newly launched AI Agent Partner Network, aligning with other industry leaders to integrate AI agents into enterprise workforce systems.

  • LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky To Lead Microsoft's Productivity Initiatives

    In a strategic leadership realignment, Microsoft has appointed LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to oversee its consumer and small business productivity software division, encompassing Microsoft 365, Teams and AI-driven tools like Copilot.

Most   Popular