- Details
- By Brian Edwards
- Native Contracting
A joint venture involving a Navajo-owned technology solutions firm said last week it had secured an award with the federal government's Defense Health Agency (DHA) on a contract that has a ceiling value of $2.4 billion.
The contract award positions the joint venture between Navajo-owned DDC IT Services and veteran-owned Creek Technologies Company to provide comprehensive enterprise IT solutions to support military health systems worldwide, according to a statement.
The Creek-DDC JV LLC is one of 28 firms that were named as additional awardees for the 10-year contract, according to a Feb. 6 Department of Defense news release. The multiple award contract, first announced on June 30, 2023, calls for suppliers to provide support for non-personal standardized enterprise information technology support services to Defense Health Agency (DHA) medical treatment facilities and other lines of business.
DDC IT Services is a subsidiary of Dine Development Corp., the economic development arm of the Navajo Nation. The firm, which specializes in enterprise-level data management services, has earned an estimated $340 million in total contracts over the past five years, according to data from HigherGov, a market intelligence firm that tracks federal contracting. DDC IT’s contract awards over the past five years have come primarily from Department of Defense (DoD) programs involving the Air Force, the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Defense Counterintelligence Agency, as well as the Indian Health Service (IHS).
Beavercreek, Ohio-based Creek Technologies is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business that specializes in delivering innovative information technology (IT) solutions, educational services and management consulting. The firm has earned nearly $95 million in federal contracts over the past five years, primarily from the Navy and Air Force, according to information from HigherGov.
The DHA award follows another award on multi-billion dollar federal contract by a Navajo-owned tech firm this year. In January, Diné Development Corporation said its NOVA-Diné tech firm secured an award with the U.S. Department of Commerce on a contract that could amount to $1.5 billion in revenues over the next decade. The award calls for NOVA-Diné to deliver IT services that will boost efficiency and increase innovation across a variety of Commerce programs, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
DDC’s expanding portfolio of tech-related firms appears positioned to take advantage of continued growth in federal contracting for computer software and hardware, which have been among the most consistent growth sectors in federal spending over the past decade. The trend continued in fiscal 2023, with total spending for software and hardware reaching $80 billion — up from $75 billion in the prior year and more than double the level of spending a decade ago.
In December, DDC acquired Spin Systems, Inc. (SpinSys), a Virginia-based data management and analytics firm. The move aimed to diversify DDC's client base and enhance its capabilities, particularly in big data aggregation, virtualization, predictive modeling, and AI/ML-driven intelligence visualization.
In November, DDC said it acquired the 714 Monument Street building in Dayton, Ohio, situated within the city’s expanding Tech Town campus. Supported by Dayton Development Coalition's tax credit and a JobsOhio grant, the acquisition is poised to bring 100 jobs to the city.
In September, the tribal enterprise’s DDC IT subsidiary was awarded the $54 million mainframe line of business contract by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The four-year contract, comprising a one-year base with three one-year option periods, extends DDC IT’s provision of mainframe services to DISA and the Department of Defense (DOD).
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include information from the Department of Defense to clarify the number of awardees and the ceiling value of this contract.
