Amazon Web Services (AWS) has bagged a $10 billion cloud computing contract with the US National Security Agency (NSA), drawing formal protest from its rival, software giant Microsoft.
The current move by Microsoft comes after Amazon spent years contesting the software company being awarded the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract.
“Based on the decision, we are filing an administrative protest via the Government Accountability Office (GAO). We are exercising our legal rights and will do so carefully and responsibly,” a Microsoft spokesperson told tech website Nextgov.
Microsoft filed its protest on 21 July with the GAO, claiming the NSA did not conduct a proper evaluation before awarding the contract for its project, code named WildandStormy, tech news website Washington Technology first reported. The GAO’s decision is due on 29 October.
An NSA spokesperson confirmed the protest in a statement to Nextgov. “The agency will respond to the protest in accordance with appropriate federal regulations,” the statement said.
The NSA reportedly…
