“We’re surprised about this conclusion,” an AWS spokesperson said in a statement. “AWS is the clear leader in cloud computing, and a detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings clearly lead to a different conclusion. We remain deeply committed to continuing to innovate for the new digital battlefield where security, efficiency, resiliency, and scalability of resources can be the difference between success and failure.” IBM’s complaint also surrounded the single-vendor nature of the contract. By doing so, it believed the Pentagon was restricting the competition, especially given the ten-year nature. Still, the challenge for AWS would be opposing the contract in a way that doesn’t open it again to other bidders. Arguing that it was flawed from the beginning could lead to a multi-vendor solution. Undoubtedly, it would be a complex challenge that could take a long time to resolve.
