Equinix: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded a colocation contract to Equinix.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded Equinix a contract for colocation services for its Homeland Security Enterprise Network.

Published on SAM.gov on September 17, the tender called for "power, connectivity and related operations and maintenance," adding that the services will cover the "Homeland Security Enterprise Network (HSEN) COLO East and West Enterprise cloud access points."

The contract was awarded to Equinix on September 5. According to a heavily redacted document attached to the tender, Equinix is the only provider up to the job. The document said: "Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required."

It adds: "This service provider must be used because DHS requires an East and West Coast colo facility presence that provides direct network access to all the CSPs and DHS current[ly] does business with and will do business within the future."

Even if another provider could meet Equinix's standards and pricing, the DHS states that the time and cost to move to another provider would rule them out.

The department claims that it conducted a market research study before deciding on Equinix - noting that it identified nine potential sources, though the names of those others were redacted. Equinix was found to be the only provider meeting all criteria. The tender does not note which specific data centers the DHS is hosting hardware in.