Verizon To Help Government Manage Mobile PhonesVerizon To Help Government Manage Mobile Phones

Verizon Business announced Wednesday it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of the Interior to manage and track the expenses for more than 22,000 mobile devices.

Under the terms of the deal, which is potentially worth up to $15 million, Verizon will provide the department with greater insight into where the wireless devices are being deployed and how much is being spent.

Verizon will manage the procurement of wireless services, and the company will work with ProfitLine to analyze usage and rates to determine the most cost-effective choices.

Additionally, Verizon will cover ordering, billing, inventory management, invoice processing, payment auditing, and claims recovery for wireless devices used within the department. The service will cover devices on any carrier and will include a Web portal and help-desk support.

"Getting a handle on how mobile devices are deployed is critical to holding the line on costs," said Susan Zeleniak, Verizon Federal's group president, in a statement. "Effective management of inventory and communications expenditures can have a direct and positive impact on the agency's bottom line. By transitioning the time-consuming task of expense management to Verizon Business, the Interior Department can focus on its real mission -- managing and protecting the natural heritage of the United States."

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This is not the first deal that Verizon's had with the Interior Department, as it has managed the department's Multiprotocol Label Switching IP network since 2004. The communication company's business unit is also the largest provider of communications services to the federal government.

The Department of the Interior has eight bureaus nationwide, and it manages and conserves most federally owned land.