Company beats out 7 other bidders The U.S. State Department has decided to outsource the operation of its domestic telecommunications system to Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS).EDS, based in Plano, Texas, will be in charge of the State Department’s agency-wide telecommunications network, which provides voice, data and video conferencing services, EDS said in a statement Wednesday. EDS, the world’s second-largest provider of IT services, will also enhance the network, which links over 40 locations in the U.S.EDS beat other seven eligible vendors for this contract, awarded under a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Connections Contract task order. The contract has a one-year base period with options that could extend to a total of 7.5 years. Its value wasn’t disclosed. EDS will lead a team of vendors that also includes AT&T Corp., Henkels & McCoy Inc. and TWD & Associates Inc. Software DevelopmentCloud ComputingTechnology IndustrySmall and Medium Business