Alcatel-Lucent subsidiary LGS today touted a partnership with Qwest Communications to bid for government services as part of the multiyear, multibillion-dollar “Networx Universal” program, but the vendor also confirmed today that it is part of a team competing with Qwest for those contracts as well.

Alcatel-Lucent’s role as a subcontractor for Qwest’s Networx business has been known since March, when the U.S. government’s General Services Administration announced its three chosen telecom service providers for the next decade. The other two, AT&T and Verizon Business, will compete with Qwest, contract by contract, for about $20 billion in services over the next decade.

All three carriers are leading teams of subcontractors. In addition to Alcatel-Lucent’s LGS, Qwest’s team includes Akamai Technologies, Bearing Point, Hawaiian Telecom Services, Science Applications International and Wire One Communications. AT&T’s team includes Northrop Grumman, EDS, GTSI, SRA International Global Crossing and Bechtel.

But LGS is also an as-yet-unannounced subcontractor for another of the two Networx Universal providers, LGS spokesperson Wendy Zajack told Telephony today, declining to name that carrier but referring questions on the matter to AT&T.

AT&T had not replied at press time.

LGS announced the Qwest partnership today because it only recently gained approval from all relevant parties to do so, Zajack said.

LGS is “like a second-tier subcontractor” for Qwest’s competitor, though the vendor could work directly with the carrier on some contracts or through one of the “top-tier” subcontractors already named, she said. “It depends on the task.”

In addition, carriers may chose not to work with certain partners on a given contract, depending on the nature of the contract and the subcontractor’s perceived expertise.

Government agencies are expected to start voicing their telecom needs as part of the Networx Universal process this summer.