6-23-21 The General Services Administration (GSA) has selected the initial 426 awardees for the fourth-generation 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services, aka STARS III GWAC. The STARS III solicitation’s purpose is acquiring IT services and solutions from 8(a) small businesses. This includes emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and robotic process automation. It entered the Sources Sought stage almost a year ago on August 9, 2020. Thereafter, the contract has expanded beyond the initial draft to a $50-billion...

5/20/21 You might be wondering where the NIH Information Technology and Acquisition Assessment Center’s (NITAAC) CIO-SP4 IT services vehicle’s final solicitation is. You are not alone. With a ceiling of $40 billion, many firms are eyeing this GWAC closely. Like with most things delayed or cancelled, COVID is mostly to blame as it slowed down NIH’s approval of the contract’s business case. Like dominos, this caused a delay in getting approval from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Procurement Center Representative...

This past Friday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) selected awardees for its 10 year, 2-billion-dollar Business Oriented Software Solutions (BOSS) opportunity (solicitation number ACQ-20-0775, originally ACQ-19-1870 to). The following five companies were chosen for the project: Booz Allen Hamilton (Contract #1333BJ21D00280001) 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 Halvik Corporation (Contract #1333BJ21D00280002) 1600 Spring Hill Road, STE 240 Vienna VA 22182 RIVA Solutions, Inc. (Contract #1333BJ21D00280003) 8000 Westpark Dr. STE 450 McLean, VA 22102 Science Applications International Corporation (Contract...

The IRS plans to combine the administration of a portion of its mission critical systems into a single governmentwide acquisition vehicle (GWAC) with a ceiling of $2.6 billion and a performance period of seven years. The task order is a one-year base ordering period, four one-year optional ordering periods, and two one-year award term option periods earned from meeting performance obligations. The agency is planning on a single prime award. The awardee will be expected to deliver IT services across...

2/25/21 The General Services Administration (GSA) 2GIT is a large BPA with a contract duration of five years and a ceiling of $5.5 billion. 2GIT stands for Second-Generation Information Technology. It is used to make blank purchase agreements (BPAs) to provide the government a quick and effective method to order IT hardware and software commodities, as well as supplies and services at reduced prices. The first set of awards took place in November 2019, however due to extensive protests the...

2-11-21 Back in November of 2018, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department kicked off the Veteran Enterprise Contracting for Transformation and Operational Readiness (VECTOR) contract vehicle.  It’s a professional services contract for business with a ceiling of $25 billion and has a potential to last 10 years. This was after protests stymied the program for nearly a year. Eventually, 75 service disabled, veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) would be awarded in total. These awardees are separated into six primary task area groups...

The U.S. Army released a request for information (RFI) for the Common Hardware Systems (CHS-6) contract back on February 14, 2020 and just recently posted a second RFI on January 26, 2021. Based on the previous contract, the length will be five-years and have a value of approximately $4 billion. It is for commercial IT hardware and services and was previously a single-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract held by General Dynamics. It was awarded in September of 2018 and will expire...

The General Services Administration is looking to replace its Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) multiple award vehicle. The current OASIS unrestricted vehicle, as well as OASIS Small Business, concludes in 2024. As par for the course, the preferences of federal buyers and industry feedback from Industry Days/RFIs will affect the development of the contract. Prospective firms seeking to provide input can do so via the GSA Interact website, although nothing has been posted yet. The new replacement for OASIS...

11-10-20 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued the draft solicitation for FirstSource III, a large-scale Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for commercial IT commodity products and services. The ceiling on FirstSource III is notably higher than the previous iteration at $10 billion and will be a boon for small business federal contractors specializing in IT. The previous DHS-wide FirstSource II contract was awarded back in 2012, had a $3 Billion ceiling, and concluded in September of 2020. Sourcing metrics...

10/28/20 The Polaris small business vehicle is effectively a mulligan for the GSA’s $15 billion Alliant 2 Small Business contract. Alliant 2 SB was cancelled in early July after a full year of protests at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and through federal court. The cancellation came at the heels of the 8(a) STARS II ceiling challenges and the ongoing protests of the 2GIT (Second Generation IT Services), marking a period of difficulties for the GAO and small businesses looking...