After covering forecasts for large agencies like the Department of Justice and the Social Security Administration, the analysts at EZGovOpps are now taking a look at the Department of Energy forecast for FY18. DOE operates in a unique contract environment, as explained previously, and the DOE forecast for FY18 includes a diverse set of requirements. This will be another important year for DOE as it moves closer to meeting the small business contracting goals set for the Federal agency, something it has struggled with in the past.
The largest opportunity forecast so far will be for “technical support services” to DOE’s Western Area Power Administration/Desert Southwest Region (DSW). DSW “sells power in Arizona, southern California, and portions of the Southwest, to wholesale customers such as towns, rural electric cooperatives, public utility and irrigation districts, Federal, state and military agencies, Native American tribes and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation customers.” The opportunity is projected to be worth over $10 million, with a primary NAICS code of 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services.
While the new opportunity will be awarded as a full and open re-compete, not much is publicly reported about the incumbent contract. Awarded to Northstar in 2012, the contract has been subject to at least one FOIA request to DOE for details on the original proposal and award.
The biggest small business opportunity (so far) is also another re-compete from WAPA/DSW. With a value over $10 million, the competitive 8(a) contract will require administrative support services in Maricopa, Arizona, with a primary NAICS code of 561110 – Office Administrative Services. DOE lists the incumbent as Miracorp, Inc., which was awarded the opportunity through its GSA Schedule 874 Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services (MOBIS) contract. Miracorp graduated from the 8(a) program last year.
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
While a lot of the activity of the NNSA is classified -understandable, when considering the agency’s mission– the DOE forecast includes a number of public opportunities that highlight a unique program at NNSA. Known as Technical, Engineering and Programmatic Support – Blanket Purchase Agreements (TEPS/BPAs), the BPAs are used to obtain “access to a stable of highly skilled professionals in wide range of skill areas and functional capabilities.” Each BPA agreement (there are a total of 8) is worth $300 million over 5 years, for a potential total of $2.4 billion.
These agreements are between the NNSA and 8 Contactor Teaming Arrangements (CTAs), teams led by small businesses. This is an effort with a number of safeguards to ensure small business contracting activity. Beyond the mandate that each team be led by a small business, the 8 BPA agreements are actually separated into separate contract numbers for each teammember. This means that out of the 8 BPA agreements, NNSA customers have 52 contract holders to directly procure from.
In a further move to spur small business activity, the TEPS/BPAs mandate that “each team is required to obligate at least 50% of funding with small business task leads and ensure that at 50% of the cost of the contract performance is incurred by small business personnel.” These tasks provide services which include the following:
- Program Management Support
- Nuclear Engineering Subject Matter Expertise and Analytical Support
- Training Support
- Security Management Support
- Weapons Data Access System (WDACS) Programmatic Support
- Emergency Operations (Domestic/International) Support
- Aviation Operations Support
- Nuclear Nonproliferation
- Environmental Management
According to the DOE forecast, NNSA is planning on procuring at least $19 million in services though the TEPS/BPAs in FY18.
Interested in learning more about DOE, the FY18 forecast, or tracking specific procurement initiatives? Seeking a teaming partner or subcontracting opportunities? Sign up for a free trial with EZGovOpps. As the premiere market intelligence platform, EZGovOpps can provide the information needed to follow procurement trends, produce personalized opportunity forecasts, and provide custom analyst-updates for a complete understanding of the Federal contracting market today.
Don’t forget to view our full GovCon News section for more intel. For our full FY18 Forecast series, click here.