Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

An inside look at GSA’s federal marketplace strategy

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In a Federal News Network podcast, Emily Murphy, administrator of the General Services Administration, shares her vision for the agency’s Federal Marketplace Strategy (FMS).

During the podcast, Murphy outlines the four cornerstone initiatives (4C’s) of FMS:

  • MAS Consolidation
  • Commercial Platforms
  • Catalog Management
  • Contract Writing System

Murphy also provides an update on customer agencies growing use of GSA’s procurement portfolio, including the MAS, IT GWACs and OASIS.

Finally, she gives us a preview of the Federal Acquisition Service Training Conference scheduled for April 14-16, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.  FAST 2020 is a national training conference for the federal acquisition workforce, industry partners and customer agencies.

Listen to the podcast at:  Federal News Network

More opportunities coming for small businesses at Robins AFB, officials say

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Officials for a government contracting program some blame for the loss of hundreds of jobs in Warner Robins, GA said opportunities are coming that will allow many more small businesses to participate.

“We are going to be dramatically increasing the size of our small business pool,” said Clint McCoy, a program manager for One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services, or OASIS. “We are going to be increasing our pools by quite a large margin.”

OASIS is a different method of contracting established in 2014 that essentially consolidates contracts. Services that might have once been provided by dozens of businesses might now be done by one company.

The program is touted as a more efficient and flexible way of doing contracting. Some, however, say it makes it tougher for small businesses to compete. It is geared toward providing professional services, such as engineers and other experts.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.macon.com/news/local/military/article215487860.html

Booz Allen wins corrective action from GSA on Army software contract

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The General Services Administration must reimburse global contractor Booz Allen Hamilton for the costs of a recent bid protest due to delays in agency responses, the Government Accountability Office determined.

In a decision from its general counsel dated May 7 but released only in redacted form last week, the congressional watchdog ruled in Booz Allen’s favor in two of three provisions of its complaint against competitor Raytheon over computer resource engineering support for the Army’s Software Engineering Directorate.

The cost-plus, fixed-fee task order for the contract solicited in December 2016 was worth between $582 million and $690 million and was limited to the firms in GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) pool for indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts. “The contracting officer, who was also the source selection authority, selected Raytheon’s proposal for award based on its total assessed value,” which was lower than that of Booz Allen, the ruling noted.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/contracting/2018/06/booz-allen-wins-corrective-action-gsa-army-software-contract/148906

GSA adds 31 small businesses to OASIS

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The General Services Administration added 31 companies to its One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contract, increasing the number of small businesses offering professional services like program management, management consulting, logistics and more.

The recent addition expands the second pool of OASIS SB contractors from nine to 40 companies, ending the initial on-ramp process. The larger pool will increase competition among firms “while driving down costs for the American taxpayer,” the agency said.

GSA can add more companies through on-ramping at its discretion to address inadequate competition, customer requests or small businesses outgrowing that size designation.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2018/02/gsa-adds-31-small-businesses-oasis/145683/

Small businesses allege unfair contracting practices in professional services market

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OASIS shakeup 08.2016The Pentagon’s gargantuan needs for private-sector support have fueled a sector of the defense contracting market known as professional services. This is an industry dominated by large firms but also one where very small companies — even those with just a handful of employees that have the right skills and background — have competed well.

By virtue of the increased demand for technical and professional support services at defense agencies and military commands, clusters of small business contractors have sprouted around the country. In areas like Hampton, Virginia, for instance, lucrative contracting opportunities from U.S. Air Combat Command have lured dozens of companies, many owned by military veterans and former government executives.

So it came as a complete shock to these companies when Air Combat Command announced earlier this year that it would jettison the current process for hiring support contractors and transfer the work to a pool of firms selected by the General Services Administration. The GSA vehicle, known as “one acquisition solution for integrated services” or Oasis, is one that that Pentagon and other federal agencies have begun to adopt. More than $1.3 billion worth of Defense Department contracts already have migrated to Oasis since the program was launched in 2013.

Air Combat Command, now an Oasis customer, has informed contractors that it would discontinue its “contracted advisory and assistance services,” or CAAS, multiple-award contract. This has caused consternation among small businesses that currently are prime contractors under CAAS or other Pentagon-unique programs.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=2262

 

A future where price is no longer a factor for many RFPs

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The General Services Administration first brought up the concept of having an “unpriced” schedule a year or so ago.

GSA logoThe idea is to evaluate vendors for their capabilities, past performance and overall skillsets, and not on their prices. And then let the price competition happen at the task order level.

This concept would be a huge change in the federal market where price has always been a factor in the evaluations of bids.

But the recent success of governmentwide multiple award contracts such as OASIS, and the acceptance of a similar approach for the recent $11.5 billion Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCaTS) procurement and the soon-to-be released solicitation for Alliant 2, there is a growing recognition that this may be the future of federal contracting for multiple award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity vehicles.

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2016/06/future-price-no-longer-factor-many-rfps/

GSA continues efforts to consolidate Professional Services contracts

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The General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced its intention to further promote the consolidation of professional services contracts by encouraging agencies to transition from expiring, one-off contracts to multiple-award contracting vehicles.

GSA Schedule ContractThe announcement comes on the heels of GSA’s October 1, 2015 announcement that it would be consolidating eight separate schedules into a new Professional Services Schedule (PSS) that will allow federal government agencies to use one contracting vehicle to fulfill a host of professional services requirements.

With many professional services contracts set to expire in Fiscal Year 2016, GSA is actively encouraging agencies to re-compete the contracts using existing agency indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contracts (IDIQ), GSA schedule contracts, such as the PSS, or GSA’s OASIS contracting vehicle, an IDIQ contract meant for professional services.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=441736

For more information on the PSS, read the blog post at: http://govcon.mofo.com/schedule-contracting/gsa-launches-new-professional-services-schedule/.

4 government contracting trends to watch in 2016

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Today’s times represent an ongoing shift in the federal services marketplace. The changes are broad and include shifts in technology; acquisition methods; and the economics of being a contractor with significant hurdles and barriers to success.  These market dynamics will play out over the coming months and years – here’s a rundown of the most significant of those changes now well underway.

1. Cloud Computing Continues to Absorb IT Services Opportunities
Federal agencies have moved beyond the 2010 Cloud-First mandate to adopt cloud computing, and have begun embracing the cloud to support their business and mission objectives.  Cloud computing represents a significant change to the way that the federal government had done business. Cloud computing permits the customer to spend less time managing complex IT resources and more time investing in core mission work.  Companies that have cloud-based offerings are winning significant business away from providers that have historically supported “in-house” solutions.

FedRamp opt outAn estimated $20 billion of the federal government’s $80 billion in IT spending is a potential target for migration to cloud computing solutions, according to the White House’s Federal Cloud Computing Strategy. The size and scope of cloud programs are becoming larger, driven in part by the success of smaller projects, and by the manifestation of supporting policies, including FedRAMP, a security “stamp of approval” that lets government agencies know a solution has an appropriate and detailed security plan in place. To date, 48 systems have been authorized FedRAMP compliant.  With the cost of a FedRAMP certification reaching as high as $300,000 and authorizations taking 9 to 15 months, gaining certification is a major commitment for any company.  As a result, many firms, especially small businesses, may be locked out of this segment of the market.

Read all 4 contracting trends to watch in 2016 at: http://www.washingtonexec.com/2015/10/guest-column-4-government-contracting-trends-to-watch-in-2016-by-mark-abel/

Army signs up for OASIS

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The Army has signed on to use the General Service Administration’s governmentwide blanket contract for professional services, called OASIS, says a March 16 GSA statement.

GSA calls OASIS, which is short for One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services, a first-of-its kind contract vehicle for contracts that span multiple disciplines, such as management consulting, logistics and finance.

The Army is the second of the armed forces to sign on to OASIS. The Air Force agreed to use OASIS for its professional services contracts in January 2014.

In fiscal 2014, the Army’s procurement spend was nearly 17 percent, or $74.3 billion of the total federal contract spending, the statement says.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/army-signs-use-gsas-oasis-contracting-vehicle-professional-services/2015-03-17

 

Small businesses gain ground in contracting — here’s why

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At the end of the year, Federal News Radio’s “Off the Shelf” explored “What’s it like in the GWAC world?” Featuring Rob Coen, acting director of NIH’s GWAC program, and Joyce Woytek, NASA’s SEWP program manager, the interview covered the current and future state of GWACs.

As they shared the increased success of small businesses, three approaches stood out: more stringent requirements for vetting small businesses up front; inclusion of all five socio-economic categories in the contracts; and the use of on-ramps. At Deltek we are seeing – or expect to see – these approaches incorporated as part of several highly anticipated programs to be solicited this year.

Increased Vetting

Asked what’s driving the success of small business awards on his programs, Mr. Coen explained that spending more time upfront vetting small businesses – which must meet more stringent requirements – has resulted in increased comfort for government buyers. In turn, they have seen more high-dollar value/complex procurements for set-asides.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/blog/2015/01/16/small-business-success/21859669/

About the author: Jennifer Sakole is the principal analyst for Federal Information Solutions at Deltek.

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