Alternatives For Your Consideration By
Jeff ErlichmanGSA, NASA and NIH provide alternatives when – and if – you need them.In addition to DOD and DHS agency specific multiple award contracts (MACs) such as CHESS or EAGLE, Defense and DHS buyers also have access to governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs) and GSA Schedules.
GWACs such as GSA’s Alliant and Alliant Small Business, NASA’s SEWP and NIH’s ECS III provide an expedient method of buying IT products and services. For a fee, GWACs provide you with a vetted pool of contractors to choose from. Terms, conditions, fees and governance procedures are already built into the contracts.
Plus, they have an edge because task orders (TOs) can only be protested on the grounds that the requirement itself does not meet the scope of the contract.
Having a requirement be in scope is not nearly the issue that it once was. For example GSA Alliant and Alliant SB IT services contracts have purposely aligned themselves with the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) so that everything IT is in scope.
When it comes to products, NASA SEWP and NIH ECS III have procedures where a new product can be put on the contract – and thus in scope – in a matter of days.
Making IT Easy
Further, NASA, GSA and NIH have been working with DOD to make it easier for buyers to use these vehicles. They have signed memorandum of agreements (MOA) with DOD where they will provide contract training for DOD contracting officers on how to use the contracts.
GSA IT Schedules are open to every federal agency. While buyers pay a fee to use GSA Schedules, they are a great way for DOD and DHS buyers to meet the requirements for competition for orders. Once buyers have received three quotes they have met the requirements for competition.
Plus, while theoretically GSA has already negotiated the lowest price, there is nothing to stop you from negotiating even lower prices. In fact, you are encouraged to do so.
Also if the award goes to a small business, it counts towards an agency’s small business contracting objectives. Once again, with GSA Schedules, all terms and conditions are pre-negotiated and all the paperwork can be done by your local contracting office after it has received a delegation of procurement authority (DPA).
GSA makes it easy for contracting shops to get a DPA by offering either in person or online training that often takes an afternoon.
Learn more how these alternatives can work for you. Visit:
* www.gsa.gov/alliant* www.gsa.gov/alliantsb * www.gsa.gov/schedule70* www.sewp.nasa.gov * http://nitaac.nih.gov/ Listening To Your Concerns
Reaching out – and listening – to customers is a top priority for GSA, NIH and SEWP.
Ed O’Hare, GSA ITS assistant commissioner told 1105 Government Information Group Custom Media that “unless you are an insider and you know about that contract, it doesn’t make any sense to anybody.”
“We are going to start approaching customers; we are going to first talk to them and listen to them, absorb that conversation and understand what their requirements are,” declared O’Hare.
“That’s the first question, what are your requirements? What is your acquisition strategy? Do you have some small business goals or set asides you want to get to? How much help do you need with your acquisition? Do you want to just do it yourself? Do you need some scope reviews? Do you need cradle to grave acquisition?
Those are simple questions said O’Hare. “That’s the conversation. And then we will point them to the right contract. We won’t try to move them into one of our contracts. That’s the most important story about the satellite deal.”