Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration Update on GSA’s Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) – What’s New and Different for IT Buyers Herman Lyons - Small Business GWAC Center Todd Richards – Enterprise GWAC Center Southwest GSA EXPO June 9, 2009

Federal Acquisition Service 2 Learning Objectives  What is a GWAC?  GWAC Center Responsibilities  GSA GWAC Features  GSA’s GWAC Portfolio  Ordering Process  What’s New  Access to GSA GWACs  Summary

Federal Acquisition Service 3 What is a GWAC? A Governmentwide Acquisition Contract is defined as a task or delivery order contract for information technology.  Contracts established by one agency for governmentwide use  Operated by an Executive Agency designated by the OMB  Pursuant to Section 5112(e) of the Clinger-Cohen Act

Federal Acquisition Service 4 GWAC Solutions and Services IT Management Services Security Network Services Application Services IT Infrastructure Information and Data Management

Federal Acquisition Service 5 Integrated Technology Services IT Portfolio Complementary Service Offerings  GWACs -  Integrated IT services solutions  May include telecom and IT supplies as part of IT solution  Sole purpose may not be 1) Telecom transport 2) IT supplies  NETWORX Universal and Enterprise -  Telecommunications transport services  Wireless and Satellite services  Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) Schedule  IT Supplies--Hardware/Software  IT Services—must be on schedule; may limit flexibility for integrated solution

Federal Acquisition Service 6 What We Do  Develop, award and administer contracts  Educate and train contractors and federal buyers on the proper use of GWACs  Issue Delegations of Procurement Authority  Review Statements of Work (SOW) and task orders for scope compliance (pre-award and post-award)

Federal Acquisition Service 7 What We Do  Ensure that Fair Opportunity is applied IAW FAR  Provide guidance on contract terms and conditions throughout task order life cycle  Survey customers for contractor performance data for each task  Develop business cases for new GWACs

Federal Acquisition Service 8 GWAC Features – Contract Level  Integrated technology solutions  Awarded under FAR 15 – Contracting by Negotiation  Base contract period with options  One solicitation per GWAC -- may provide for “onramp” at option period if in best interest of the government  Pre-qualified pool of contractors  GSA establishes labor categories- (offerors propose based on uniform set of definitions)  Ceiling rates may be negotiated

Federal Acquisition Service 9 GWAC Features – Order Level  Orders subject to Fair Opportunity competition under FAR , Indefinite Delivery Contracts - Ordering  Fixed Price (all types), Cost Reimbursement, Time and Material, Labor Hour task orders may be awarded (depending on the GWAC)  Pre-qualified pool of contractors  Limited protestability of task orders in accordance with FAR (a)(9) and NDAA 2008  Meets DOD Section 803 competition requirements through Fair Opportunity

Federal Acquisition Service 10 GWAC Acquisition Centers GWAC Acquisition Centers ( 8(a) STARS VETS COMMITS NG Alliant SB Millennia Lite Alliant ANSWER Millennia Alliant Small Business GWAC Center Client Support: (877) Enterprise GWAC Center (Southwest) Client Support: (817) Enterprise GWAC Center (West) Client Support: (877)

Federal Acquisition Service 11 Small Business GWACs 8(a) STARS  220 Industry Partners  Contract period , with one 2 year option period  Directed orders allowed up to $3.5 million  Fair opportunity must be used in orders in excess of $3.5 million VETS  43 Industry Partners  Contract period , with one 5 year option period  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies COMMITS NG  40 Industry Partners  Transferred from Commerce in March 08  Contract order period thru 2011  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies Alliant SB  72 Industry Partners  Contract period , with one 5 year option  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies

Federal Acquisition Service 12 Small Business GWACs 8(a) STARS  8 Functional Areas  Multiple contract awards in each FA  Task orders worth $1.77 Billion (As of February 09)  Top 3 customers: DoD, Army, Justice VETS  2 Functional Areas  Multiple awards in each FA  Task orders worth $300 Million (As of February 09)  Top 3 customers: DoD, USDA, VA COMMITS NG  3 Tiers  Multiple awards in each Tier  Tier selection for Fair Opportunity based on task order life cycle value  Cost Reimbursement contracts are allowed Alliant SB  Aligned with FEA and DoDEA  Cost Reimbursement contracts are allowed  Over 350 people trained on proper use

Federal Acquisition Service 13 Enterprise GWACs  ANSWER  10 Industry Partners  Contract period through June 30, 2009  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies  Millennia  9 Industry Partners  Contract period through October 27, 2009  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies  Millennia Lite  33 Industry Partners  Contract order period thru April-June 2010*  Fair Opportunity must be provided unless exception applies

Federal Acquisition Service 14 Enterprise GWACs  ANSWER  Task orders worth $6.10B through August 2008  Millennia  Task orders worth $7.70B through August 2008  Cost Reimbursement contracts are allowed  Millennia Lite  4 Functional Areas  Multiple awards in each FA  Task orders worth $3.9B through July 2008  Cost Reimbursement contracts are allowed

Federal Acquisition Service 15 Ordering Steps Receive Training to use GWAC and Obtain Delegation of Procurement Authority Develop Acquisition Strategy Define Requirements Determine Functional Area (If applicable) Issue RFP Within Functional Area (E-Buy) Contract Holders Compete Receive Proposals Evaluate Proposals Issue task order Send copy of order and SOW to the GWAC Center Task Order Performance Complete Past Performance Survey

Federal Acquisition Service 16 Exceptions to Fair Opportunity FAR (b)(2) exceptions to fair opportunity competition apply: (i) The agency need for the supplies or services are so urgent that providing fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays; (ii) Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized; (iii) The order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency as a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the contract, provided that all awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order; or (iv) It is necessary to place an order to satisfy a minimum guarantee. (DFARS allows an additional exception at (b) for a statute that requires purchase from a specified source.)

Federal Acquisition Service 17 Reminders  Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) and verbal orders are not authorized  Leasing and renting by the government is not allowed  Ensure all orders are primarily services  Basic task and any modifications must stay within scope  Ensure FPDS-NG reporting is completed  Remember to send copy of order award to the GWAC Center

Federal Acquisition Service 18 What’s New and Different!  National Defense Authorization Act 2008  Mitigating Protests  Scope Review Process  GWAC Management Module  Contract Updates

Federal Acquisition Service 19 NDAA 2008 NDAA 2008 established new ordering requirements, thus ensuring fair treatment of contractors. NDAA requires:  Debriefs for orders $5M and above  Reasonable solicitation times  Any protests for task orders greater than $10M go to GAO Note: Using GWAC Center established best practices will minimize protest risk

Federal Acquisition Service 20 Mitigating Protests  Consider the use of a multiphased acquisition approach to reduce risk  Streamline/simplify your selection process (FAR )  Keep submission requirements to a minimum  Limit the number of evaluation factors to those that are meaningful discriminators  List your evaluation criteria and their relative order of importance  Use Oral presentations when applicable  Allow sufficient time for evaluation and award

Federal Acquisition Service 21 Mitigating Protests  Ensure that the evaluation is consistent with the terms of the solicitation  Provide debrief on Orders over $5M*; otherwise not required but strongly encouraged  Preference for face to face  Bottom Line “Do What You Say You Are Going to Do” * Reference National Defense Authorization Act 2008 Section 843

Federal Acquisition Service 22 Scope Review Process  GSA’s GWAC Centers offer a no-cost advanced scope review  GSA’s scope review can assist with determining compatibility with the contract  Assists with risk mitigation  Scope review process available on the GSA GWAC website

Federal Acquisition Service 23 GWAC Management Module  GSA’s GWAC Management Module  Reporting system for GWAC Contractors  Offers detailed invoice reports  Provides customers with data analysis

Federal Acquisition Service 24 Contract Updates  Contract Order End Dates  Contract Options  Technical Refreshments  Small Business Size Re-Representations

Federal Acquisition Service 25 Accessing the GWACs Delegation of Procurement Authority  GWAC office provides training and issues Delegation of Authority  Agency contracting shop conducts acquisition and task order administration  Fee of 0.75% included in contractor labor rates Interagency assisting entities  Third-party conducts acquisition  Fees negotiated between customer agency and assisted services organization

Federal Acquisition Service 26 Example Projects

Federal Acquisition Service 27 Example Projects  Configuration/Data Management  Anti-virus Support Services  Enterprise Framework  I-Web Technical Services & Support  e-Business Support Services  Maintenance & Support for AIX IBM OS  Security Assessment  e-Authentication Enablement & IT Support  Program Management Support Services  OMB Exhibit 300 & Project Management Support  Wi-Fi Location Based Infrastructure

Federal Acquisition Service 28 Website Demo

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Federal Acquisition Service 36 Value to the Customer  Solutions-based contracts for information technology services and related products  Shortened procurement lead time  Highly qualified contractors for award of task orders  Paths to achieve socioeconomic goals  Limited Protestability-FAR and NDAA 2008  Compliance with Section 803 (DOD)

Federal Acquisition Service 37 GSA E-Tools Resources for Customers and Contractors  The Center for Acquisition Excellence is available free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide customer agencies and contractors with online training, including GSA GWAC information (  eBuy is an online Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Information (RFI) or Request for Proposal (RFP) tool designed to facilitate a wide range of commercial supplies and services offered by GSA Schedule, Network Services and GWAC contractors. (  eLibrary is the online source for the latest contract award information for GSA Schedules; Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Schedules; and Technology Contracts, including Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), Network Services and Telecommunications Contracts, and Information Technology (IT) Schedule 70. (  IT Solutions Shop (ITSS) provides an automated, convenient, and secure means for federal agencies to order and accept services and commodities from vendor partners - facilitating billions of dollars worth of transactions. (

Federal Acquisition Service 38 In Summary  GWACs Offer:  Streamlined acquisitions for task orders  Data needed to make business strategy decisions  Timely delivery of specialized requirements  Socioeconomic credit  Options and assistance when choosing contract best suited for your requirements and goals  Assistance by responsive, knowledgeable GSA staff at no additional charge

Federal Acquisition Service 39 Small Business GWAC Center (877) Enterprise GWAC Center Enterprise GWAC Center Southwest (817) Contact Us

Federal Acquisition Service 40 Questions?

Federal Acquisition Service 41 Thank you