# Presentation: 148385

## VETS GWAC

- Veterans Technology Services Governmentwide Acquisition Contract

- Set Aside for Service-Disabled
- Veteran-Owned Small Businesses

- Acquisition Excellence

## Objectives

- Small Business GWAC Center
- Definitions
- VETS GWAC
- Scope
- Customer Benefits
- Interested Parties List
- Subcontracting Opportunities
- Prime Contractor Opportunity
- Summary
- Resources

## Small Business GWAC Center

**Goal**
- To provide small business firms an opportunity to compete in federal marketplace
**Mission **
- To award and administer contracts for information technology and network solutions for government wide use
**Small business expertise**
- 8(a) STARS
- HUBZone
- VETS (coming soon!)
- Alliant SB (future)

**Notes:**
The GSA Heartland Region (or Zone D) FSS (or FAS) is host to the Small Business GWAC Center.  As one of three GWAC Centers in FSS (or FAS) we award and administer contracts for IT for federal agency use.

The customers of the Center are Federal Agency program managers and contracting officers who hold delegations of ordering authority to access the GWAC Center’s contracts.

Our goal is to provide small business firms who have been historically left out of the procurement process an opportunity to compete in the federal marketplace.

Our mission is to award and administer contracts to small business industry partners for information technology and network solutions for government wide use.  This process allows the small business industry partners to learn how to do business with the federal government and become “best in class” technology providers.

Track record with small business – current contracts 8(a) STARS and HUBZone GWAC – managed 7 year contract prior FAST

## Responsibilities

- Annual reporting requirements and oversight responsibilities to OMB
- Contract management
- Education for contractors on proper use and how to market
- Education for buyers on scope compliance and proper ordering

**Notes:**
Competition
Exceptions to fair opportunity (FAR 16.505)
Percent performance based
Subcontracting procedures
Small business utilization

## Definitions

**What is a Governmentwide Acquisition Contract?**
- Task order or delivery order contract for information technology established by one agency for governmentwide use
**What is the VETS GWAC?**
- A governmentwide acquisition contract that is a set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small business.  The title of the contract is, “Veteran Technology Services” or, “VETS”.

**Notes:**
Slide 3 
A Governmentwide acquisition contract is defined in the far and is managed by an executive agent designated by the Office of Management and Budget – pursuant to the Clinger Cohen Act which vested governmentwide responsibility for IT in the Office of Management and Budget.   OMB has designated GSA as an executive agent for Governmentwide acquisition of IT.  This years designation approved GSA’s Alliant, VETS, 8(a) STARS, HUBZone, Answer, Millennia and Millenia Lite GWACs.  It also required Executive Agents to develop a Quality Assurance Plan that outlined not only how we would manage the GWACs named, but also how we would ensure Quality with our Assisted Services.   

The VETS GWAC is a set-aside for service disabled veteran owned small businesses.   The Contract family is named Veteran Technology Services or VETS.

## The VETS GWAC

- Multiple award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for information technology solutions
- Five-year base and one, five-year option
- Fixed price, time and materials, labor hour task orders
- $5 billion program ceiling
- Two areas of contract scope

**Notes:**
Slide 9 
Multiple awards of indefinite-quantity contracts under a single solicitation for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources (see FAR 16.504(c)); and 
The VETS GWAC is designed to be a multiple award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for information technology solutions.   It is being awarded a a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small business Set-aside, which limits participation to Veterans with service connected disabilities.  Any orders issued under this GWAC are considered set-asides for Service Disabled Veteran owned small bu siness which makes compliance with the set-aside provisions much easier on a contracting officer.   

How?   Federal acquisition Regulation FAR 19,1405(b) says... to set aside an acquisition for competition restricted to service disabled veteran owned small business concerns, the contracting officer must have a reasonable expectation that. (1) offers will be received from two or more SDVOSB’s and 2) award will be at a fair market price.   And c) further states that if you only receive one acceptable offer in response to a set-aside a contracting officer should make an award to that concern....    So.... Those of you that are aware of the rule of 2 with small business concerns, it applies to SDVosb’s as well....with the additional provision that if only one offer is received, it should be awarded to that concern, if the award is made at a fair  market price.   

The VETS GWAC should make this very easy.     The GWAC will have a 5 year base with one five year option.  And there is a program ceiling of $5 billion

If you are not familiar with the set-aside provisions, they are stated as follows:  

## Scope

**Two Functional Areas (FAs):**
- FA 1 Systems Operations and Maintenance
- FA 2 Information Systems Engineering
***Both functional**** ****areas include IT Security Services**

**Notes:**
Slide 10 

FA 1 is post-systems operations and maintenance

FA 2 is pre-systems design
Each functional area is estimated to have at least 20 awards.

Any questions about the scope – please see section C of the Contract

## Customer Benefits

- Provides a pool of highly-qualified, service-disabled veteran-owned firms to compete for agency requirements
- Offers streamlined ordering procedures
- Enables Federal agencies to exceed service-disabled veteran-owned socioeconomic contracting goals

**Notes:**
Structured evaluation process to make a GWAC award – provides highly qualified firms

Finally – after all this... what is the benefit to customer agencies of using a Governmentwide Acquisition Contract that is set-aside for service disabled veteran owned small businesses.   

1)  GWACs are streamed-lined procurement process used to acquire integrated technology services in the most expedient manner possible.
Contract options permit requirements definition for long-term projects

2) The broad contract scope areas preclude the need for fragmented procurements, thus providing comprehensive interdisciplinary IT solutions 3) The set-aside allows utilization of small businesses, precluding contract bundling concerns
4) Best value awards that highlight Prime contractors with successful past performance and experience  
5) Allows for a shortened procurement lead time through established contracts – foregoing the need to determine that 2 or more SDVowned small businesses are capable of performing 
6)  Alternative to costly full and open set-aside procurement.
7)  GWACs provide for a dual level of competition (e.g. at contract award and at task order award)

In our customer satisfaction surveys for the past 2 years, GWAC customers have rated streamlined ordering procedures/ease of use as the #1 reason why they chose to use a GWAC.

## Interested Parties List

## Interested Parties List

## Subcontracting Opportunities

**8(a) STARS**
- Over 400 Industry Partners
- _www.gsa.gov/8astars_
**HUBZone GWAC**
- 33 Industry Partners
- _www.gsa.gov/hubzone_

## Prime Contractor Opportunity

**Alliant Small Business**
- Set aside for small business
- www.gsa.gov/alliantsb
- Draft Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Federal Business Opportunities
- Available for comment until June 30, 2006

## Alliant Small Business

## Interested Parties Listing

## Resources

**GSA e-tools**
- E-Library _www.gsa.gov/elibrary_
- E-Buy _www.gsa.gov/ebuy_
**GSA training sources**
- FSS Center for Acquisition Excellence _fsstraining.gsa.gov_
- GWAC overview seminar
- VETS GWAC seminar (under construction)
- Small business GWAC center
- Customer training onsite, by phone or webinar
- Events (GSA Expo, NCMA, FOSE, etc.)

**Notes:**
GSA training sources:
Free for customers and industry

## Summary

- Small Business GWAC Center
- Definitions
- VETS GWAC
- Scope
- Customer Benefits
- Interested Parties List
- Subcontracting Opportunities
- Prime Contractor Opportunity
- Resources

## Contact Information

**Questions regarding VETS GWAC**
- _www.gsa.gov/vetsgwac_
- vetsgwac@gsa.gov
**Questions regarding Alliant SB**
- _www.gsa.gov/alliantsb_
**Small Business GWAC Center**
- (877) 327-8732

**Notes:**
Thank you for your attention and if you have any questions at all or need additional information,  give us a call or come visit us in room 1076.  It was a pleasure speaking with you today.    Any questions.