solicitation | The Contracting Education Academy

January 15, 2020 By cs

GSA reissues e-commerce platform solicitation with significant changes

After an extended bid period and a short-lived protest, the General Services Administration (GSA) has re-released the request for proposals for an e-commerce platform with some significant changes.

However, vendors that didn’t bid on the original proposal won’t get another chance this time around.

The government buyers at GSA want federal employees to be able to purchase standard goods through a digital platform, similar to e-commerce platforms like Amazon. For the last few years, the agency has been working on a solicitation for just such a platform and released an RFP in October for “online e-marketplace platforms [that] feature multiple suppliers offering the same product and will allow buyers to decide which supplier/product combination meets their needs.”

The first instance of this platform will be a three-year, multiple-award pilot to test the marketplace idea. Once up and running, agencies will be able to purchase products directly through the portal for any transactions under the micropurchase threshold of $10,000.

After bids were submitted in mid-November, GSA received a protest of the solicitation, prompting the agency to pull it back and rework the RFP. The agency reissued the solicitation on Jan. 8, with revised bids due Jan. 15.

The revised solicitation includes several changes. The most important is the insertion of language in two places requiring bidders to provide a full, working solution rather than one developed in conjunction with GSA.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2020/01/gsa-reissues-e-commerce-platform-solicitation-significant-changes/162374/

October 2, 2019 By cs

DoD finalizes restrictions on use of LPTA source selection process

Effective October 1, 2019, the Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a final rule restricting the use of lowest-price technically-acceptable (LPTA) solicitations in certain circumstances.

This rule implements statutory changes from the 2017 and 2018 NDAA that will greatly impact the use of LPTA procurements by DoD contracting officers.

For those who may not have been following our previous coverage of these changes, here is a quick summary. The 2017 NDAA established a new DoD policy of avoiding LPTA evaluations, when doing so would deny DoD the benefits of cost and technical tradeoffs. The 2017 NDAA limited the use of LPTA source selection based on six conditions, and suggested that, for a majority of procurements, DoD should use best-value procedures. The 2018 NDAA added two more requirements to the original six, and the echoed the 2017 NDAA in calling for limits to the use of LPTA source selection in DoD procurements. Until recently, DoD had not updated its regulations to reflect Congress’ intent to limit LPTA source selections, leaving contracting officers at DoD without detailed guidance.

DoD just issued a final rule amending the DFARS to reflect the relevant sections of the 2017 and 2018 NDAA, limiting the use of LPTA source selection procedures in DoD procurements. This final rule, once implemented, will make changes to the DFARS and the relevant regulations reflecting these changes will be found at DFARS 215.101-2-70.

Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/statutes-and-regulations/dod-finalizes-restrictions-on-use-of-lpta-source-selection-process/

March 2, 2018 By AMK

George Carlin and the effects on solicitations, contracts

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

I did not know he worked in Hollywood, where his first job was working as George Carlin’s [the famous comedian] assistant. I remember hearing the, “Seven words you can never say on television,” skit. Most of those words I had heard on the playground, but couldn’t admit to my parents.

Berry stated in the article that Carlin told him: “Words are just words, he would argue, it’s the context of those words that’s the key. The motivation and intent behind what someone was saying was the key. The idea that one word was bad while another was safe was insane to him.”

So how does this apply to solicitations and contracts?

How the government states requirements, proposal preparation instructions, and evaluation criteria matter. What most solicitations and contracts lack is context.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/commentary/2018/02/george-carlin-and-the-effects-on-solicitations-contracts/

February 16, 2018 By AMK

Are RFIs a waste of time and money?

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

I believe RFIs are a critical tool in helping agencies conduct market research, identify interested companies and eventually narrow the pool of potential bidders, but if the RFI doesn’t turn into a contract opportunity, is government living up to its end of the bargain? The same might be said for BPAs, IDIQs and other contract vehicles that are “awarded” but not used to their full potential post-award.

I’d be the first one to tell you government should interact more with business to better understand innovative service offerings or emerging technologies. RFIs are one tool to do that, but when an RFI is released and companies scramble to respond, they expect a contract opportunity at the end of the process.

Keep reading this article at: https://fcw.com/articles/2018/01/25/comment-value-rfis.aspx

October 13, 2015 By AMK

$460 million Cybercom contract coming this month

Cyber Command contract to outsource all mission support involves, among other activities, a lot of digital munitions-making.

An 84-page draft task order released Sept. 30 runs the gamut of hacking and counterhacking work, plus traditional IT support activities.

The proposed solicitation was accompanied by a 114-page draft of the full 5-year contract. In May, CYBERCOM officials cancelled a similar $475 million project announced earlier that month. At the time, officials explained a reorganized request for bids with more details would be out in the fall.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2015/10/460-million-cybercom-contract-coming-month-cyber-joint-munitions-help-wanted/122526

After an extended bid period and a short-lived protest, the General Services Administration (GSA) has re-released the request for proposals for an e-commerce platform with some significant changes.

Effective October 1, 2019, the Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a final rule restricting the use of lowest-price technically-acceptable (LPTA) solicitations in certain circumstances.

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

Cyber Command contract to outsource all mission support involves, among other activities, a lot of digital munitions-making.

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