Celebrating our Veterans

In thinking about Veterans Day this year, I want to pay special tribute to America’s Veterans for their service and dedication to this great nation. I’m grateful for the sacrifices they have made to defend our nation. Our Veterans are an example of the strength, courage, and resolve that allows our country to overcome so many of the challenges we face.

I have spent time with Veterans and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) owners and know their desire to serve continues after they leave active service. I am proud that GSA is committed to working with this community.

GSA working with Veterans

GSA is dedicated to tapping into that strength, courage, and resolve by bringing the SDVOSB community to the federal IT market.

There were more than 800 SDVOSBs across the entire government-wide IT category last year that reported sales. ITC is represented by 357 of those industry partners through our Multiple Award Schedule – IT (MAS-IT) contract and the Veterans Technology Services 2 (VETS 2) and 8(a) STARS III IT services Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC). Through these acquisition vehicles, SDVOSBs won more than $1.46 billion of the IT market last year.

Through GSA contract vehicles like VETS 2, service-disabled veterans continue to serve our nation by providing innovative IT solutions in support of agency missions and the military. VETS 2 is currently the government’s only GWAC set aside exclusively for SDVOSBs.

The VETS 2 option period is coming up next year and we have every intention of exercising that option for those SDVOSBs meeting the terms and conditions of the contract. This will provide federal agencies with continued use of this socio-economic small business, best-in-class solution for their long-term IT service project needs, with the performance of task orders extending out through 2033.

SDVOSBs bringing real mission impact

While I can’t call out individual SDVOSBs, I do want to offer a couple of examples of their great work:

  • One of our customer agencies recently awarded a $248 million order through VETS 2 to provide IT Support Services for their digital infrastructure services center. Through these IT support services, the SDVOSB will fill the agency’s need for maintaining legacy operations and to innovate, at an accelerated pace, to meet the customer’s requirements into the future.
  • Another recent innovative task order award for $166 million was for enterprise services integration and modernization. The scope of the task order is to provide a quality-focused process and capability that enables effective sustainment and modernization of command, control, communication, computers, and information technology systems. The task order will modernize military headquarters to include operations centers, planning rooms, and conference rooms, utilizing innovative technologies such as video walls, audio processors, and multi-classification video teleconference systems.

Veterans, key to the future

Our commitment doesn’t stop with VETS 2 and MAS-IT. GSA’s next small business and socio-economic small business GWAC, Polaris, will have an SDVOSB pool. Polaris is designed to assist agencies in acquiring customized IT services and IT services-based solutions while expanding opportunities for SDVOSB firms. Stay tuned to our Small Business Community of Practice Interact page for updates.

These contracts drive progress on important public policy objectives, including the President’s Executive Order 13985 On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government as we work to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

I’m grateful for the meaningful partnership we have with our Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses and for their continued hard work and dedication to helping agencies achieve their missions every day. I’m really excited for what the future holds.

Visit our website to learn more about VETS 2, MAS-IT, and Polaris or use our IT Solutions Navigator to find the vehicle that’s right for you.

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