IT Schedule 70 / MAS IT

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024

Empowering Veterans in Federal IT

On this Veterans Day, I want to extend my gratitude and thanks to all our Veterans for their service and dedication. Their sacrifices have not gone unnoticed, and I am grateful for the courage and resilience they’ve shown in defending our freedoms. They exemplify the qualities that empower our nation to overcome its greatest challenges. We honor you today and every day.

GSA partners with Veterans

GSA remains committed to championing Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) in the federal IT space. Through ITC’s Multiple Award Schedule – IT (MAS-IT), as well as the Veterans Technology Services 2 (VETS 2) and 8(a) STARS III Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC), we are proud to offer opportunities for hundreds of SDVOSBs who bring specialized expertise to federal IT solutions.

Notably, while SDVOSBs have a range of opportunities across the federal marketplace, VETS 2 continues to be the government’s only GWAC exclusively reserved for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned firms.

In FY 24, the VETS 2 team raised the contract ceiling by $1.1 billion, bringing it to a total of $6.1 billion. This boost ensures the future of the VETS 2 GWAC. It also strengthens the federal government’s ability to achieve its socioeconomic goals by providing expanded opportunities for SDVOSBs in the IT sector through this Best-in-Class (BIC) contract vehicle.

With this new capacity, federal agencies now have access to up to $1.1 billion in new contract awards, reaffirming GSA’s commitment to supporting SDVOSBs.

As of September 2024, VETS 2 has seen more than 230 task orders awarded, with over $1.95 billion in obligated sales and a total estimated sales value exceeding $3.8 billion.

The VETS 2 team has been hard at work training government agencies to use VETS 2, with more than 3,000 customers trained so far. Sign up for upcoming training.

This year, the team also created a “VETS 2 Delegation of Procurement Authority (DPA) Training” YouTube video, so customers have one more option to learn about the VETS 2 GWAC. You can access that video here.

SDVOSBs bringing real mission impact

Last year at this time, I shared several examples of the great work of our Veteran partners. I’m happy to bring a fresh one this year:

GSA’s Assisted Acquisition Services recently awarded a $256M order on behalf of a DoD agency against VETS 2 to provide IT support services to encompass all U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Through these IT support services, the SDVOSB will fill the agency’s need to provide the personnel, services and supplies necessary to provide IT support services to all USSOCOM, both CONUS and OCONUS.

Veterans drive forward

Our dedication to SDVOSBs goes beyond our current contracts. Polaris, our next small business GWAC, will feature an SDVOSB pool. Polaris is designed to help agencies secure tailored IT services and solutions while opening new doors for SDVOSB firms. For the latest updates, keep an eye on our Small Business Community of Practice Interact page.

I’m thankful for the strong collaboration we share with our SDVOSBs and for their unwavering commitment to supporting agency missions. The future looks bright, and I’m eager to see where this partnership takes us next.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.

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

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August 19, 2024August 19, 2024

Transforming Government IT Procurement: Better Contracting Initiative Priority 2

As part of our ongoing efforts to modernize government IT procurement and management, the Better Contracting Initiative (BCI) has been a cornerstone of our strategy at the Governmentwide IT Program Management Office. Today, I am excited to discuss the strides we are making under the BCI, particularly Priority 2, which focuses on negotiating common enterprise-wide software licenses.

We’ve embarked on a journey to streamline how our federal government procures and manages its software assets. Our new Governmentwide Acquisition Strategy initiative not only aims to enhance operational efficiencies but also to achieve substantial cost savings and increase buying efficiencies.

Strategic collaboration and enhanced efficiency

Our approach under Priority 2 of the BCI involves collaboration and strategic negotiation directly with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), which are essential in managing the government’s vast array of IT resources. By centralizing our engagement processes and encouraging industry to view government agencies as “one customer,” we are ensuring that all government agencies, large and small, benefit from the best possible terms and prices, avoiding the inefficiencies of fragmented and duplicative contract terms.

IT Vendor Management Office’s role in the Governmentwide Acquisition Strategy initiative

The IT Vendor Management Office (ITVMO) has been instrumental in this effort, spearheading direct engagements by developing partnerships with OEMs, conceptualizing solutions for governmentwide challenges, negotiating resolutions, and establishing guidelines that will serve as the benchmark for software procurement across federal agencies. The Governmentwide Acquisition Strategy initiative is truly a governmentwide endeavor.

Steps to success

The ITVMO first identifies target OEMs by soliciting quantitative and qualitative data from all 24 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies. Using analysis of governmentwide spend and the gravity of common OEM-specific challenges, the ITVMO recommends an OEM to address, which is then validated and approved by government leadership.

The ITVMO then collects contract data from all 24 CFO Act agencies and performs significant analysis on terms and pricing to identify inconsistencies and abnormalities (both good and bad). With the help of a Governmentwide Integrated Project Team, the ITVMO builds a list of best-in-class terms and target pricing to pursue via a variety of recommended solutions.

After a comprehensive review and discussion of these recommended solutions through a Civilian Service Acquisition Workshop, which further supports implementation of BCI through Prong #3 focusing on getting requirements right the first time which will avoid waste and save financial resources, the CFO Act agencies and the ITVMO works to finalize a set of governmentwide requests for the OEM.

Finally, the government engages the OEM in a collaborative fashion by walking decision-makers through the government’s challenges and recommended solutions for the purpose of cooperative adjustment and, ultimately, acceptance of our governmentwide concepts through modifications to all governmentwide acquisition vehicles so that all federal entities get the benefits of our “one customer” approach.

Consistency in contracts = Better contracting

The initiative is part of a broader effort to not only manage costs but also to ensure that the software we procure is secure, reliable, and meets the diverse needs of the federal workforce. To that end, we’ve made significant progress in identifying key areas where terms and conditions can be standardized to benefit all agencies. Our focus has been on improving license flexibility and mobility, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and implementing cost-effective pricing strategies. The feedback from various stakeholders has been overwhelmingly positive, indicating strong support for a more unified approach to software licensing in the federal sector.

Looking ahead

As we continue to advance this initiative, the insights gained from our ongoing discussions and negotiations will inform our strategies, ensuring that the federal government remains a prudent and effective purchaser of IT resources. To that end, the ITVMO is putting together a guide for agency acquisitions, specific to critical OEMs, to ensure broad recognition and adoption of the best-in-class practices we learned about throughout the Governmentwide Acquisition Strategy process. The goal is not only to save money but also to improve our IT infrastructure, making it more responsive to the needs of our agencies and the public.

The Better Contracting Initiative is a testament to our commitment to innovation and excellence in government IT procurement. With Priority 2, we are setting new standards for how the government collaborates and negotiates in the IT realm, ensuring better outcomes for all our stakeholders. Stay tuned as we continue to make strides in transforming government IT procurement for the better.

Visit our website to learn more about how ITC is addressing the BCI through the ITVMO.

Please follow us on LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

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April 27, 2021January 11, 2024

Introducing the IT Vendor Management Office: a new government-wide collaborative effort to solve the toughest challenges in federal IT acquisitions

The last months have been a whirlwind of activity for the new government-wide Information Technology Vendor Management Office (ITVMO). We not only chartered the ITVMO, but have started working with several partner agencies and IT acquisition experts from across government to identify existing resources that can assist agencies with their buying decisions. The ITVMO brings together the most critical players in the federal IT acquisition landscape to solve challenges agencies and vendors face when buying and selling IT products and solutions.

Launched in October 2020, the ITVMO is a government-wide effort to amplify the benefits of managing vendor engagement in the IT Category to make IT acquisitions faster and more cost effective. The ITVMO serves as a trusted independent advisor and advocate to help agencies buy common IT goods and services. As a one-stop shop, the ITVMO will leverage government-wide IT procurement data, conduct market research, and develop shared agency acquisition knowledge to support agencies’ buying decisions.

There are many programs and initiatives across government that are interested in improving how government buys IT. The ITVMO is unique in that it is a collaborative effort amongst partners in Category Management (CM) with the most critical IT acquisition Best in Class (BIC) contract vehicles and associated programs including:

The General Services Administration (GSA);
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA);
The National Institutes of Health (NIH);
The Department of Defense (DOD);
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP).

Through this collaboration, the ITVMO will advance the goals of IT Category Management (CM) to improve how the government buys common IT goods and services and enable the government to act more as a single entity by sharing best practices and acquisition intelligence as well as eliminating the unnecessary duplication and redundancy that exists between federal agencies.

What’s Happening & What’s Next

One of the central drivers of CM is to mature federal IT acquisitions so that the government acts more like a single buyer rather than many independent agencies. By creating a space where some of the biggest and most impactful federal IT acquisitions programs and initiatives can collaborate and solve shared problems, establishing the ITVMO is a major step toward that goal.

The ITVMO is chartered and led by an Executive Steering Committee (ESC) comprised of several agencies including those with the largest IT BIC vehicles. The ESC determines the strategic direction and project priorities for the ITVMO to solve problems for agencies and vendors alike.

To identify shared challenges and opportunities throughout government, the ITVMO surveyed hundreds of IT and acquisition experts including the Chief Information Officers Council (CIOC) and the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) as well as several communities of practices. The ITVMO team also conducted listening sessions with industry groups. The data and feedback gathered from across government is driving the challenges the ITVMO seeks to address in the near future.

The ITVMO’s primary customers are the programs and offices responsible for making buying decisions at each agency, and the vendor community. On January 27th, the ITVMO hosted an Open House for agencies to provide an overview of the ITVMO’s mission and services, and to answer any questions from the community. More information about the ITVMO Open House, including a video recording of the event, is available to government employees.

Based on customer feedback, the ITVMO is working on several products and services that will be made available to agencies in the near future, including:

Continuing a Small Business Webinar Series developed in partnership with the IT Government-wide Category and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council Small Business Alliance so agencies and vendors can learn how GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Multiple Award Schedules Program will allow agencies to more easily procure IT products and services from small businesses.
Vendor Profiles that provide agencies with pricing information, specific vendors’ terms and conditions, and best practices for negotiating with that vendor.
Deep Vendor Intelligence crowdsourced from IT acquisition experts from across the federal government participating in integrated project teams (IPTs).
A Technology Life Cycle Assessment to provide agencies with insights into buying emerging technology and updating existing systems and services to meet evolving needs.
A deep dive and review of current Cost Avoidance Methodologies used by IT BIC acquisitions vehicles. The ITVMO is working closely with GSA’s IT Category to provide recommendations on how to improve the accuracy and reliability of cost avoidance methodologies and the underlying contract data.

If any of the above interest you, we would love to connect with you. Please feel free to reach out to the ITVMO inbox at itvmo@gsa.gov.

Coming Soon…

The ITVMO recently launched the first of several IPTs made up of the federal government’s foremost experts in working and negotiating with specific IT vendors. The IPTs will produce recommendations and strategies that can be shared and leveraged throughout government.

On May 12, 2021, The ITVMO will also host an Industry Day intended for our industry and vendor partners to learn about the mission of the ITVMO and the best way to collaborate with the ITVMO and federal IT acquisitions staff.

Finally, the ITVMO will soon launch our website to share the ITVMO’s latest updates and activities, post relevant templates and resources, and direct users to the relevant information to meet their IT acquisition needs.

Additional insight can be found on our ITVMO MAX page, and you can sign up for our newsletter. If you have any questions or general inquiries, please feel free to reach out to us at the ITVMO inbox at itvmo@gsa.gov.

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

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September 26, 2019January 11, 2024

GSA Leading the Way for 5G

In July, we gave you a first look at the possibilities of 5th generation wireless technology (5G) in the public sector.

Commercially, 5G devices will deliver voice, video, and data to consumers with unparalleled efficiency for broadband mobility. Providers will upgrade their networks, manufacturers will develop new types of devices, and industry will market products and services around connectivity and mobility.

For the government, a 5G future is more complex since we’ll be tasked with making these technologies useful for everyone. That’s why we’re publishing a white paper on 5G — watch for that after our 5G Technology Customer Event on Oct. 3.

What’s Next for Government 5G

As new technology comes to market, we work with agencies and industry to pair the right wireless solutions to mission needs — focusing on wireless solutions security and cost efficiency.

Schedule 70 SIN 132-53 shows the robust capabilities we bring to the government market:

Wireless Carrier Services
End Point infrastructure
Mobility as a Service (MaaS), a.k.a Device as a Service (DaaS)
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
Mobility Backend as a Service (MBaaS)
Telecommunications Expense Management System (TEMS)
Mobile Application Vetting
Mobile Threat Protection
Mobile and Identity Management
Internet of Things (IoT)

10/3 GSA 5G Event

To learn more about the possibilities of 5G, join us on Oct. 3 at the GSA 5G Government Symposium. We’ll cover:

how 5G can help agencies meet their mission,
the challenges facing government as we implement this new technology, and
how 5G will integrate into today’s networks.

View the agenda. Join us online or in person.

Stay Tuned to 5G

For our next 5G post, we’ll explore how unlicensed and lightly licensed spectrum could affect campus networks.

Until then, please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

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August 13, 2019January 11, 2024

Modernizing the Government’s Contact Centers

We’ve all called a customer service line at some point in our lives, whether to order a new service for our house, change a flight, or set up a medical appointment.

Nowadays our options for getting to what we need are rapidly growing. Chatbots, voice recognition, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems provide faster and more accurate responses to our increasingly complex questions.

This applies to the government too. Thousands of people call various government agencies every day with requests and concerns. At GSA, it’s our job to help agencies get the solutions they need to make their contact centers as effective and efficient as possible. In fact, the President’s Management Agenda calls for agencies to provide a modern, streamlined, and responsive customer experience.

We’re ready to help and we developed a solution for those agencies through IT Schedule 70.

Automated Contact Center Solutions – Up and Running

Earlier this fiscal year, we launched the Automated Contact Center Solutions (ACCS) Special Item Number (SIN) 132-20 under IT Schedule 70.

This SIN provides any combination of technologies, equipment, software, and/or services needed to deliver high-quality customer service interactions to agency constituents across multiple channels.

The ACCS SIN includes a wide range of automated and attended managed solutions focused on modern contact center technologies:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Callback
Chat Bots
Email Delivery
Hosted Online Ordering
Hosted Email Web Form
Hosted FAQ Service
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Text-to-Speech
Voice/Speech Recognition
Voicemail
Web Callback

Experienced Industry Partners

With the ACCS SIN, federal, state, local, tribal, and other eligible governments can access pre-vetted, experienced automated contact center solutions providers using IT Schedule 70’s streamlined procurement process.

Currently, there are 14 pre-vetted contractors (8 large, 6 small) on the ACCS SIN, with more in the queue to join. As of 7/24/2019:

AT&T Corporation
Carahsoft Technology Corporation
Cognosante, LLC
Deborgem Enterprises, Inc.
Filius Corporation
IQ Solutions, Inc.
ITCON Services, LLC
Kores, LLC
Leidos, Inc.
Maximus Federal Services, Inc.
Palmetto GBA, LLC
Senture, LLC
Systems Integration, Inc.
TPUSA, Inc.

GSA is here to help streamline agency acquisitions, provide free scope reviews of draft solicitations, assist with market research activities, share best practices and ideas, conduct training, and more.

For more information about the ACCS SIN, visit www.gsa.gov/contactcenter, or contact the program office at contactcenter@gsa.gov.

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

February 25, 2019January 11, 2024

GSA Replaces Expiring FSSI Wireless BPAs with Newly Enhanced Wireless SIN

It is now even easier to purchase wireless services through Schedule 70.

The newly enhanced FSSI Wireless program is now available to replace the FSSI Wireless BPAs, which expired in November 2018. Due to the success of the original FSSI Wireless program, we’re continuing to offer this solution to our customers. It’s the same FSSI Wireless program you knew and loved, just better!

In this new FSSI Wireless program, agencies will be able to purchase mobility services directly from Schedule 70 using a newly developed RFQ Generator tool on the Mobile Services Category Team (MSCT) page in the Acquisition Gateway. The intuitive web-based tool supports customer ease of ordering against the schedule. The RFQ Generator tool helps users input voice and data requirements into a downloadable RFQ template for schedule vendors.

The project is part of GSA’s continued work as a contributing member of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) MSCT. The MSCT is a cross-government group that fosters effective collaboration and advancements among government IT acquisition professionals.

11 Service Categories

Wireless Carrier Services
Other Mobility End-Point Infrastructure – Mobility infrastructure
Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
Mobile Backend-as-a-Service (MBaaS)
Telecom Expense Management (TEM)
Mobile Application Vetting
Mobile Threat Protection (MTP)
Mobile Identity Management
Internet of Things (IoT) and
Other/Mobile Services

Features and Benefits

The purpose and benefits of updating SIN 132-53, Wireless Mobility Solutions are:

Address the federal government’s growing need for advanced mobile solutions to include security, mobility management, application development, application vetting, and integrated services.
Enhance IT Schedule 70 offerings under SIN 132-53 for increased convenience and rapid access to commercially available wireless and advanced mobility solutions.
Provide industry partners the opportunity to differentiate their mobility solutions from other IT-related offerings.
Meet the needs of government agencies to make strategic decisions and bring the full value and benefits of mobility category management to government.
Organize and categorize mobility solutions in a manner that simplifies and standardizes the acquisition of these solutions that lowers the total cost of ownership for agency customers.

GSA’s Mobility Team continues its work to increase savings in the mobile space through the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI). GSA customers saved on average up to 30% in 2017 through FSSI Wireless. To replace the BPAs, GSA’s Mobility Team worked with the MSCT to develop a Request for Quote (RFQ) generator that agencies can use to procure wireless services in a flexible, simple way.

The MSCT looks to give agencies the tools they need to implement cellular service plans and devices more effectively and efficiently through:

Unified acquisition: Consolidates the number and variety of dispersed wireless contracts to reduce life-cycle management costs and drive better volume discounts.
Improved information management: Simplifies service plan management and enables centralized access to standardized usage data to easily identify opportunities for cost savings.
Center of excellence: Uses best practices and collaboration across agencies and the entire community of stakeholders to optimize performance and increase value.

We couldn’t be more proud of the work our GSA Mobility Team is doing with the MSCT. This collaboration really sets the bar for cross-agency/industry engagement and will make a real difference in the day-to-day mobile operations of government.

To learn more, please visit the Wireless Mobility Solutions (132-53) page on GSA.gov.

February 19, 2019January 11, 2024

Expanding IT Schedule 70’s Cloud SIN to Make it Easier for Customers & Contractors

The 2018 Federal Cloud Computing Strategy — Cloud Smart — is a long-term, high-level strategy to drive cloud adoption in federal agencies. This cloud policy is designed to offer a path forward for agencies to migrate to a safe and secure cloud-based infrastructure. This new strategy will help federal agencies achieve additional cost savings, increase security, and facilitate faster delivery of cloud services.

GSA is a key stakeholder in the Cloud Smart strategy. We’re helping federal agencies modernize the government’s IT infrastructure by using our expertise in technology and acquisition. As part of that mission, we’re listening to industry partners and our customer agencies and constantly revisiting our acquisition solutions. We’re looking to ensure they’re working to facilitate the government’s success and that they make it easier for agencies and industry.

When it comes to cloud, we are dedicated to providing acquisition tools and solutions that help the government make meaningful strides in cloud adoption to support their mission-critical activities and meet the goals laid out in the Cloud Smart strategy.

When You Think Cloud, Think GSA

Adopting cloud and modernizing IT infrastructure are complex. GSA has several cloud offerings designed with the customer in mind. We’re working to provide solutions that address the typical challenges agencies are facing, and GSA is here to help agencies be successful.

One example is IT Schedule 70’s Cloud SIN (132-40), originally developed and implemented in 2015. Since then, a lot has changed in both the cloud industry and in government. We have seen an increased demand for cloud computing, and the market has evolved to include professional services that support cloud-oriented products. The evolution has exposed some acquisition challenges and roadblocks in the original SIN.

Originally, customers using IT70 to buy cloud products also needed to procure cloud-related IT professional services. This had to happen through a second step, often requiring them to issue Requests for Quotes (RFQs) to the entire universe of IT services contractors on IT70 (over 3,500), and many of those contractors may not have any of the appropriate skills to support cloud deployments.

Now, the expanded IT70 Cloud SIN includes the cloud-oriented IT professional services that customers need, providing them access to a full cloud solution in one place. Additionally, we have clarified a few ambiguities about the definition of cloud products that frequently caused confusion.

GSA’s goal is to ensure we are supporting the government’s adoption of, migration to, and ongoing governance and management of cloud computing.

The Cloud SIN revisions are available in the most current solicitation refresh: Solicitation Number: FCIS-JB-980001-B.

Contact GSA To Get Started

Contact the GSA cloud experts with any questions about the GSA IT Schedule 70 Cloud SIN. We help agencies navigate the Cloud SIN to acquire cloud services, including providing free scope reviews of solicitations. We also help industry suppliers with the application process to have their cloud offerings indexed under the Cloud SIN.

To learn more, visit our Cloud SIN page.

October 1, 2018January 11, 2024

Saying Goodbye to a Career of Federal Service

I recently announced I’m winding down my career with the federal government. Retirement is a great time for reflection as I approach the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.

After 32 years of service in the government and private sectors, I have been fortunate to work beside people whose passion is to serve in the best interests of our customers. I leave my position as Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Information Technology Category (ITC) filled with pride from what we have accomplished and confidence in the excellent ITC staff.

But none of ITC’s projects and programs would be successful without the partnership, support, perspective, and engagement of our federal agency and industry partners.

I have talked often about ITC’s many successes to illustrate that the work ITC does has significant, real-world impacts — we manage more than 5,000 contracts, representing nearly $25 billion in mission-critical IT spending annually.

Our goal is to meet all agencies’ IT needs by giving them access to the best commercial products and services available, from laptop configurations to massive IT network overhauls and everything in between.

We’re always focused on how the market is changing, and which emerging technologies are becoming critical in the modern IT landscape.

This year, ITC launched initiatives aimed at modernizing and simplifying current solutions, eliminating duplicative processes, and deploying emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledger technology (DLT), to enhance efficiencies and drive savings into the acquisition process for GSA and government.

During my tenure as Director of IT Schedule 70, we focused on cross-government and cross-industry collaboration, realigning ITC to better support industry partners and help customer agencies meet their mission objectives.

One such example is the FASt Lane program, which focused on getting new technologies into the hands of customers faster. It has two parts: a quick 48 hour e-Modification (eMod) process for current Schedule 70 contract holders wishing to add or update their current IT product offerings, and a program helps get new vendors on schedule in approximately 45 days, down from the average time of 110 days.

We also implemented an initiative to renegotiate Schedule 70 base prices for many of the largest contracts. As a result, the government is achieving discounts of up to 46 percent off original pricing.

The solutions that we have put in place are truly critical to enabling the government to do its ultimate job — serving the American taxpayers.

I look forward to following GSA’s and ITC’s future endeavors and celebrating their successes from a new vantage point.
Many thanks to this entire community for your tremendous partnership over the years.

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

September 11, 2018January 11, 2024

Better Process, Price through Government-wide Strategic Solution (GSS) for Desktops and Laptops Program

We pride ourselves on providing federal agencies with IT solutions at the best value through an efficient buying experience.

To further improve the buying experience, the Governmentwide Strategic Solutions (GSS) for desktops and laptops program formed a partnership among procurement teams from agencies across government. Working closely with our industry partners, the GSS team negotiated better terms and conditions, more consistent pricing, and a streamlined buying process for federal, state, and local governments.

The government depends on desktops and laptops every day to accomplish its mission. More than $1 billion is spent annually on this critical IT hardware. Most of this $1 billion is spent on similar desktop and laptop configurations from the same original equipment manufacturers, but spread across thousands of different contracts.

The Workstation Category Team, established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), worked closely with agency and industry stakeholders to create GSS standard configurations. They’re designed to meet 80 percent of the government’s desktop and laptop requirements, helping the government aggregate demand and use its consolidated buying power.

How’d we do it?

The category team worked to ensure participating contractors offer the full breadth of GSS-compliant desktops, laptops, options, and accessories through their IT Schedule 70 contracts. Also, GSA Advantage catalogs for GSS desktops and laptops were fully overhauled to clearly show compliant machines, with full descriptions and a menu-driven option and accessory configurator.

To make buying these products quick and easy, IT Schedule 70 awarded three multi-agency (government-wide) single-award Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) to support OMB’s GSS Desktop and Laptop category management strategy.

These BPAs are recompeted annually to ensure the latest technology is available in a GSS-compliant configuration, at the most competitive prices in government.

These three BPAs are available via the GSA AdvantageSelect buying platform.

Better Buying for the Future

GSS program use has increased nearly 700 percent over the last two fiscal years. At the same time, use of our AdvantageSelect GSS BPA has increased by 400 percent from FY17.

The discounts realized through the competitive process encouraged this growth. Agencies executing large-quantity purchases through GSA’s GSS Program in FY18 have realized discounts of up to 40 percent off GSA contract ceiling prices.

To make sure everyone hears about this, GSA’s IT Hardware Category Management team hosts regular training sessions that tell agencies how to maximize savings and buying power for obtaining GSS-compliant desktop and laptop computers, as well as options, accessories, and peripherals at competitive prices.

These webinars make it easier for agencies to benefit from this outstanding program; learning more about simple purchasing options is especially important to government buyers as we near the end of a fiscal year. To learn more about the configurations and contracts and to make your purchase, see GSA Advantage or the Acquisition Gateway.

For GSA GSS Desktop/Laptop help, please visit our webpage or contact workstations@gsa.gov

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.

September 5, 2018January 11, 2024

Air Force and GSA Sign MOU for IT Products BPAs

By Kay Ely, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Information Technology Category

In June, I hosted several officials from the U.S. Air Force here at GSA for an official signing ceremony. My team and their counterparts at the Air Force have worked diligently together over the past several months to better understand the Air Force’s IT products needs as their current contract solution approaches its sunset in November 2019.

Our two agencies have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This MOU sets forth guiding principles for a strategic partnership that allows GSA’s IT Hardware Category Team and IT Schedule 70 to establish a multiple-award blanket purchase agreement (BPA) on behalf of the Air Force. This BPA will replace the Air Force NETCENTS-2 IT Products IDIQ contract.

The IT Products BPA is expected to be available to all federal government agencies, as well as state, local, and tribal entities, consistent with GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing program.

Partnering for Better Solutions

This MOU allows us to consolidate knowledge and buying power to shape our acquisition strategy, making sure that we’re helping the federal government effectively acquire IT goods. The solution we develop will streamline the Air Force’s acquisition process — and, the federal government’s, more broadly — as well as reduce contract duplication, while saving time, resources, and taxpayer dollars. This solution also:

Ensures Air Force receives Trade Agreements Act (TAA)-compliant products
Mitigates risk of grey-market items
Incorporates enhanced supply chain risk management (SCRM) processes from GSA-vetted industry partners

Answering the Call to Increase Savings

Partnerships like this directly address the call to action presented in the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). PMA Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal 7 on category management specifically directs agencies to “leverage common contracts and best practices to drive savings and efficiencies.”

We Appreciate our Partners

I would like to thank the Air Force for the confidence they placed in us as we formally acknowledged this agreement.

We value our continuing partnership with the Air Force and their commitment to using GSA. We are looking forward to working together to build a world-class solution for purchasing IT products efficiently, securely, and at competitive prices.

Please follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITC and LinkedIn to join our ongoing conversations about government IT.