GSA Releases Draft of New Government IT Services Contract Polaris

Jiri Vratislavsky/Shutterstock.com

The draft request for proposals focuses on IT services and emerging technology offerings from three classes of small business.

The General Services Administration released the draft framework for its new governmentwide small business IT services contract, dubbed Polaris, including a list of service offerings covered under the contract and emerging technologies vendors should be prepared to pitch as part of task order competitions.

The Polaris governmentwide acquisition contract, or GWAC, is set to replace the ill-fated Alliant 2 Small Business contract, which GSA abruptly canceled in July. After waves of protests, rescinded awards and re-awards led to the Alliant 2 SB cancelation, GSA promised to fill the void with a new small business-focused contract and began work on Polaris, releasing the draft request for proposals on New Year’s Eve.

“The principal nature of any resulting task order procurement must be for IT services,” the document states, “however, ancillary support may be included when it is integral to and necessary for the IT services-based effort.”

In addressing one of the issues related to Alliant 2 SB, the Polaris contract will focus on three socioeconomic groups, dividing into their own pools: small businesses, women-owned small businesses and those located within a historically under-utilized area, better known as HUBZones. The draft document notes GSA reserves the right to create and award spots on new pools as part of future open seasons.

Along with the focus on socioeconomic set-asides, the Polaris GWAC differentiates itself from other GSA contracts through its offerings: IT services like cloud, data management and software development, rather than commodities like IT hardware or off-the-shelf software products.

The draft RFP includes seven categories of services to be offered on the contract, including cloud services, cybersecurity, data management, information and communication technologies, IT operations and maintenance, software development and system design.

The contract also allows for some ancillary purchases of clerical support, data entry and IT products, among others, though these must be in direct support of a larger service offering.

While the contract will focus on more traditional government IT areas, Polaris will have a strong emphasis on emerging technologies, including:

  • Advanced and quantum computing, including cryptography and encryption; secure communications; design of high-performance computers, computer clusters and networks; and quantum machine learning.
  • Artificial intelligence, including computer vision, deep learning, machine learning, natural language processing, spatial computing and speech recognition.
  • Automation technology, including robotic process automation, automated messaging services, data cleaning scripts, interactive voice response and smart notification.
  • Distributed ledger technology, including blockchain implementation solutions, network design services and smart contract programming services.
  • Edge computing, including 5G implementation services, edge analytics, edge applications services, edge computing architecture design services and internet of things services.
  • Immersive technology, including virtual reality and augmented reality.

“The contractor should approach agency task order requirements with technical proposals offering innovative solutions that leverage the flexibility provided,” the draft RFP states. “This includes utilization of the emerging technologies …, which can be provided as standalone concepts or applied to the performance areas.”

The draft also calls out the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, an impending requirement for third-party accreditation for all contractors doing business with the military.

“While CMMC is currently a DOD requirement, it may also have utility as a baseline for civilian acquisitions; so it is vital that contractors wishing to do business on Polaris monitor, prepare for and participate in acquiring CMMC certification,” GSA officials suggest in the RFP.

The document offers a number of specific actions vendors can take now to ensure they are prepared for CMMC and other supply chain risk management programs.

The contract, as it stands, appears to solve some of the problems with Alliant 2 SB but could use some more specificity in areas, according to analysts at The Pulse of GovCon.

“Polaris is a Frankensteined version of all GSA's greatest-hits GWACs with a more similar scope to GSA 8a STARS III, a minimum contract award akin to A2SB, and on-ramping procedures comparable to HCATS and OASIS,” the analysts said, citing contracts focused on employee training and professional services, respectively.

“Where Polaris is different is that GSA has set the bar so low that vendors will not really have to meet any real requirements, certifications or competitive thresholds at the initial level and leave everyone to duke it out and protest at the task order level,” they said. “This is their way of addressing the A2SB problems and avoiding another fiasco.”

While the draft RFP does not mention a ceiling for the contract, Alliant 2 SB was slated for $15 billion and the similar 8(a) Streamlined Technology Application Resource for Services II, or 8(a) STARS II, was increased from $15 billion to $22 billion this summer.

Once the final contract awards are made, GSA expects the GWAC to run for a base of five years, with one five-year add-on option.

Responses to the draft RFP are due by 4 p.m. Jan. 29.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.