(UPDATED) OASIS Draft RFP Series, #2 Relevant Experience and Past Performance
UPDATE 5/17/13: GSA has posted the OASIS Industry Day presentations to the Interact site. Based on the contents, there have been some confirmed and proposed changes regarding relevant experience and past performance:
- Evaluation points will be awarded in some fashion for cost-reimbursement experience
- Evaluation points may be awarded for demonstrating IDIQ management experience
- Considering allowing state and local government contracts as relevant experience
- Considering adjusting past performance evaluation points to allow for further distinction between levels of performance (i.e. 4.8-5.0=600 points, 4.6-4.79=500 points, etc.)
Thank you for continuing to follow our special GSA OASIS blog series. Before discussing the requirements for relevant experience and past performance on OASIS and OASIS SB, a disclaimer – all posts are based on information from the OASIS draft RFP and the most current information available on the OASIS Industry Community on GSA Interact. Changes are certain to occur between the draft solicitation and the final RFP; Aronson will identify major changes as soon as we are aware of them.
Before making a final bid decision, interested companies must understand that simply meeting the minimum requirements of the solicitation will not be enough to guarantee an OASIS contract. GSA wants to award to the best of the best, so evaluation points are only awarded to those who exceed the minimum requirements, sometimes by a significant margin. This will be especially important in the evaluation criteria for the five relevant experience examples required from each bidder. Of the possible evaluation points an offeror can earn, more than 75% come from relevant experience and past performance (see Section M.5).
One of the most critical things for potential bidders to understand when selecting relevant experience is that TEAMING Continue reading »
Contractor Compensation in the President’s Crosshairs Again
The Government contractor compensation caps topic is making an appearence again. In a previous blog posted on June 29, 2012, we noted the Senate attempting to cap defense contractor compensation to the level of the Vice President’s salary. That attempt by the Senate did not survive committee. President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 budget, dated April 10, 2013, again puts contractor compensation in the Government’s crosshairs.
In the President’s budget discussion on ”Cutting Waste Wherever We Find It” contractor compensation is at the forefront, and it affects Continue reading »
UPDATED: GSA OASIS Draft RFP Series, #1 Size Standard NAICS Pools
UPDATE (5/3/13): One important point I failed to mention is that on OASIS SB, GSA intends to award at least three spots in every pool to the following socioeconomic groups-8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone, WOSB, and EDWOSB. This does not mean that only 25 of the 40 spots in a pool are available for other small businesses, though. The top 40 evaluation will proceed “blind” to socioeconomic status. If there are not at least three representatives from a particular socioeconomic group in the top 40 for a given pool, additional awards will be made to the next highest rated qualified bidder(s) in that group until there are three.
Welcome to the first post in a special series about the GSA OASIS draft RFP. First a disclaimer – all posts are based on information obtained from the OASIS draft RFP and the most current Q&A available on the OASIS Industry Community on GSA Interact. Changes are certain to occur between the draft solicitation and the final; Aronson will identify major known changes as soon as we are aware of them. Please subscribe to our RSS feed to follow this series and to make sure that you receive breaking information as it happens!
Today’s post will discuss the use of NAICS code ‘pools’ to determine a contractor’s size status and eligibility to bid on OASIS SB. Initially, GSA had intended to base the size standard for OASIS SB on a single NAICS code (541330 exception, $35.5M) based on market research concerning the preponderance of work likely to be awarded under the vehicle; however, a recent rule proposed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) caused them to change this approach. Due to the provisions of Section 1331 of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and concerns about the improper allocation of small business credit under multiple-award contracts, the SBA plans to make significant changes to the FAR. Under the proposed rule, “the contracting officer may divide a multiple award contract for divergent goods and services into discrete categories, each of which is assigned a NAICS code with a corresponding size standard.”
In order to accommodate the probable rule change, GSA Continue reading »
UPDATE Two 4/23/13: Is GSA OASIS Right for Your Company? Draft RFP Now Out!!
UPDATE 2: The GSA OASIS Program Office just made this important announcement about the accounting system requirement: “We are removing the requirement to have a DCAA audited accounting system as a Pass/Fail element. However, Offerors must still have an accounting system that meets FAR requirements. While a DCAA audited accounting system is preferable, we will allow companies with accounting systems that have not been audited by DCAA to compete for an OASIS award. In order to meet the minimum requirements, a Non-DCAA audited accounting system must be operational and have been audited by either a cognizant non-DCAA government auditor or an independent, third party accounting firm that has certified the accounting system for compliance with the same standards set forth in SF1408, Preaward Survey of Prospective Contractor Accounting System AND FAR Part 31. Recognition of already having a DCAA audited accounting system is now present in the scoring system as a significant factor.
If you want to bid on OASIS and do not have a DCAA audited accounting system, Aronson’s financial compliance team can perform 1408 Accounting System Reviews that meet the updated requirement. For more information, please contact Nicole Mitchell at (301) 222-8231 or nmitchell@aronsonllc.com.
UPDATE: The OASIS draft RFPs have been released! You can find the unrestricted RFP here and the small business RFP here.
Judging by the attendance at recent industry events focusing on GSA OASIS, this contract vehicle for complex integrated professional services appears on many companies’ “must win” list. Although GSA has yet to release the highly anticipated draft RFP, information about this multi-billion dollar contract continues to trickle out of the Program Office. Prospective bidders got their most in-depth look yet at OASIS when GSA released the redacted version of its business case to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) via its GSA Interact OASIS Industry Community. When considering the business case, along with all the earlier intelligence, it is apparent that priming OASIS will not be a possibility for many companies. GSA reports that its overall evaluation process will be based on a combination of “Past Performance,” “Relevant Experience,” and “Systems, Certifications, and Resources,” therefore some contractors will likely be hard-pressed to demonstrate the breadth and depth of past performance needed or meet the system requirements to be eligible to respond.
So, how do you know if priming OASIS is right for your company? Consider the following: Continue reading »
UPDATED: OASIS Official Making the Rounds After Draft RFP/RFI Releases
UPDATE 4/24/13: GSA has announced that all spots for the OASIS Industry Day sessions are now full. As a continued testament to the significant amount of interest in this procurement, all spaces for the OASIS and OASIS SB sessions were filled in approximately five days. The OASIS Program Office will be posting a recording of the event for those who were unable to participate. FedPoint will post a link to any live streaming or video access as soon as it is made available.
The highly-anticipated draft solicitations for OASIS and OASIS SB, new government-wide IDIQ contracts for complex integrated professional services, were finally released on March 28th via FedBizOpps. Knowing that prospective bidders would likely have many questions after pouring through the 100+ pages of information, the OASIS Program Office is hosting or attending a number of events over the next month as part of its continued outreach to industry. First and foremost, there will be an OASIS Industry Day Continue reading »
Perfect Storm: Agency-by-Agency Impacts of Sequestration
Current agency-by-agency effects of sequestration are:
Agriculture Department: Agriculture Department will not need to furlough food safety inspectors, due to the continuing resolution signed March 26.
Air Force: The Washington Post reported that employees in combat zones, non-appropriated funds employees, and foreign nationals would be excepted from furloughs. The Post also said that further exceptions would be allowed for “safety of life or property.” An Air Force spokeswoman told Government Executive that all Air Force civilian police, security guards and firefighters would be subject to furlough “except at installations where the manning level is under 25 percent.” Continue reading »
Will Sequestration Affect My VA Schedule Contract?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reminded readers of a special sequestration exclusion in their March 2013 eNewsletter. A special rule exempts all programs administered by VA (including VA Medical Care) from sequestration (but not federal pay or “federal administrative expenses”). Due to this exemption, VA programs such as the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Service will not be impacted by budget cuts. Other government agencies are not so lucky. Unless exempt or subject to special rules, 2013 sequestration reductions are uniform by category for accounts and “programs, projects and activities” within accounts. In 2013, the budget sequester will enact $85.4 billion in cuts with a total of $109 billion in cuts through FY2021.
The VA FSS Program supports the healthcare requirements of the VA and other federal government agencies (OGA) under delegation from GSA. VA explains that the exemption is a direct result of the importance Continue reading »
Perfect Storm: Lawmakers Tighten Belts Amid Automatic Budget Cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month.
There probably won’t be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no danger of being furloughed or laid off, at least until the next election. Continue reading »
Perfect Storm: Congress Extends CR, Government Shutdown Avoided
Lacking the brinkmanship that citizens have become accustom to, Congress voted to extend the continuing resolution (CR) a full 6 days before the current CR was set to expire. President Obama signed the bill over the weekend. The Government is now funded through September 30, 2013 at the levels mandated by sequestration. Congress did make several minor adjustments to the sequestration mandated cuts. For instance, funding was moved to the Department’s of Agriculture’s food inspection service and DoD’s tuition reimbursement program. Continue reading »
And Then They Were Gone…The Department of Defense Slows Payments to Contractors
In August 2012 Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) issued Class Deviation 2012-O0014 which implemented accelerated payments to prime contractors, who were in turn, to accelerate payments to their subcontractors. On February 21, 2013, Richard Ginman, Director, DPAP, issued a letter which rescinded Class Deviation 2012-O0014. This is only the beginning of the effects of sequestration.
The payment acceleration policy was implemented to assist with the cash flow of all small-business contractors, whether they are prime contractors or subcontractors to non-small-businesses. While the policy of accelerating payments has been rescinded the DoD will continue with the policy Continue reading »
Aronson Contributors
Categories
Popular Tags
Blog Roll
Popular Posts
What We Are Writing
- A Marriage of Inconvenience: GSA Schedule Contracts & The Contractor Code of Business Ethics & Conduct Clause
- Emerging Small Businesses: To Grow Your Business, You Must Plan For Growth
- Government Contracting: Look Before You Leap!
- GSA Schedules – Strategies for Success
- New Employee vs. Independent Contractor Considerations
- Pay on Display – Understanding the Executive Compensation and Subcontractor Data Reporting Requirements & Ramifications
- The GSA Schedule: Your Ticket to the Federal Market (May 2010)
- The New FAR Codes of Conduct and Compliance Program Provisions
- The Seven Deadly Sins (of contract compliance)