(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 changes as well as 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 »
GSA Eliminates Small Business Set-Aside Designation for AIMS Schedule SINs
The small business set-aside designations are being removed from GSA Schedule 541, Advertising and Integrated Marketing Solutions (AIMS). The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) now authorizes agencies to set aside procurements for small businesses at the task order level of a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract.
This change will affect contractors that hold Special Item Numbers (SINs): 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 »
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 »
eBuy Mobile: Access RFQ Opportunities on Your Mobile Device
GSA has taken the first step in its new eBuy mobile initiative. eBuy vendors can now login to eBuy on their mobile devices (iOS and Android platforms) by opening the browser and going to www.ebuy.gsa.gov/mobile/login to access active Request for Quote (RFQ) and Request for Information (RFI) associated with their contracts.
Once logged in with the contract number and password, contractors will see a list of RFQs and RFIs associated with their awarded Special Item Numbers (SIN). Contractors can click on each opportunity to see more details including buyer information, a description of the requirement, any line items, as well as shipping information. In order to view attachments associated with RFQs, or to submit a quote, contractors will still need to access eBuy from their desktop computer or laptop.
eBuy vendors are also now capable of Continue reading »
DOD ECA Digital Certificates Now Allow Access to GSA eOffer/eMod System
GSA’s eOffer/eMod application for online contract management has expanded the types of Digital Certificates accepted for system access and contract signature to include Department of Defense (DOD) External Certificate Authority (ECA) certificates. Previously only ACES Business Representative Certificates were acceptable. Digital certificates create an electronic identity that ties the certificate-holder to the company they work for. As noted on the GSA eOffer/eMod webpage: Continue reading »
Breaking News: GSA Training and Expo 2013 Cancelled
The uproar over last year’s high-profile GSA Government Convention debacles has lead to increased scrutiny on the value and importance of these types of events throughout the government. A September 2012 article in Meetings and Convention Magazine noted “[A May 2012] OMB memorandum … outlined how costs will be cut, specifying that in FY2013, each agency will be required to spend at least 30 percent less on travel than in FY2010, and agencies must maintain that spending level through FY2016.” The memorandum also addressed government conferences, requiring senior-level review and approval of spreadsheets for all upcoming conferences sponsored or hosted by federal agencies that exceed $100,000, and prohibiting expenses of more than $500,000 on any single conference, among other actions.” The resulting slashes in agency meeting and travel budgets has led to event downsizing and cancellations across the government. The latest victim: GSA’s own Expo.
Posted on the GSA Expo website this afternoon: Continue reading »
Creating, Migrating, and Updating SAM Accounts – Free Webinar 2/26/2013
To help System for Award Management (SAM) users, the GSA/FAS Office of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) is offering a series of free instructional webinars over the next few months. The first webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, February 26, 2013, is geared toward new federal contractors as well as those who were registered in the legacy Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system. This course will cover essential activities for getting started in and using SAM – including creating a SAM account, migrating permissions from CCR, and updating/renewing existing registrations.
Webinar Topic: SAM.gov – Creating, Migrating, and Updating SAM Accounts
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)