"The original FAST contract was a great success for both our 8(a) vendor partners and GSA, and we look forward to providing more opportunities for 8(a) businesses under FAST2," said Donna Bennett, commissioner of GSA's Federal Supply Service.
This second generation 8(a) GWAC is expected to build on the achievements of its predecessor, 8(a) FAST contracts for information technology, scheduled to expire Oct. 31, 2004. As an offshoot of the former Federal Acquisition Services for Technology (FAST) program of GSA's Federal Technology Service, the 8(a) FAST GWAC has shown tremendous success, with more than 11,500 orders, worth $1.6 billion in sales, from small, disadvantaged 8(a) firms, since the contracts were awarded in 1997.
"This solicitation is the first step and a great opportunity for small disadvantaged 8(a) firms to become a part of this unique contract vehicle designed to assist small businesses in competing in the federal marketplace," said Stephen Triplett, assistant regional administrator for FSS in Kansas City.
GSA released a draft solicitation earlier this summer to provide the business community an opportunity to review the proposed solicitation and to provide technical and business feedback to GSA on its content, format, clarity and any other relevant aspects.
"We're proud of the relationship the Small Business Administration (SBA) has with GSA, and of our cooperation to further the success of small business," said Fred Armendariz, SBA's associate deputy administrator for Government Contracting/Business Development. "This new 8(a) contract vehicle is an example of a successful partnership between our agencies and with industry."
One of the major changes from the first 8(a) GWAC is an expansion of functional areas, from one to eight based on the North American Industrial Classifications Standards, including Application Development, CAD/CAE/CAM Services, Network Design, Computer Operations/Support, Data Processing/Hosting, Imaging, Contingency Planning, Disaster Preparedness/Recovery, Information Assurance, Internet Publishing/Broadcasting, Call Centers, Distance Learning and Point-to-Point Telecommunications. The proposed contract term is a three-year base with two, two-year option periods.
Solicitation No. 6FG-03-RAV-0002, posted Aug. 8, may be downloaded from GSA's opportunity database at http://www.fedbizopps.gov. Interested parties must obtain 8(a) certification from the Small Business Administration prior to Sept. 10, 2003, 4:30 p.m. CST, the closing date of the solicitation. Questions may be submitted by e-mail to 8a@gsa.gov.
GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies, and services. GSA, comprised of 14,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in 8,300 government-owned and leased buildings in 1,600 U.S. communities.
