Hey GovCon Readers, here's your weekly sip of government contracting espresso! We will now be serving this newsletter every Friday. This week, we explore how HHS procures services; next week, we will look at contract opportunities that are coming up in the next six months, so stay tuned by subscribing. 

Before we dive in, are you interested in an opportunity to network with fellow GovCon leaders? We're talking about an exclusive Slack channel, a place where you can learn and share about opportunities and receive expert advice from a former CO, COR, and CS on current solicitations.

Interested? Just respond with a YES using the survey below, and we will send you more info. 🚀🤝

Last Week Awards

Uncle Sam's dished out 668 contract awards in professional and tech services. The biggest fish? A $541M Digital Engineer contract by the U.S. Army, won by a single bidder through the SIBR program by Sabel Systems Technology Solution. GO SIBR PROGRAM! Thundercat Technology snagged a $66M deal for ServiceNow services with the Commerce Department, and MindSeeker locked in a $65M contract for Professional Service staffing. 

On average, each RFP drew about 2.27 proposals, mostly through internal Agency IDIQs or BPAs, with 166 open market RFPs on SAM.gov. 🏆

Contract Vehicles: The Highway to Success

Want to win in GovCon? Get on a contract vehicle, either an internal IDIQ/BPA or a government-wide one like the GSA Schedule. 

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Pro tip: Blackfyre's running a deal to help you hop on the GSA Schedule bandwagon. They have successfully awarded over 50 GSA Schedules to companies that provide tech and professional services. If you have a GSA Schedule, they will help manage it at $99 a month. Go to www.blackfyre.app to learn more. 

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Upcoming IDIQ Opportunities Alert:

• GSA Schedule: Always open for business, selling various products and services.

• HHS CMS's NEC Contract: A $3 billion, 7-year gig for national communications campaigns. Solicitation drops in late Summer 2024.

• SOF Core Services Support: DoD USSOCOM has a $3 billion, 10-year IDIQ for support of engineering, training, education, program management, professional and technical requirements. Small businesses, get ready for a November 2024 solicitation.

• DOI BIA - IT Support Services IDIQ: DOI BIA's $500 million opportunity targeted at Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises. Eyes peeled between late January and early March 2024.

• NIH's Scientific and Technical Support: A $268 million, 5-year contract with solicitations expected in January 2024. Current contract ends on 11/07/202

• DHS USCIS's RAPID and ODOS IV: DevSecOps services and agile development teams needed for $411 million contracts each. Solicitations brewing for early 2024.

CLICK HERE to see our list of contract opportunities.

Deep Dive into HHS

This week, we are going to explore how HHS awards contracts. Let's explore the intricacies of government procurement, particularly focusing on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We'll start with a fundamental overview of FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation), highlighting the nuances between IDIQs (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contracts) and BPAs (Blanket Purchase Agreements). While both are procurement tools, an IDIQ is a type of contract, and a BPA is an agreement. BPAs are often employed for recurring purchases of low-cost items or services, like pencils or coaching. In contrast, IDIQs are used for larger, recurring needs, such as cybersecurity services, where the exact timing and scope of work may be unpredictable.

Regarding strategy, multiple vendors can be awarded BPAs and IDIQs simultaneously, fostering competition for each task order or BPA call. Conversely, they can also be awarded to a single vendor. From a bidding perspective, the recommendation is to focus on multiple awards rather than single-award BPAs/IDIQs due to the latter's high competitiveness.

Last Year HHS Procurement Strategy:

We are going to continue diving into the way HHS buys its services under the NAICS 51 (tech) and 54 (professional service). In order to do that, we looked at their acquisition strategies for last year's fiscal year 2023. In FY2023, the acquisition strategies were the following for 9,204 contracts awarded: 

• 1,427 task orders awarded under the NIH - Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations (OLAO). Learn more on their 1990’s website:  NIH OLAO Website.

• 353 task orders were fulfilled using NASA SEWP.

• 58 task orders under GSA GWACs, including OASIS, ALLIANT, VETs2, STARS 3.

• 2,268 awards were Open Market, so set those notifications on SAM.gov

• 916 were GSA Schedule awards, so reach out to Blackfyre

• 1,141 task orders were executed under Single Award BPA.

• 374 task orders were awarded under an internal Multiple Award BPA.

• 1,322 task orders were awarded under a single award IDIQ.

• 1,345 task orders were awarded under a multiple-award IDIQ 

Suggested Approach for Targeting HHS Contracts:

To effectively pursue contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), it would be strategic to secure a position on the GSA Schedule, thoroughly understand the NIH GWAC, and explore how to be eligible for it. Additionally, staying alert to opportunities on SAM.gov by enabling notifications is advisable.

Choosing the Right Contract Vehicle in Government Procurement:

• The government often issues Request for Information (RFIs) to identify the contract vehicles available to potential bidders. This also assists in defining the project scope.

• From my experience as a Contracting Officer (CO), preference for specific Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) varies among COs, as there are several systems in play for soliciting RFPs, each with its training requirements. A CO typically opts for the GWAC system (NASA, CIO, GSA) they find most convenient or familiar. For instance, I frequently used NASA SEWP for IT hardware or software procurements and GSA Schedules for professional services. Some COs may have a loyalty to certain GWACs or might follow directives from the Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) to use a specific GWAC. For example, a few years back, the HCA instructed all IRS COs to exclusively utilize Best-in-Class contract vehicles exclusively, although this policy has since evolved.

GovCon News

Federal Agencies Gear Up for Ambitious 2024-25 Goals: Bridging Digital Divides, Enhancing Health Outcomes, and Combating Homelessness

The FY 2024-25 Agency Priority Goals are like a high-stakes relay race where federal agencies pass the baton to make big strides in the Biden-Harris Administration's long-game. This isn't a solo sprint; it's a tag-team effort that builds on past goals with fresh, ambitious benchmarks. Here's the play-by-play:

• Digital Dash: The Department of Commerce and the USDA are teaming up to turbocharge high-speed broadband access. The goal? Get six million households and various locations wired up with top-tier internet by September 30, 2025. It's about transforming the digital divide into digital opportunities.

• Healthcare Hustle: HHS is on a mission to revolutionize behavioral health outcomes. By 2025, they're aiming to slash Emergency Department visits for acute alcohol use, mental health crises, suicide attempts, and drug overdoses by 10% from the FY 2023 baseline. Think of it as a healthcare reform workout, focusing on prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.

• Home Run Against Homelessness: VA and HUD are joining forces to hit homelessness out of the park. HUD's eyeing a 7% reduction in unsheltered homelessness by January 2025, aiming to make it rare, brief, and a one-time deal. Meanwhile, the VA is set to home run, targeting to settle 76,000 Veterans into permanent housing and ensuring 90% of at-risk Vets don't end up homeless.

Each goal is a critical leg in this relay race, pushing towards a finish line where high-speed internet, improved healthcare, and reduced homelessness are not just dreams but realities. It's a sprint, a marathon, and a team effort, all rolled into one.

GSA FAS Commission Departure 

Big news from the GSA: Commissioner Sonny Hashmi, the maestro behind the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), is hanging up his hat on December 29. Stepping into the spotlight as Acting Commissioner is Tom Howder, a GSA vet with 36 years under his belt. Hashmi's tenure since January 2021 has been like a chart-topping hit, overseeing a whopping $100 billion in government buys, with a notable 36% increase over three years. He's been a champion for small businesses, funneling a third of that spending their way and ensuring nearly half of GSA's own investments support these smaller players.

Enter Howder, the new acting headliner. He's no rookie, with a recent Presidential Rank Award to his name and a four-year stint as Deputy Commissioner. He's been in the GSA game long enough to know the ropes and then some. So, as Hashmi exits stage left with a legacy of big spending and big savings, Howder steps up, ready to keep the FAS show going strong. 📚💼🚫

GSA Approach to AI

The GSA's Federal Acquisition Service, led by Sonny Hashmi, is revamping how the government acquires AI, inspired by Biden's executive order. The big idea? Streamline the process, create a one-size-fits-all acquisition model (think blanket purchase agreements), and then repeat it like your favorite Spotify playlist. Hashmi compares AI acquisition to buying a custom-tailored suit - it's not just a plug-and-play product. You're looking at a combo of hardware, software, and unique data sets that can vary by agency.

The GSA's balancing act lies in creating an agile yet secure acquisition process that keeps up with AI's rapid growth, akin to the leap from ChatGPT to GPT-4. It's about staying on the cutting edge while ensuring stability and trust in these high-tech purchases. In short, the GSA's new AI acquisition playbook is about making complicated tech buys as simple as your morning brew.

We do believe that our friends at GSA MAS will introduce an AI SIN Category.