The federal buying season begins in August and runs through September. During this time, many agency procurement officers will make their final selections to meet end-of-year spending requirements, as most government allocated funds are often “use-it-or-lose-it,' meaning they won't carry over until the next fiscal year. Laptops and desktops continue to be among the most purchased items year-over…
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Ed McCosby, Senior Solutions Architect for CAS Severn, discusses Data Storage-as-a-Service, now available on CIO-CS.
Type: Video
In 1996, Congress passed what is now known as the Clinger-Cohen Act (CCA), which eliminated the General Services Administration (GSA) as the sole source for acquiring information technology (IT) and allowed other federal agencies to assume a lead contracting role. The Act was created with one mission in mind: To speed up IT purchasing so that by the time technology got to the buyer, it wasn’t…, Fair opportunity explained., Fair opportunity is a requirement that federal agencies purchasing IT products and services must follow when using a GWAC. It states that if a purchase exceeds the micropurchase threshold, every company that holds a contract with that GWAC must be given an equal opportunity to respond to a request for proposal (RFP) on services, or a request for quote (RFQ) on products. Fair opportunity is…, How NITAAC helps agencies meet fair opportunity., Unless using an exception to fair opportunity as described in FAR 16.505(b)(2), ordering contracting officers must provide fair opportunity, FAR 16.505(b)(1) for orders exceeding the micropurchase threshold. In the case of small businesses, the ordering contracting officer also must determine if there is a reasonable expectation of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business…, Meeting fair opportunity with e-GOS., e-GOS provides streamlined IT ordering, enabling agencies to quickly upload requirements and supporting documentation, manage the competition, handle questions and answers, submit amendments if necessary and finally, select and notify awardees. Agencies control the time frame based on the level of complexities, but responses can be received in, on average, as few as three days for products and 42…
Type: Article
With 8(a) STARS II reaching its contract ceiling, many agencies that relied on the 8(a) STARS II GWAC, must now begin the process of seeking alternative GWACs to meet their socioeconomic requirements. Every Federal agency with procurement authority is responsible for contributing towards meeting the Federal government-wide small business procurement goals. Each agency must provide the maximum…
Type: Article
At NITAAC, we are not only fueling modernization across the government, we are leading by example. As one of the federal government’s top sources for ‘everything IT,’ NITAAC has taken the message of modernization to heart and is proud to launch a refreshed experience that will change how agencies acquire new technology. NITAAC’s three easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, Best in Class GWACs – CIO-SP3…, Reimagining Our Website, Reimagining acquisition is about creating a positive user-centric customer experience from market research through closeout. With this in mind, we made it a foremost priority to directly improve user experience at the starting point of most people’s acquisition journey – the NITAAC website. Our newly refreshed website focuses on educating contracting officers, contract holders and small…, Intuitive Buying Through NextGen e-GOS, Even with a sleek new website, user experience is not going to improve without improving the actual procurement process. With this in mind, we have also focused a great deal of our efforts over the past year on improving the next generation of our online customer ordering portal, e-GOS. With new ease-of-access features that complement the changes made to our website, customers are now seamlessly…, Best in Class GWACs: CIO-SP3, CIO-SP3 Small Business and CIO-CS, The BIC designation doesn’t just benefit the NITAAC community, it benefits the federal government, in general. The BIC designation is awarded to contracts that consistently deliver strong results. By relying on contracts with good track records, agencies — and the federal government as a whole — can raise the baseline for the quality of acquisitions. The BIC designation for all three of our…, Democratizing Expertise with Assisted Acquisitions, If your agency would prefer even more detailed guidance throughout the acquisition process, our Assisted Acquisitions program is ready to pair you with an experienced Contracting Officer capable of helping you navigate the procurement process. Warranted acquisition professionals will work with you to determine the best course forward for your acquisition, from the market research and acquisition…, Accept No Substitutes: Outstanding Customer Support , Customer service is not something we take for granted at NITAAC. We've geared our operations around our customers’ needs so whether they are just beginning a solicitation and need help with research, or they’ve already placed a task or delivery order on one of our vehicles, NITAAC is committed to making sure they get answers faster, so they can keep their acquisitions on track. From a vendor…, Want to learn more? , To learn more about these, and all the ways NITAAC is reimagining acquisitions, be sure to follow us on our social media channels – Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook, YouTube – and our own NITAAC Solutions Showcase . Feel free to share content on your own Feeds, Link to our 2019/2020 Program Guide , 2019/2020 Program Guide https://reader.mediawiremobile.com/OnTheFrontlines/issues/205122/viewer
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According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. In fact, small businesses create two-thirds of net new jobs and drive U.S. innovation and competitiveness. The contributions of small businesses are so great that federal legislation has been enacted to ensure that small businesses have fair and equitable access to federal spending. This…, Goals met with CIO-SP3 Small Businesses, The NITAAC CIO-SP3 Small Business GWAC features a wide variety of leading small business innovators and can be used by any federal, civilian or DoD agency to fulfill information technology requirements and meet socioeconomic goals. CIO-SP3 Small Business boasts pre-vetted contract holders in key socioeconomic categories, such as:, 8(a):, The SBA 8(a) Program is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain entry into government contracting. This certification is intended for organizations that are owned and controlled by at least 51% of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The CIO-SP3 Small Business GWAC features , 133 8(a), designated Contract Holders., Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone):, The government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses in HUBZones. It also gives preferential consideration to those businesses in full and open competition. The CIO-SP3 Small Business GWAC features , 22 HUBZone small businesses, located in underutilized urban and rural communities., Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB): , The SDVOSB designation is given to small businesses that are at, , least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans. The CIO-SP3 Small Business GWAC features , 53 SDVOSB Contract Holders, ., Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB): , To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the WOSB Federal Contracting Program. In fact, the federal government's goal is to award at least five percent of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses each year. The CIO-SP3 Small Business GWAC features , 21 dynamic Women-Owned Small Businesses., , NITAAC Has You Covered, No matter your socioeconomic goal, CIO-SP3 Small Business can help you meet it. Explore the benefits and possibilities of CIO-SP3 Small Business on our dedicated, page, . Ready to discuss how it can best serve your needs? Contact our customer support team at NITAACsupport@nih.gov .
Type: Article
Many federal agencies lack an understanding of the various types of cloud services available on Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs). As a result, agencies are still purchasing cloud services as an add-on to other contracts, something that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) worries could lead to security challenges. What’s more, many federal workers lack the skillsets to…, Tips to Successfully Deploying Cloud Solutions, Provide workforce training: , As federal agencies continue to learn more about the cloud, ensure that the workforce is properly trained so you can get maximum value from your cloud purchase., Have a cloud strategy in place before you purchase:, Don’t procure cloud for the sake of procuring cloud. It is pertinent to have a cloud strategy in place to ensure long-term success., Ensure the right decision-makers are involved:, Decide who inside and outside the agency should be engaged, to ensure your strategy is aligned with workforce demands., Ask hard questions regarding cost savings:, Conduct an ROI analysis to ensure the benefits of going completely to the cloud are worth it for your agency. And, once you have asked the hard questions, developed a strategy and are ready to make a purchase, NITAAC recommends keeping in mind the Cloud Smart Buying Strategies recommended by the OMB :, OMB Cloud Smart Buying Strategies, Agencies should leverage the bulk purchasing power of the federal government through common contract solutions Agencies should attach specific performance metrics and expectations to service-level agreements Agencies should pay special attention to how providers treat high-value assets, The NITAAC Difference, Built with cloud acquisition in mind, the NITAAC CIO-CS GWAC is a full suite of information technology commodities and solutions capable of meeting any of the latest government technology trends, from cloud computing to cybersecurity to mobility. The offerings are always current, with a technology refresh process that enables product updates to be added as soon as they become available, not in…, NITAAC is Here to Help, The promise of the cloud is great. Cloud can transform the way agencies do their work by making them more agile, effective and efficient, not to mention by yielding significant cost savings. When your agency is ready to move to the cloud, NITAAC is here to help.
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Ricky Clark is the Director of NITAAC. A United States Navy Veteran, Mr. Clark began his federal contracting career with the 87th Contracting Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Prior to reporting to the National Institutes of Health, Mr. Clark served as a contracting professional at the Patuxent River NAVAIR program where he developed “no ceiling” BPAs and other contracts to support…
Type: Person
To view the latest updates to the CIO-SP4 timeline and additional proposal specifics, click here: NITAAC CIO-SP4 Updates .
Type: Article
The 2019 Federal Cloud Computing Strategy — Cloud Smart — is a long-term, high-level strategy to drive cloud adoption in Federal agencies. This is the first cloud policy update in seven years, offering a path forward for agencies to migrate to a safe and secure cloud infrastructure. This new strategy will support agencies to achieve additional savings, greater security and faster services. In the…
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
