GSA opens the door for OASIS small business
By
Nick Wakeman
The General Services Administration has issued a notice to proceed for the OASIS small business winners opening the door to agencies to begin using the $60 billion vehicle.
Just a week after the Government Accountability Office denied the small business protests of the $60 billion OASIS contract, GSA has declared it open for business.
The General Services Administration’s announcement only covers the small business OASIS contract. Several protests involving large businesses are still pending before GAO.
The notice to proceed means that agencies can now begin issuing task orders against the contract, which is designed for high-end professional services.
In addition to the GAO denial, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims also turned down a protest.
Agencies will have plenty of small businesses to choose from as 125 companies won spots on the contract.
Another 75 large businesses won spots on the full-and-open portion.
As I wrote in an earlier blog, GSA seems to have learned several lessons from when it was flooded with protests when it made its Alliant awards. The protests delayed that contract for a considerable amount of time.
For OASIS, GSA emphasized the need for communication with industry, and there were many opportunities for feedback as GSA developed the solicitation.
And although GSA still faces some protests, it doesn’t appear they’ll de-rail the contract.
GSA also is using the same model as it develops the next generation of the Alliant contract.
The agency expects OASIS to get a lot of use. The Air Force has stepped forward and pledged to use the contract to the tune of $1.4 billion a year for professional services.
For the winners, this announcement, of course, is just the beginning. Now, the real competition begins.