IT schedule sees growth in fiscal 2015

After a slowdown in previous years, GSA IT schedule experiences modest growth in fiscal 2015, according to its manager.

This story first appeared on FCW.com.

The General Services Administration's IT Schedule 70 pulled in $14.8 billion in business in fiscal 2015 -- an increase of 3 percent, or $424 million, from the previous year. Federal agencies use the schedule to buy IT products, services and solutions from almost 5,000 preapproved contractors.

In a Jan. 25 blog post, Mary Davie, assistant commissioner of GSA's Office of Integrated Technology Services, said agencies spent most of their IT procurement money on three categories: professional services, perpetual software licenses and hardware.

The hardware and professional services Special Item Numbers (SINs) saw the heaviest use. Their growth was up 14 percent, to $1.74 billion in fiscal 2015. Professional services spending climbed $211 million -- the largest increase on Schedule 70.

Davie said the Office of Management and Budget's guidance for agencies to use IT Schedule 70 as one of three contract vehicles in the Government-wide Strategic Solutions for Desktops and Laptops is good news for IT Schedule 70's hardware SIN.

That initiative's strategic goal to centralize and standardize the purchase of laptop and desktop computers will bring better transparency, pricing and value to federal agencies, she said.