GSA makes first batch of Polaris awards

The General Services Administration has awarded 102 companies positions on Polaris, a government-wide IT contract vehicle reserved for small businesses.

GSA originally intended to make this first block of Polaris awards to 100 firms, but added two more because three bidders had tied scores at position No. 100. These are for the general small business pool of Polaris.

Click here for a direct link to the list of winners. GSA received 569 proposals for this pool of Polaris.

More awards are in the works for the vehicle’s women-owned, HUBZone and service-disabled veteran-owned small business pools. Polaris has no ceiling and a potential 10-year duration, inclusive of an initial five-year base period and a single option for five more years.

Polaris is designed to provide agencies a broad range of IT services and solutions, as well as focus on innovation. The solicitation released in September 2022 calls out artificial intelligence, automation, edge computing and immersive technologies as areas of interest.

Cloud computing, cybersecurity, data management, and IT and communications technologies represent examples of performance areas.

Awardees will also compete for work in IT operations and maintenance, software development, and systems design.

Polaris is a companion contract for tech-centric requirements to Alliant 3, a full-and-open vehicle that also has no ceiling and the same potential 10-year performance period.

GSA intends to choose 76 companies for Alliant 3, but all bidders whose scores are tied in the final position will get a seat if that happens. Bids for that vehicle are due by 4 p.m. Eastern time on Feb. 3.