Contracting spotlight

By Jonathan Sanders, Director, Research, GovExec

From the beginning of 2023, GovExec’s Insights & Research Group has covered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ongoing RFP drafting for the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG2) contract. The T4NG2 represents a potential $60.7 billion contract vehicle for information technology products and services.

The VA had delayed the release of the final solicitation to incorporate further feedback from industry partners, and has since been at the center of the spotlight in the wider GovCon community.

As of Tuesday March 14, 2023, the Veterans Affairs Department has released its final solicitation for the 10 year, $61 billion contract vehicle with the overarching goal of modernizing the VA’s healthcare technology infrastructure and improving healthcare delivery to veterans.

The T4NG vehicle includes a range of services and solutions, including:

Program management
Strategy planning and assessment
Enterprise architecture
Systems engineering and integration
Software design and development
Cybersecurity
Data analytics
Cloud computing
Mobility solutions
Health IT

The current T4NG contract, originally awarded in 2018, will be phased out in March 2026, with nearly $12 billion obligated on the current contract.

Final requests for proposals due April 14, 2023, keeping pace with the VA’s accelerated timelines since the initial draft RFP stages.

What this means for you

With the final solicitation released March 14th, final proposals due April 17th, and awards presented by the end of the calendar year, there is absolutely no time to waste.

Insights, Research, and YOUR Path to More Awards

GovExec’s Insights & Research Group (comprising Market Connections, Government Business Council, and Leading Brands) and GovTribe can keep you up to date on what is happening in this rapidly changing contract environment.

GovTribe is a collaborative platform that lends business development teams a hand through research and tracking of contracting vehicles as well as targeted intelligence on GSA Federal Supply Schedules, GWACS, IDIQs, and other multiple award vehicles.

Combining the data, insights, and expert analysis you get at Market Connections with the ease, agility, and usability of GovTribe can help you strategically position yourself right where you want to be for future opportunities.

Questions? Please reach out to Jonathan Sanders at jsanders@govexec.com.

By Jonathan Sanders, Director, Research, GovExec

In October 2022, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued a draft RFP for Alliant 3, their latest governmentwide acquisition contract (GWAC) that aims to provide Federal Government agencies with integrated IT solutions services for evolving needs on a global basis.

“GWACs serve as a springboard for small businesses to grow,” said Exodie C. Roe III, Associate Administrator for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

This contract will allow for the application of technology to meet current and evolving business needs required to satisfy all IT requirements worldwide at any time, fostering a “Anything IT Anywhere” philosophy. This service contract does not have a specific ceiling, and will leverage a self-scoring approach for prospective bidders, which has worked on procurements including OASIS, ASTRO, HCaTS, and Alliant 2.

GSA anticipates that multiple awards shall be made up to a maximum of 60 awards to the highest scoring bidders.

As a restricted GWAC, small businesses are eligible to participate in the solicitation. The average value of each contract under Alliant 2 is $116M.

When asked about the planned features of Alliant 3, GSA mentioned:

Providing an Unpriced Master Contract (subject to approval)
Maintaining a Best-in-Class (BIC) solution designation
Sustaining Standardized Labor Categories (LCATS) and the Prices Paid Portal
No Master Contract Ceiling (subject to approval)
Implementing Innovative Environmental and Sustainability Plans
Enhancing the Customer Experience
Increased IT Modernization Capabilities
Performance Standard Improvement
Provisioning for Regular Open Seasons
Streamlining Proposal Submissions and Evaluations
Increased Focus on Small Business through Subcontracting Plans, Performance Standards, and Evaluation Factor

Alliant 3 builds upon the successful Alliant and Alliant 2 GWACs. It is a new unrestricted enterprise GWAC that will have an increased focus on emerging technology, performance based contracting measures, small business subcontracting. It will also have open seasons and an environmental and sustainability plan.

Additional differentiating features in Alliant 3 include:

Providing an Unpriced Master Contract (subject to approval)
Eliminating a Master Contract Ceiling (subject to approval)
Provisioning for Open Seasons opportunities

What this means for you

Alliant 2 received a $25 billion ceiling increase in August, 2022, bringing the total ceiling to a staggering $75 billion. With add ons and efficiencies for the Alliant 3 GWAC underway, one can expect a nominal increase in estimated value. Now is the time to prepare your business to get on the next GWAC.

Insights, Research, and YOUR Path to More Awards

Questions? Please reach out to Jonathan Sanders at jsanders@govexec.com.

By Jonathan Sanders, Director, Research, GovExec

In FY 2022, nearly $18.4 billion of the U.S. Navy’s prime contract awards went to small businesses— $1.4 billion (8.2%) increase from $17 billion last year.

Over the last five years, the Navy has typically spent the following amounts with small businesses:

Engineering Services – $4 billion
Commercial and Institutional Building Construction – $3 billion
Ship Building & Repairing – $3 billion
Deep Sea Freight Transportation – $2 billion
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology & Biotechnology) – $2 billion
Other Computer Related Services – $1 billion
Computer Systems Design Services – $926 million
Facilities Support Services – $690 million
Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services – $675 million
Aircraft Manufacturing – $652million

More opportunities in FY2023

In FY2023, the Navy plans to create even more opportunities for small businesses by breaking up five major contracts into smaller awards, thus providing small businesses opportunities to compete for contract work. The Navy has not yet said which contracts will be included.

However, Jimmy Smith, Director of the Office of Small Business Programs at the Department of the Navy said: “… we know all the contracts that are sun-setting on the horizon. If they fall into the right time frame, we’re breaking them up into many parts to create opportunities for small businesses to increase our small business participation.” (source)

A search in GovTribe highlights awards in the top 10 NAICSs that are ending in the next 12 months and are not small business set asides:

Submarines (Electric Boat Corporation)
Aircraft Fixed Wing (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
Combat Ships and Landing Vessels (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
Combat Ships and Landing Vessels (Huntington Ingalls Corporation)
Combat Ships and Landing Vessels (Huntington Ingalls Corporation)
Destroyers (Bath Iron Works Corporation)
Combat Ships and Landing Vessels (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
Aircraft, Fixed Wing (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
Aircraft, Rotary Wing (Bell Textron Incorporated)
Aircraft, Fixed Wing (Lockheed Martin Corporation)

What this means for you

There is opportunity for small businesses in the Navy in the coming months. Now is the time to prepare your small business to win these contracts.

Insights, Research, and YOUR Path to More Awards

Questions? Please reach out to Jonathan Sanders at jsanders@govexec.com.