GSA Targets Small IT Businesses for Polaris GWAC
GSA to award $10 Billion in IT contracts to over 300 small businesses under Polaris GWAC.
Polaris is known as the “The Guiding Star” in the night sky. The GSA Polaris Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) is a family of Multiple Award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts representing the next step in connecting federal agencies with small, innovative contractors offering IT services-based solutions.
The contracts estimated value could generate $10 Billion for hundreds of IT companies over the next decade and is targeted for over 300 small businesses, including set-aside opportunities.
- Unrestricted small businesses (100 spots)
- HUBZone businesses (60 spots)
- Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (70 spots)
- Women-owned small businesses (80 spots)
Businesses will be scored on a self-assessment rubric GSA officials will use to evaluate bids. Polaris bidders will have to assign themselves a score based on relevant experience, past performance ratings, expertise with emerging technologies, and other factors.
The Polaris matrix will take into account scores for up to five “primary relevant experience projects.” Federal agencies have used a similar self-scoring method for previous multiple-award contracts, such as Alliant 2, OASIS, ASTRO, and CIO-SP4. GSA officials will validate the self-scored proposals and award contracts to the companies scoring highest in each pool.
Polaris has been structured to include these four separate diverse small business pools – Small Business (SB), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), SDVOSB, and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) — and supports Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This strategy enables GSA to provide the federal marketplace with acquisition solutions from key industry segments for which there is procurement set-aside authority, provide equitable business opportunities for historically underserved and marginalized small businesses, and support customer agency small business program goals.
The goal is for government agencies seeking customized IT services or an IT services-based solution from a SB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB to have access to highly qualified small businesses from these sectors who can both meet their IT mission objectives and deliver small business program results, while advancing a more equitable society in fulfillment of public policy objectives. (The preliminary RFP can be found here – Polaris Preliminary RFP. The final RFP is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2021.)
The GSA is committed to building a diverse community of SB, HUBZone, SDVOSB and WOSB to provide innovation and job growth in the U.S. and bring key services to the federal government.
Are you ready to take advantage of this opportunity? Are your registrations current and compliant? Do you have a Capability Statement? Do you qualify for a set-aside award?
FedBiz Access works with businesses to simplify government contracting and help them become competitive to win awards. The business development services include targeted market research, Set-Aside Certifications, and GSA Schedule registrations.
FedBiz Access helps companies build a clear path from registration to award.
