Latest on the GSA and cyber assurance-

The General Services Administration has been working on several changes due to the latest increase in cyber security issues. The first being a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and the second being yet another addition to the Schedule 70 service offering.

The GSA is awarding a BPA for credit monitoring and identity protections services to address future issues, coming after the hack of The Office of Personnel Management’s security clearance database.

To also assist with future issues the GSA has release an RFI to determine if adding a SIN (Special Item Number) to Schedule 70 would be advantageous. It would cover hardware, software and services that fall under cyber assurance, virus detection, intrusion detection and network management.

You can take a look at the RFI that is currently on FedBizOpps here: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=68e1e8b5cc17539fc9d4d8ee53189344

Responses to the RFI are currently due September 11, 2015 at 4PM EST.

If you need assistance with responding to the RFI or just have questions in general feel free to give us a call at 216-662-7044. 

What's new in government procurement?

This week's blog post we want to focus on what is going on in the world of government procurement. Staying on top of recent developments can help when looking at what agencies your company wants to work with, what products the government is focusing on, and many more advantages.

So what's new?

Well, I am sure many of you have heard about the conflict between the Department of Defense and the GSA. A few articles have been written recently highlighting the issues between the two agencies as new developments when really there is nothing new. The DoD has their own methods of procurement and have not been big proponents of the GSA right out of the gate. If you're looking at dealing with either agency don't let this shy you away.

A few noteworthy things have been going on in the world of IT this week.
 GSA's CIO, Sonny Hashmi took to the internet with a question ans answer session. He touches base on cloud-based services, shift to modular contracts and a few other topics. Take a look at the session here: https://github.com/govfresh/gitchat/issues/3
The DoD is also expanding its use of IT Dashboard, the agency has reported more than $2.5 billion in ongoing IT projects that have been introduced since the last fiscal year. Take a look at the full article here: http://fcw.com/articles/2014/04/11/dod-it-dashboard.aspx

Are you in the telecommunications industry? You may be interested in the RFI that the GSA has released for Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions. This will replace the Networx vehicle. Comments are due by May 5th and the GSA plans to solicit bids in FY 2015.  Check out the full article here: http://fcw.com/articles/2014/04/14/ns2020-rfi.aspx

Good news for anyone in the construction industry was recently released. The Government announced new flexibility for federal construction standards. It allows for contractors to focus on the end product and not the method to getting there. Take a look at the full article for an example: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/new-flexibility-federal-construction-standards/2014-03-18

When people think of things the government buys they think military, but if you think about it the government is just like any other company. They purchase everyday items too. The latest strategic sourcing the GSA is exploring is furniture. The goal is be able to offer agencies better deals and easier access to furniture product and services.

These are just a few of the noteworthy stories our team has come across recently. If you find anything that is not listed here and believe people should be aware of feel free to send them our way. We appreciate all feedback.

-Cristi Kaib