Second round for Commits
The Commerce Department late last week identified 30 vendors that it plans to award pieces of its estimated $1.5 billion governmentwide information technology services contract.
The Commerce Department late last week identified 30 vendors that it plans
to award pieces of its estimated $1.5 billion government-wide information
technology services contract.
Just over a year ago, Commerce awarded 29 contractors a chance to compete
for the Commerce Information Technology Solutions (Commits) program, which
was promoted as the first governmentwide IT services contract specifically
for small businesses.
However, a series of protests and rulings by the Court of Federal Claims
and the General Accounting Office forced Commerce to suspend Commits. On
June 29, the department told vendors that had originally bid on Commits
to revise their prices and technical information and resubmit their proposals.
Commerce released a list of the apparent successful companies Aug. 11;
it will award the Commits contracts Aug. 15.
The list includes nine companies not on the original Commits contract,
including the two — Computer & Hi-tech Management Inc. (CHM) and Kathpal
Technologies Inc. — that successfully filed protests after being passed
over the first time. Eight vendors on the original Commits contract are
absent this time.
Ed Redmond, contracts administrator for Commits at Kathpal
Technologies, said he is pleased. "[Commits] has the potential to be a very
valuable contractual vehicle for us."
Jim Cheng, president of CHM, said it was a "difficult decision" to protest
after losing last year. But things are different now. "We really do want
to do business with Commerce," he said. "This is a very important contract
for us."
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