Small businesses get large IT opportunity
GSA has issued a draft RFP for the GSA IT Global Operations acquisition.
The General Services Administration is giving 8(a) firms another major information technology integration contract as the agency centralizes IT systems during its reorganization.
GSA released a draft request for proposals Sept. 27 for the GSA IT Global Operations (GITGO) acquisition. The agency wants a standard, enterprisewide resource management framework in the next year, according to the document.
GSA envisions an IT infrastructure in line with industry best practices, which will allow the agency to reap significant savings, the document states.
The draft RFP is aimed at businesses in GSA’s Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resources for Services (STARS) governmentwide acquisition contract, another major IT acquisition for 8(a) firms.
Businesses are anticipating an RFP for a five-year project estimated to be worth about $500 million. The soon-to-be-released request will call for another centrally managed IT infrastructure that would make GSA’s operations more efficient. In it, GSA wants to eliminate incompatible systems and improve reliability, agency officials say.
GSA Administrator Lurita Doan said Sept. 26 that she expects the RFP to be released in October.
Doan, the former owner of a small IT business, is intent on offering small businesses plenty of opportunities to work for GSA.
Many small-business owners are not pleased with the size of the $500 million, five-year project. They said they did not have the resources to handle it.
GITGO aims to merge GSA’s three major services, as the reorganization plan dictates. GSA’s IT infrastructure operations must now work agencywide, the document states. The chief information officer has managed the agency’s wide-area network and e-mail system, but the Federal Technology Service, Federal Supply Service and Public Building Service have been responsible for managing their own support services.
“A major component to making GSA’s information technology operation more efficient is centrally managed infrastructure operations,” the RFP states.