GSA names 75 vendors to $5.5 billion hardware contract

The General Services Administration gave more than 70 vendors slots on its Second Generation Information Technology (2GIT) blanket purchase agreements.

GSA named 75 vendors, including 56 small businesses, to BPAs under 2GIT, which has a ceiling of about $5.5 billion over the next five years. The big hardware contract is the replacement for the Air Force's expiring NETCENTS-2 IT Products contracts, which expires this month.

The awards represent the realization of a plan announced in September 2018 to have GSA manage the governmentwide hardware procurement vehicle, incorporating standards and best practices from GSA's category management program. Kay Ely, then assistant commissioner at the GSA's Office of Information Technology Category, said at the time that "the solution we develop will streamline the Air Force's acquisition process -- and, the federal government's, more broadly -- as well as reduce contract duplication, while saving time, resources, and taxpayer dollars."

GSA said in a Nov. 5 statement on the 2GIT awards that the collaborative effort with the Air Force will "extend the benefits of a best-in-class IT purchasing solution to the federal government."

The 2GIT vehicle, said GSA, can be used by all federal agencies, as well as state, local and tribal governments through its Cooperative Purchasing program for pre-vetted IT products and services through its online shopping portal, GSA Advantage.

Along with the more efficient process, the agency said the BPAs also have supply chain risk management assurances, as well as on-site and virtual customer support and training.

The new BPAs also give agencies support to comply with procurement policies, such as the Office of Management and Budget's Category Management directives. Additionally, the vehicle collects prices-paid data and provides savings tracking capabilities, according to GSA.

"The 2GIT program is a great example of how GSA is developing IT solutions that help the federal government meet its mission-critical needs,'' GSA Assistant Commissioner of Information Technology Category Bill Zielinski said in the Nov. 5 statement. "2GIT also demonstrates GSA's commitment to working in true partnership with our customer agencies to help them navigate complex acquisition and IT modernization challenges with solutions that will evolve to deliver on government's current and future needs."