GSA forecasts Stars III solicitation
The General Services Administration wants to issue the final request for proposals for a key governmentwide small business contract by end of the fiscal year.
The General Services Administration will issue the final solicitation for the next iteration of its popular 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services (8(a) STARS) multiple award contract by the end of September, according to one of the contract's top managers.
In a June 10 blog post, Laura Stanton, acting assistant commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Services' Office of Information Technology Category, said the agency will issue the final solicitation for the contract by end of the federal government's fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The initial Stars III request for information went out last August.
Participation is open to small companies with the Small Business Administration's 8(a) designation -- those that are majority owned by U.S. citizens that meets criteria for being economically and socially disadvantaged.
In early April, the 8(a) STARS II governmentwide contract hit its $15 billion ordering obligation limit. GSA said in mid-May that task orders on the vehicle are still permissible for agencies whose contracting officers have obtained a control number from the agency to use the contract vehicle, but new control numbers are no longer being issued.
The STARS II contract was originally planned to run until Aug. 30, 2021. GSA issued the draft 8(a) STARS III solicitation last August.
The agency has raised 8(a) STARS II ceiling "more than once" to accommodate demand," said Stanton in her post, who added that the agency is working on ways to continue to use the contract.
The repeated increase in the ceiling value, she said, shows its continuing popularity for agencies looking to connect with innovative small business tech providers.